Happy 500th birthday,Palladio

In 1570 a printing press in Venice, Italy, began producing a four-volume set of books that would have a profound effect on architecture throughout the Western world.
It was titled “I Quattro Libri dell’ Architettura,” which translates in English to “The Four Books of Architecture.” The author was Andrea Palladio, who, through his interpretation of classical Greek and Roman architecture, gave the world a style of architecture known as Palladianism.
One need only view exquisite structures such as Monticello, the White House or the University of Virginia’s Rotunda to see Palladianism manifest. Of all the books owned by Thomas Jefferson, Palladio’s four books were among his most cherished.
When Col. Isaac Coles engaged Jefferson on the topic of architecture, the sage of Monticello said that Palladio “was the bible.” He advised Coles to get Palladio’s series “and stick close to it.”
Good advice
Jefferson heeded his own advice. It has been said that of all the states in the union, Virginia is where Palladio’s influence is perhaps the most pronounced.
To mark the 500th anniversary of Palladio’s birth in Padua, Italy, on Nov. 30, 1508, a number of events are planned. One of them will occur in our area on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, based in New York City, has put together a tour to view examples of Palladian architecture in the Charlottesville area and Richmond. The tour sold out within a few days of being announced.
“Palladio was a brilliant architect and mason, and his books really fueled his legacy,” said Victor Deupi, director of education for the institute and graduate of UVa’s school of architecture. “His four books showed examples of ancient monuments that were brought to light exquisitely, if not for the first time, at least in the most beautiful renderings of them.
Orders of architecture
“And there also were designs of his own doing. And there were what we call the elements and principles of classical architecture. He basically outlined the orders of architecture.
“So when you go to a place like UVa, you see very clear building types like the Rotunda, which is inspired by the Pantheon. And you also see the various pavilions that have the architectural character of Palladio’s orders and ancient orders as well.”
Deupi said Palladio’s contribution to the history of architecture through his four books is unparalleled. Politics and the architect’s influence on Jefferson had a lot to do with the style and look of government buildings, such as the Virginia State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol.
“When Jefferson was looking for a model for the architecture for a new democracy, he really wanted to differentiate himself from Georgian England [architecture], and the work you would find in a place like Williamsburg,” Deupi said.
“By going back to the roots of Republican architecture in ancient Rome as made modern by Palladio, Jefferson found a source book of inspiration and exemplary new buildings and how you can translate that ancient model to contemporary purposes.
“So when you’re looking at something like the Lawn, you’re not just looking at Palladian inspired work. You’re looking at ancient work brought forward through Palladio and reinterpreted by Jefferson.”
Among the highlights of the four-day tour will be a visit to nearby Mirador, in western Albemarle County. The beautiful mansion was built in 1825 and was the home of the famous Langhorne family.
There also will be a tour of the Farmington clubhouse, which was designed by Jefferson in 1802 for his friend George Divers. And, of course, there will be a tour of Monticello, which has been described as a Palladian villa or pavilion.
Fiske Kimball’s Shack Mountain will be another stop on the tour’s itinerary. The home a few miles northwest of Charlottesville has been called “a house of Jeffersonian character.”
The four-columned portico of Shack Mountain is a Palladian feature. But Palladio wasn’t the first to place a pedimented portico on the façade of a residence.
Deupi says that distinction goes to Giuliano da Sangallo. In 1485 he drew this into his design of Poggio a Caiano, Lorenzo de Medici’s weekend getaway near Florence, Italy.
“Although Giuliano da Sangallo was the first person to graft a pedimented portico onto a private residence, Palladio was certainly the one who made it most recognizable,” Deupi said.
Little is known of Palladio’s personal life, but his books and beautiful designs speak eloquently of his gifts to this day. Deupi said one of the aspects that often gets overlooked when it comes to Palladio’s legacy is his contribution to the common man.
“During the 16th century in an area around Venice, a very profound social agenda emerged through some of the humanist circles in which Palladio was engaged,” Deupi said. “The idea of housing for all grades of society was something that was heavily discussed at the time.
“Palladio, in many ways, was involved in that. When you look at some of these projects you see he wasn’t just building for the elite.
“And he wasn’t just engaged in high-end residential. He was really involved in a great cross-section of architecture, and maybe that doesn’t get publicized as much as it should.”
Palladio died on Aug. 19, 1580. His genius and hard work enabled him to advance from being a stonemason to being one of the most respected architects in history.
When Jefferson merged his own genius with that of Palladio, it resulted in Virginia and the nation being blessed with some of the most beautiful examples of architectural art in the world.