vast drum and dome, seeming to serve simply as a base for them.
The overpowering dome, conspicuous on the Parisian skyline, is it-
self expressive of the Italian Baroque love for dramatic magnitude, as
is the way that its designer aimed for theatrical effects of light and
space. The dome consists of three shells, the lowest cut off so that a
visitor to the interior looks up through it to the one above, which is
filled with light from hidden windows in the third, outermost dome.
Charles de La Fosse (1636–1716) painted the interior of the second
dome in 1705 with an Italian-inspired representation of the heavens
opening up to receive Saint Louis, patron of France.
England
In England, in sharp distinction to France, the common law and the
Parliament kept royal power in check. England also differed from
France (and Europe in general) in other significant ways. Although
an important part of English life, religion was not the contentious is-
sue it was on the Continent. The religious affiliations of the English
included Catholicism, Anglicanism, Protestantism, and Puritanism
(the English version of Calvinism). In the economic realm, England
was the one country (other than the Dutch Republic) to take advan-
tage of the opportunities overseas trade offered. As an island coun-
try, Britain (which after 1603 consisted of England, Wales, and Scot-
land), like the Dutch Republic, possessed a large and powerful navy
as well as excellent maritime capabilities.
Architecture
In the realm of art, the most important English achievements were
in the field of architecture, much of it, as in France, incorporating
classical elements.INIGO JONESThe most notable English architect of the first
half of the 17th century was Inigo Jones(1573–1652), architect to
Kings James I (r. 1603–1625) and Charles I (FIG. 25-5). Jones spent
considerable time in Italy. He greatly admired the classical authority
and restraint of Andrea Palladio’s structures and studied with great
care his treatise on architecture (see Chapter 22). Jones took many
motifs from Palladio’s villas and palaces, and he adopted Palladio’s
basic design principles for his own architecture. The nature of his
achievement is evident in the buildings he designed for his royal pa-
trons, among them the Banqueting House (FIG. 25-37) at White-
hall in London. For this structure, a symmetrical block of great clar-
ity and dignity, Jones superimposed two orders, using columns in
the center and pilasters near the ends. The balustraded roofline, un-
interrupted in its horizontal sweep, predates the Louvre’s facade (FIG.
25-31) by more than 40 years. Palladio would have recognized and
approved all of the design elements, but the building as a whole is
not a copy of his work. Although relying on the revered Italian’s
architectural vocabulary and syntax, Jones retained his own inde-
pendence as a designer. For two centuries his influence was almost as
authoritative in English architecture as that of Palladio.England 70125-37Inigo Jones,Banqueting House at Whitehall, London, England, 1619–1622.
Jones was a great admirer of the classical architecture of Palladio, and he adopted motifs from the Italian Renaissance
architect’s villas and palaces for the buildings he designed for his royal patrons.