Banqueting House (London, England) : General view, from the northeast, depicting the entire east & north elevation

Creator:

Jones, Inigo, 1573-1652
Rubens, Peter Paul, 1577-1640

Published/Created:

Whitehall, London, England, United Kingdom
1619-1622

Date Depicted:

5/12/1997
1500 AD - 1699 AD

Materials:

stone

Notes:

The concept of a projecting centre flanked by simpler, recessed bays, which is characteristic of Palladio's work, appears in several other contemporary designs by Jones. An example of this type of façade composition is Jones's Banqueting House (1619-1622), Whitehall, London, which was intended to be used for royal entertainments and masques. This building, Jones's most important work, is planned as a simple rectangular hall proportioned as a double cube. The elevations are designed in two main storeys with superimposed orders - Ionic and Corinthian - above a rusticated base. Both long sides have their three central bays emphasized by engaged columns, with pilasters articulating the outer bays. The orders are classically detailed, with entasis (swelling) in the columns and a pulvinate (convex) Ionic frieze. Early designs for the Banqueting House (Chatsworth, Derbys) show a pediment over the three central bays; this was subsequently abandoned, and the entablatures at both levels break forward over all the columns and pilasters, providing a marked horizontal effect that was emphasized by the materials originally used: different coloured stone for the basement level, main body and balustrades (later entirely resurfaced in Portland stone). Inside, the Banqueting House has a colonnaded balcony separating the two storeys, and a flat ceiling, for which Jones introduced new construction techniques. The ceiling was painted by Rubens, and the installation of these panels by 1635 ended the building's use as a masquing hall, as smoke from these torchlit events was seen to be damaging the paintings.

Variant Titles:

Banqueting House, Whitehall

Topics:

Architecture -- Britain -- 17th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Palladian

Culture:

British

Accession Number:

1A1-JI-BH-A2

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
building divisions: banquet halls (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

architectural exteriors; rulers and leaders construction building divisions; rooms and spaces; banquet halls; buildings; houses; official residences; palaces

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Module Two

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
5/12/1997

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4152

OID:

10164840

PID:

digcoll:1863060