Cardinal Thomas Wolsey—the highest-ranking official in the English Catholic Church and the closest, most-trusted advisor to King Henry VIII—began building Hampton Court Palace in 1514, on the grounds of a Catholic religious order, about 12 miles outside of London. It would soon become the grandest palace in all of England—built to compete with the finest Renaissance palaces of Europe (an intentional political statement). The powerful cardinal—with his connection to Rome—was able to bring-to-England the energy of Italian Renaissance design, then the cutting edge of style. When Wolsey fell from the king's approval, the cardinal offered the palace to Henry as a token of submission (in 1529)—an act which did not spare Henry's wrath and revenge. Henry did, however, love the palace which he took, expanded, and declared one of his favorite residences. He and his court (numbering over a thousand people) were housed in the palace's lavish apartments and grounds. It was the most modern and beautiful castle in England.
Some of the original Tudor plan and building remain, however, in the 1690's, King William III and Queen Mary II (married, joint-monarchs) decided a total makeover was due. The plan was to demolish the original Tudor structure, section-by-section, and to rebuild it in the contemporary fashion. However, in 1694, Queen Mary died, the refurbishment was halted and the palace was left as a "hybrid" of two differing period styles. Fortunately, the use of pinkish local brick (in both portions of the palace) pulls the two sections together, aesthetically.
Shown above, the palace's front entrance, The Great Gatehouse, restored in the 1830's.
Shown above, the cobbled "Base Court"—the first of several inside courtyards.
The Tudor kitchens of Henry VIII. When the king as at Hampton Court Palace, over one thousand courtiers and staff had to be fed, several times daily—and it was in fairly regal style. These kitchens, shown above, were a hive of workers.
The Great Hall was one of the showiest of rooms, where the king and court would eat, dance and spend social time. The "hammerbeam" style ceiling was a reminder of the great medieval kings. The room was designed to reinforce the king's might, grandeur and the legacy which brought him to power. Tapestries lined the walls.
Shown above, a Belgian-woven tapestry of The Miracle of the Fishes. In 1515, Pope Leo X commissioned Raphael—one of the masters of the Italian Renaissance—to design tapestries to be hung in the Sistine Chapel. They were to illustrate stories from the Acts of the Apostles, key moments in the lives of Saints Peter and Paul. These original "cartoons" by Raphael (that is, the original hand-drawn paper patterns) were used to weave the Sistine Chapel tapestries. To this day, the original tapestries are hung on special occasions at the Vatican. In 1623, King Charles I (shortly before his ascension) acquired the original cartoons, which have been a national treasure ever since. They were once displayed in a gallery in Hampton Court Palace, later moved to Buckingham Palace, then displayed in a special gallery in the Victoria and Albert Museum (where they can be seen today). The set of nine tapestries were woven from the original Raphael designs, with some modifications from the originals in the Sistine Chapel. The tapestry shown above shows St. Peter pleading with Christ; they had been fishing all day, with no luck. As we know, the story continues with Christ instructing Peter to push-out where the nets and boat would be filled to the gunnels with fish.
The Fountain Court, shown above, shows Christopher Wren's handsome late 17th Century remodeling of the palace, under William III and Mary II. The Royal Apartments for the King and Queen can be found behind the rows of windows.
Sir Christopher Wren, England's great architect, also redesigned The Great Staircase of the palace (1690-1691) which lead to the Royal Apartments. Wren's original panels were dark, solid wood. In 1700, Italian painter Antonio Verrio painted the staircase walls to resemble a Roman courtyard, open to the sky. The scenes depict "The Victory of Alexander Over the Caesars." William III is depicted as the Emperor Alexander.
Here we see a handsome gallery, alongside an interior courtyard, which is used to display the King's sculpture.
This marble sculpture depicts Vulcan, the God of Fire (including volcanoes, deserts and metal-smithing—hence the blacksmith's hammer and anvil). It was sculpted by the French-Flemish artist Pietro Francavilla (1548-1615).
As one enter's the King's Apartments, the first room one passes-through is the Guards' Chamber. An astounding (and imposing) collection of arms, of every sort, is mounted upon the walls in decorative, geometric arrays. It was in the Guards' Chamber that people would be vetted before proceeding onwards to the King.
Another shot of another wall in the Guards' Chamber.
Dominating the Presence Room is the King William III's throne. It was here that the King received his audience. Even when the King was not in the room, one was required to bow before the empty throne.
Shown above, a view of the William III's Privy Garden—built as his private space to relax. The garden was not completed when William III died in 1702. Today's garden is a faithful restoration of the original, using the many period documents and drawn plans of the Baroque masterpiece.
Here we see the Great Fountain Garden, designed by Daniel Marot for William and Mary. This fountain anchors the garden's radiating walkways—each lined with yew trees. These trees, some of them centuries old, are trimmed in naturalistic "biomorphic" forms—which give the garden a fairytale sensibility.
At the end of the Great Fountain Garden is a long reflecting pool, from which one can gaze, seemingly forever.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248