PALLADIO (1508-1580)

Palladio was one of the most influential architects in history. He is most well-known for his use and adaptation of classical Greek and Roman architecture to 16th Century practices. He was particularly intrigued by the simple lines and "correct" proportion as established by the Ancients and published a complete system of architecture based on these ideas entitled I Quattro Libri dell Architectura (The Four Books of Architecture) in 1570. It was the dissemination of his ideas through these books that enabled him to be such a strong influence on later architects such as Inigo Jones, Sir Christopher Wren, the architects of Louis XIV and Louis XV, and Thomas Jefferson (e.g. Monticello is based on Palladio's Villa Rotunda). Architectural elements such as temple-like colonnaded porticoes, Greek and Roman details and variously sized rooms placed symmetrically around a central chamber are typical of Palladio's designs.