Classicism in Architecture: Exploring The Queen's House

Osama Herzallah

Renaissance to neoclassicism AR544

6th of December 2018

The Queen’s House

The foundational principles that comprised classicism in architectural context is based, as described by Darbee (2002), on the tectonic of symmetry, which is the establishment of homogeneity, cohesion and symmetry not merely in form, but also in the function of the edifice. The architectural design following the classical principles set forth by Roman architects of archaic times thus served to achieve this sense of architectural equilibrium that was the focal attribute of classicism manifested in building across different eras of time. perhaps one of the most renowned and well-versed practitioners of the classical style of architecture is the English

As explained by Theodore (2000), theorist of that time “used studies of ideal human proportions as the basis for discussing ideal architectural proportions” (p. 11). Accordingly, these basal conceptual treaties of architecture were the cornerstones for the classical style employed by Jones. In describing the different facets of the treaties that were put into use by Jones, Thoedore (2000) highlights that one of the main principles of the Vitruvain treaties involved the notion that buildings need to be scaled in order to mimic idealised human proportions, as per the Christian orthodoxy that man was made in God’s image. The second manifestation of humanist attributes in an architectural sense come about in terms of the function that is to be represented by the building. By designing buildings based on bodily attributes, Jones facilitates their attribution with human traits such as cultural, moral, and historic values. Thus, buildings such as the Queen’s House, similarly, are able to embody and encompass cultural and social connotations, that augments the significance of the symbolic function of the building as being more than a mere

According to information posed by the Royal Museums Greenwich (n.d.), the commission for the development of the Queen’s House came subsequent to a decree by James I, who granted the house to his wife Anne of Denmark. According to historic documents, James I granted his wife the house as a token of apology for swearing “in front of her when she accidently killed his favorite hunting dog” (para. 3). While the employment of Jones for the construction of the Queen’s House was a dedication to the Queen herself, she did not have the opportunity to witness its completion, as she died in 1619. Consequent to this incident, the construction of the house was halted, until it was later resumed under the direction of Charles I’s spouse, which is Henrietta Maria. Since gaining position of the estate, Queen Maria assayed to turn it into her own personal house of delight, in which the entirety of the estate was ornamented with arts and design. This Initiative by Queen Maria was influential to the current function of the house, which as explained, “is now home to a collection of great artworks, including paintings by William Hodges, George Stubbs, Hans Holbein, William Hogarth and Thomas Gainsboroug” (para. 10). Thus, this