Renaissance Architect Andrea Palladio Quiz

Answer: Vicenza

Andrea Palladio was born Andrea di Pietro della Gondola on November 30, 1508 in Padua. As a child he was an apprentice to a local stonecutter. In 1524 he moved to Vicenza where he met the rich scholar, nobleman and amateur architect Gian Giorgio Trissino (1478-1550). Count Trissino immediately recognised the boy's talent and took him under his protection.

He tutored him and gave him his new classical name, Palladio, from the Greek goddess Pallas Athena. Palladio's early commissions were country mansions for the local aristocracy. Later he created numerous urban palaces and religious buildings. Vicenza is a showcase for Andrea Palladio, with 23 edifices created by him in the historic centre, and others in the suburbs.

The city is located in Northern Italy, 60 km west of Venice, and has about 100,000 inhabitants.

In 1994 Vicenza and its Palladian edifices were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Answer: La Rotonda

Situated on a hill outside Vicenza, the superb Villa "La Rotonda" is also called Villa Rotonda, Villa Rotunda or Villa Almerico. It was commissioned by a rich Vicentine family, and it perfectly embodies the Renaissance ideal of an idyllic country retreat from city life.
It is a two-story building, based on a perfectly symmetrical square plan with a central circular hall (hence its sobriquet). As Palladio himself wrote: "because one takes pleasure in the beautiful view on all four sides, loggias were built on all four facades."
Its harmonious unity of architecture, art and nature epitomised Andrea Palladio's principles, and explains why Palladio has been called the "high priest of elegance and proportion".

Answer: Pantheon

Andrea Palladio found inspiration for his country houses, urban palaces and religious buildings in the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. The basis for his study of classical forms were "De Architectura" by Vitruvius and the publications of his disciple Leon Battista Alberti (1406-1472). His trips to Rome in 1541, 1545, 1547 and 1549 allowed him to study more closely the ancient monuments and the production of the important architects working in Rome at that time.
Although inspired by the classical architecture and influenced by Renaissance thinkers and architects, his solutions and architectural language were always absolutely personal and innovative.

The Roman Pantheon, the "temple to all gods", was built in 27 BC during the consulship of Marcus Agrippa. Earthquakes and fires destroyed the original building, and it was widely restored by order of emperor Hadrian between 118 and 128 AD. In 609 AD the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the temple to Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated it as a Christian church.

Answer: Serlian

The name is derived from architect Sebastiano Serlio (1475-1554), who mentioned the motif in his architectural treatise. The element of an arched window flanked by two rectangular sections first appeared in triumphal arches of ancient Rome. Palladio used this form of window extensively, and it has become sort of trademark of his and one of his most copied features.

Answer: Basilica

The "Palazzo della Ragione", alias "Basilica Palladiana", is a civic building dominating Piazza dei Signori, in the heart of Vicenza. The original Gothic law court was in danger of collapsing, and Palladio reinforced it by superimposing all around the existing structure a two-story loggia with double columns.

The complete restoration took 65 years, from 1549 to 1614. Its dominant motif is the symmetrical repetition of the "Palladian window". The arcades beneath the loggia are always full of people, and a lively market takes place daily on the south-east side of the Basilica in the Piazza delle Erbe.

Answer: Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore

The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore is situated on the little island San Giorgio Maggiore, opposite the Basilica of St. Mark. It was designed by Palladio in 1566 and completed in 1610 by his student, Vincenzo Scamozzi, based on the original plans. It is one of the first sights of Venice for travellers arriving by sea, and one of its most famous vistas.
Its white facade with four columns on high pedestals became the prototype of the adaptation of a classical temple to a Christian church. Inside the church one can find paintings by Tintoretto ("The Last Supper") and his son Domenico.

Answer: Teatro Olimpico

The first example of a covered theatre in modern times, the magnificent Teatro Olimpico (Olympic Theatre) was Palladio's last work. The master died on August 19, 1580.
With the Teatro Olimpico, a dream of many generations of Renaissance humanists and architects came true: a permanent theatre, the symbol of the classic cultural tradition.
The Teatro Olimpico, based on Vitruvius' plans and on the ruins of ancient theatrical complexes, is a perfect indoor Roman Theatre. In it, Palladio incorporated a scenic background, and played with fake perspectives to create deeper distance and special effects.
The construction was begun six months before Palladio's death and completed by his son, Silla Palladio, and Vincenzo Scamozzi in 1585.

Answer: Four Books of Architecture

The treatise "I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura", one of the most important publications in the history of architecture, can be considered Palladio's legacy. Published in 1570, the four volumes are not only concerned with the principles of architecture such as orders and building techniques, but also describe many of Palladio's edifices, discuss city planning and explain antiquity. The treatise was illustrated with Palladio's own woodcuts.

Answer: Inigo Jones

The English architect Inigo Jones (1573-1652) travelled extensively in Italy, where he studied landscape painting. He introduced the Palladian style to England and translated Palladio's "Four Books of Architecture". His translation, to which he added many personal notes, had a great influence on contemporary and later architects in England and North America.
In 1615 he was appointed surveyor-general of royal buildings by James I. Besides the "Queen's House" in Greenwich, he designed several edifices in London, among them the Banqueting House at Whitehall.

The other three choices are also British architects: Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), Robert Adam (1728-1792), William Burges (1827-1881).

Answer: Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third president of the United States, author and signer of the Declaration of Independence, built his dream house Monticello (little mountain in Italian) in Virginia.
Based on the Villa La Rotonda, with the addition of more modern elements, Monticello is considered a jewel of neo-classical American architecture. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.