Inigo Jones Research Paper

- Inigo Jones was British painter, architect, and designer, he was best known as the first prominent British architect in England.

-Inigo Jones was born July 15, 1573, in Smithfield, London, Eng. and died June 21, 1652, in London

- Inigo Jones was one of the first people to incorporate the traditional architecture of Rome and the Italian Renaissance to Britain. Jones made his name known in London by his many designs of individual buildings, including the Queen's House, the Banqueting House, Whitehall and the layout for Covent Garden square.

- Inigo Jones was the son of a Welsh clothworker. There is not too much information known about Jones's early life, though it was recorded that he did not enter the architectural profession in the traditional way, Jones as an apprentice joiner in St Paul's Churchyard. Jones had visited Italy in 1603 to study and develop his skills in painting and design. From Italy, he traveled to Denmark where he worked for King Christian on the design of the palaces of Rosenborg and Frederiksborg.

- After Jones introduced masques to the stage, he became well known as a costume designer and stage set designer.

While under Queen Anne’s patronage, Jones was credited with inventing and putting into action movable scenery and the proscenium arch. Jones was responsible for staging over 500 performances on the stage between 1605 and 1640. Jones throughout this time collaborated with Ben Jonson, despite a relationship burdened with competition

Queens House

- In 1616, Inigo Jones began designing the Queen’s House as a private garden house for Anne of Denmark. When the queen died in 1619, the building remained unfinished until 1629. Jones completed it around 1635 for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I.

- The centerpiece of the Queen’s House is the Great Hall. The Great Hall is in the shape of a cube, the Hall was built in the center of the building and includes a first-floor balcony overseeing a black-and-white marble

floor.

The Banqueting House

The Banqueting House, Whitehall, is only remaining component of the Palace of Whitehall. The building is important in the history of English architecture as the first structure to be completed in the neo-classical style, which was to transform English architecture. Begun in 1619 and designed by Inigo Jones in a style influenced by Andrea Palladio, the Banqueting House was completed in 1622 years before King Charles I of England was beheaded on a scaffold in front of it in January 1649.

Proscenium Arch and Moveable Scenery

Inigo Jones designed the proscenium arch and movable scenery.
While in Italy the use of stage machinery and scenic invention inspired Jones to introduce his work to the British theatre.
Inigo Jones's scenery used a series of shutters that slid in and out using grooves in the floor. He even flew in scenery from above and introduced colored lighting by placing candles behind tinted glass.