1698 Gardens at Burlington House in Piccadilly London

Burlington House in London was begun by Sir John Denham, Charles II’s Surveyor of the Office of Works & a poet, whose wife was the mistress of James II. The house was one of the earliest of a number of very large private residences built on the north side of Piccadilly, previously a country lane, from the 1660s onwards. He started construction of an eleven-bay mansion designed by Hugh May in the mid 1660s. Denham had leased a site on the north side of Piccadilly in London. In 1667, the house was sold before its completion to Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington, who carried on the construction. His grandson, the 3rd Earl, replaced his mother’s favorite architect, James Gibbs, with the Palladian enthusiast, Colen Campbell 1676 – 1729.  Working closely with Campbell, Burlington refaced the house’s southern façade, drawing upon the work of Inigo Jones & Andrea Palladio.

Burlington House from Jan Kip and Leonard Knyff's Britannia Illustrata, 1707 Actual view probably 1698-99 

The Knyff-Kip engraving depicts a comprehensive picture of the layout, showing the house with its forecourt & attendant buildings in the foreground, & the garden stretching away to the north over the Ten Acre Close, later to be built over. North & west of the office block were walled kitchen gardens, with a range of outhouses built against the west boundary wall. South of the stables was a yard, & to the north was another kitchen garden.The large garden behind the great house is laid out in a simple formal style. Three wide gravel walks extended northwards—one from the doorway in the middle of the house, & one near to each boundary wall. These walks were linked by cross walks, dividing the south part of the garden into four equal rectangular lawns, each furnished with a central statue on a pedestal. The north part of the ground is shown set out as a tree-lined flower garden, further divided into triangular plots by diagonal paths, each one bordered by high cut hedges, or enclosed by green tunnels, like those round the sunk garden at Kensington Palace. Practical espaliered fruit trees are shown planted against all the garden walls.

Burlington House in Piccadilly London from Beeverell's Grande Bretagne. (Borrowed from Kyp & Knyff) Publisher Pieter Van der Aa (1659-1733)

Burlington House, shown about 1700, in a later depicion.

The Man of Taste, William Hogarth 1697-1764 pokes fun at the subject of fashionable taste. Atop the gate of Burlington House is a statue of Lord Burlington’s favorite architect, William Kent (being admired, if not worshiped, by Raphael & Michelangelo at his feet). On a scaffold below, the tiny figure of Alexander Pope — who annoyed Hogarth with his poem, popularly known as Of False Taste — furiously whitewashes the gate. At the time when Pope dedicated his Epistle on Taste to Lord Burlington, his lordship was in his 36th year & engaged in ornamenting his gardens. Here, in his frantic compulsion, Pope splatters white paint on both passers-by & the coach of the Duke of Chandos.

1600s Dancing for the Guests in a Public Garden Terrace under an Arbor by Jan Steen (1626-1679)

Jan Steen (Dutch artist, 1626-1679) The Dancing Couple 1663 This celebration takes place at an outdoor garden terrace, probably attached to a local tavern.

These gatherings seem to be taking place on the little garden terraces, that tavern owners began to attach to their inns during this period for the use of the general populace.  Dutch artist Jan Steen (1626-1569) is best known for his upbeat genre paintings, which depict scenes from everyday life. Genre painting in the Netherlands began with the depiction of proverbs, allegories, & folklore by 16C artists, notably Pieter Breugel the Elder (1528-1569).  By the early 1600s, the Netherlands had come to prosper through trade & commerce. Soon a new middle-class emerged which could accumulate enough money to buy decorative items for their homes. Artists began to create images for this new type of buyer, usually subjects that they would see around them in their daily lives. Unlike the high art paintings, that the very wealthy would specially commission from artists, genre works were sold on the free market to anyone who could afford to buy them. 

11180 Illuminated Manuscripts - Farming & Gardening

 Fécamp Psalter c. 1180 Manuscript (76 F 13) Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague

 Fécamp Psalter c. 1180 Manuscript (76 F 13) Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague

 Fécamp Psalter c. 1180 Manuscript (76 F 13) Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague

Fécamp Psalter c. 1180 Manuscript (76 F 13) Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague   1180 Illuminated Manuscripts - Farming & Gardening

17C Rather Formal Italian-style Garden Landscape

1600s Unknown artist, Italian Style Garden landscape with promenading figures. A central avenue of poplar trees leads to a domed gate-house in the middle distance.

1600s Garden with gentlemen in a punt & dogs on the terrace

Isaak de Moucheron (Dutch, 1667-1744) Garden terrace and lake with columns, and 2 hounds in the foreground classical figures at left, two figures in a punt on an ornamental lake behind and avenues of trees beyond

17C Imaginary Garden

1600s Unknown British artist, Classical Garden with Tree-Lined Avenue, Archway, Two Elegant Figures in the Foreground and a One-Legged Beggar

1600s Robert Robinson (British, d 1706) Capriccio of an Imaginary Formal Garden & House

1600s Robert Robinson (British artist, d 1706) Capriccio (a painted architectural fantasy) of an Imaginary Formal Garden and House

1600s Unknown British artist, Capriccio (a painted architectural fantasy) of a Classical Garden with

1600s Unknown British artist, Capriccio (a painted architectural fantasy) of  a Classical Garden with Tree-Lined Avenue, Archway, Two Elegant Figures in the Foreground and a One-Legged Beggar

1600s Robert Robinson (British, d 1706) Imaginary English Gardens

1600s Robert Robinson (British artist, d 1706) Capriccio (a painted architectural fantasy) of an Imaginary Formal Garden and House

1600s Music & Garden

Frontispiece to Thomas Salmon, 'An essay to the advancement of musick' (London, 1672) A woman playing a stringed instrument with a garden and fountain in background

Man, Women, Dogs, & Bird in early 1600s Garden

Crispin de Passe (1565-1637), Hortus Voluptatum - Lady and Gentleman Seated in a Garden

1600s Tavern Garden Music Party

Gillis van Tilborgh (Flemish artist, c 1635–c 1678) An Outdoor Tavern Garden Musical Party

1696 Bavarian Garden

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

Sandibell by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

1600s The Dovecote

1654 Jan Steen (Dutch artist, 1626-1679) The Dovecote

This picture from the early career of Dutch artist Jan Steen (1626-1679) painted sometime around 1654, depicts a Dutch dovecoat with a landscape in the background. Two pigeon traps hang on the side. This stand-alone dovecote  presumably refers to the Dutch term "duiven op zolder houden" ("keep the pigeons in the attic"), which also means to "keep a brothel." Steen enjoyed ambiguous paintings, so perhaps the building on the left is a brothel, with a nearby beer drinker & a young woman being "courted" by an older man.  Of course, I like it; because it is a great painting of an early dovecote.

1600s Garden Celebration

1610 David Vinckboons [Flemish Baroque Era Painter, 1576-ca.1632] The Outdoor Garden Party