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"Michel-Angelo assumed such considerable and prominent position by his genius and authority, that his example necessarily entailed imitation and produced effects on subsequent times. When his deviations were moderate, they were considered by his imitators merely as marks of the originality of his wonderful talent, and by this means proved stepping-stones to the degeneration which marked the ensuing period of the Roccoco style. Amongst his architectural works, the design of the Capitol at Rome, with its wings, may be considered as the most pleasing, whilst as a testimony to his lofty genius the mighty and glorious dome of St. Peter's at Rome, which has no rival in the world, must be adducted as a striking instance. This dome was only completed after Michel-Angelo's death. Both as regards its colossal dimensions, as well as its beautiful proportions and lines, it produces, both internally and externally, a most wonderful impression. It should be remarkable that Michel-Angelo, like Bramante before him, selected the form of the Greek cross for his church, and planned the dome accordingly, and that the nave, which is by Carlo Maderno, is, both externally and internally, prejudicial to the effect of the dome."The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), officially known in Italian as the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica, is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites and has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession.

Back View of St. Peter's, Rome

"Michel-Angelo assumed such considerable and prominent position by his genius and authority, that his…

This image "presents a type of the majority of the palaces if the Roman Renaissance style, at least so far as regards the architectural features and their arrangement; for the most important palaces in this style are both more imposing by their great length, whilst at the same time they are less simple and less correct in their details." The Verospi Palace, or The Palazzo Verospi, is located on the main street in Rome, the Via Del Corso.

Verospi Palace, Rome

This image "presents a type of the majority of the palaces if the Roman Renaissance style, at least…

"The creations of Alberti form a class apart in Florentine palace architecture, for they do not display the peculiarities of the Florentine style, but rather accommodating the forms of the antique to more modern requirements, they pointed out the road which was followed by the Roman Renaissance style, especially at the commencement of the sixteenth century. As will be seen from (this image,) these buildings are, to a certain extent, free from medièval sympathies, and approach more closely to the classical models."

Rucellai Palace

"The creations of Alberti form a class apart in Florentine palace architecture, for they do not display…

"A method of decoration is peculiar to these buildings which appears to have been borrowed from Byzantine models. Fine marbles of various colors, of which red porphyry and green serpentine are the most frequent, are inserted in circular and angular panels and borderings, and form a sort of mosaic-work. This style of ornamentation is employed both in churches and palaces, and gives a peculiarly rich and elegant appearance to the façades. Another peculiarity which was borrowed from the Byzantine style consists in the employment of semi-circular gables, both in churches, as in the case of the Santa Maria dei Miracoli, and also in public places, of which the Scuola di San Marco is a brilliant example."

Scuola di San Marco

"A method of decoration is peculiar to these buildings which appears to have been borrowed from Byzantine…

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The cathedral sits on the highest point of the City of London, which originated as a Roman trading post situated on the River Thames. The cathedral is one of London's most visited sights.

St. Paul's London

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of…

This is a drawing of the interior of the St. Peter's Basilica located in the Vatican city of Rome, Italy. The interior space of the church was designed by Giovanni Paolo Panini an Italian painter and architect. The interior space is the largest interior of any Christian church in the world.

Interior of St. Peter's Basilica

This is a drawing of the interior of the St. Peter's Basilica located in the Vatican city of Rome, Italy.…

Façade of St. Peter's Basilica, located in Rome. By Catholic Tradition, the Basilica is the burial site of its namesake St. Peter, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ and, also according to tradition, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome.

Façade of St. Peter's Basilica

Façade of St. Peter's Basilica, located in Rome. By Catholic Tradition, the Basilica is the burial…

"St. Peter's Rome: the architectural glory of the Renaissance." -Foster, 1921

St. Peter's Rome

"St. Peter's Rome: the architectural glory of the Renaissance." -Foster, 1921

Georges d'Amboise (1460 – May 25, 1510) was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and minister of state. He belonged to the house of Amboise, a noble family possessed of considerable influence: of his nine brothers, four were bishops. His father, Pierre d'Amboise, seigneur de Chaumont, was chamberlain to Charles VII and Louis XI and ambassador at Rome. Georges' eldest brother, Charles, was governor of the île-de-France, Champagne and Burgundy, and councillor of Louis XI. This image "represents a characteristic specimen of French Renaissance decoration".

Tomb of Cardinal d'Amboise at Rouen

Georges d'Amboise (1460 – May 25, 1510) was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and minister of state.…

The Musée du Louvre or officially the Grand Louvre — in English, the Louvre Museum or Great Louvre, or simply the Louvre — is the national museum of France, the most visited museum in the world, and a historic monument. It is a central landmark of Paris, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (neighborhood). Nearly 35,000 objects from the 6th century BC to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square meters (652,300 square feet).The three prominent architects, Pierre Lescot (1510-1578), who desiged the celebrated Western Façade of the Louvre, Philibert Delorme and Jean Buillant, who was the architect of the earlier portions of the Tuileries [shown here], and of the Château d'Ecouen, exerted such an influence over the architecture of their native country that the Italian Renaissance Style became thenceforward the predominant one in France."

Façade of the Tuileries

The Musée du Louvre or officially the Grand Louvre — in English, the Louvre Museum or Great Louvre,…

"A more determined imitation of Roman architecture is subsequently perceptible in the productions of San Michele during the first half of the sixteenth century. The conceptions of this architect had a considerable influence on his contemporaries and successors, and display a certain independence and originality." The Palazzo Grimani di San Luca is a Renaissance building in Venice, Italy. It is located on the Rio di San Luca channel of the city, at the point in which it flows into the Canal Grande. The palace was built in the mid-16th century for procurator Gerolamo Grimani by architect Michele Sanmicheli, and completed after his death by Gian Giacomo de' Grigi, known as "il Bergamasco".

Grimani Palace at Venice

"A more determined imitation of Roman architecture is subsequently perceptible in the productions of…

"Next in order are the productions of Jacopo Tatti, or Sansovino, who was born in 1479, and died in 1570. This architect was educated in the Florentine school, and afterwards proceeded to Rome; his masterpieces are less powerful and imposing but on the other hand, are more graceful, and display more richly developed details than those of San Michele."The Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana is a library and Renaissance building in Venice, northern Italy; it is one of the earliest surviving public manuscript depositories in the country, holding one of the greatest classical texts collections in the world. The library is named after St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice.

Old Library of St. Mark at Venice

"Next in order are the productions of Jacopo Tatti, or Sansovino, who was born in 1479, and died in…

"More than one cause served to render the compositions of Palladio so celebrated. He possessed an especial felicity in the arrangement of his ground-plans, particularly in instances where he had an unlimited space for disposal. His command, moreover, of good proportion , rendered his combinations of civic and sacred buildings most pleasing to the eye; whilst the columnar arrangement of his entrances conveyed an agreeable, and at the same time, dignified impression. Consequently the works of Palladio, although often composed of heterogeneous elements, remained for a long period the model for an entire style; and even in the eighteenth century, when the total deterioration of architecture, as exemplified in what is called by the Germans "the Zopf-und-Perrücken Styl" (pigtail and periwig style), led architects again in the direction of the classical, the designs of Palladio became anew a subject of study. Even in present day they are often immoderately praised by those who are not really conversant with the principles and requirements of art, and who are ignorant of the history of the development of architecture."Il Redentore, more properly Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore (Church of the Most Holy Redeemer), is Andrea Palladio's great domed church on Giudecca, one of the islands of Venice. Located on the waterfront of the Canale della Giudecca, it dominates the skyline of the island.The Redentore was built in thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague that decimated Venice from 1575 to 1576, in which some 46,000 people, 25-30 percent of the population, died. The Senate commissioned the great architect Palladio to design it. Construction began in May 1577. The building was in a satisfactory stage and was consecrated in 1592.

St. Saviour's, Venice

"More than one cause served to render the compositions of Palladio so celebrated. He possessed an especial…

"A certain originality and freedom of intervention is perceptible in the buildings of the early period of the Venetian Renaissance style; the old style is happily blended with the new, which during the first stage is still imbued with Romanesque conceptions." The Vendramin were a rich merchant family of Venice, Italy. What is now the most prominent "Palazzo Vendramin" in Venice, the splendid Ca' Vendramin Calergi by Mauro Codussi on the Grand Canal, was in fact only inherited by the family in 1739, and is now the casino, also famous as the place where Richard Wagner died in 1883. Some rooms are kept as a museum commemorating Wagner's stay. The 16th century Ca' Vendramin di Santa Fosca in the Cannaregio quarter, now also a hotel, is where Gabriele Vendramin's collection was housed. Yet another is the 16th or possibly 17th century "Palazzo Vendramin dei Carmini", in Dorsoduro, most of which is now occupied by part of the University of Venice.

Vendramin Palace at Venice

"A certain originality and freedom of intervention is perceptible in the buildings of the early period…

"More than one cause served to render the compositions of Palladio so celebrated. He possessed an especial felicity in the arrangement of his ground-plans, particularly in instances where he had an unlimited space for disposal. His command, moreover, of good proportion , rendered his combinations of civic and sacred buildings most pleasing to the eye; whilst the columnar arrangement of his entrances conveyed an agreeable, and at the same time, dignified impression. Consequently the works of Palladio, although often composed of heterogeneous elements, remained for a long period the model for an entire style; and even in the eighteenth century, when the total deterioration of architecture, as exemplified in what is called by the Germans "the Zopf-und-Perrücken Styl" (pigtail and periwig style), led architects again in the direction of the classical, the designs of Palladio became anew a subject of study. Even in present day they are often immoderately praised by those who are not really conversant with the principles and requirements of art, and who are ignorant of the history of the development of architecture." Villa Capra "La Rotonda" is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza, northern Italy, designed by Andrea Palladio. The correct name is Villa Almerico-Capra. It is also known as La Rotonda, Villa Rotunda, Villa La Rotonda, and Villa Almerico. The name "Capra" derives from the Capra brothers, who completed the building after it was ceded to them in 1591. Like other works by Palladio in Vicenza and the surrounding area, the building is conserved as part of the World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto".

Villa by Palladio

"More than one cause served to render the compositions of Palladio so celebrated. He possessed an especial…

Wollaton Hall is a country house standing on a small but prominent hill in Wollaton, Nottingham, England. Wollaton Park is the area of parkland that the stately house stands in. The house itself is a natural history museum, with other museums in the out-buildings. The surrounding land is regularly used for large scale outdoor events such as rock concerts and festivals."It is especially this vitiated taste in form and details which characterized the Elizabethan Renaissance [shown here]. The usual Roccoco Renaissance forms also occur in it, as, for instance, the quadrant-shaped gables curving alternately inwards and outwards, as also pilasters and columns intersected by quoins and bands; and various grotesque and debased forms. Enriched quoins are also freely used at angles and jambs."

Wollaton Hall

Wollaton Hall is a country house standing on a small but prominent hill in Wollaton, Nottingham, England.…