Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance lasted from 1400-1600 and began in Florence, Italy. The Renaissance was a shift from Romanesque and Gothic design to the rebirth of the classical Greek and Roman design. It was also a shift from a religious focus to a more secular one and residential design became very popular. Not only were there reforms within the field of architecture and design, there were reforms within the church. Everyone, no matter what class, was interested in the arts. Comfort, beauty, and convenience all became more important that safety, strength, and protection.

The Palazzo, the Italian palace, is a huge aspect of design from this period. It emphasized alternation and repetition as well as progression. It was composed of three divisions (stories), and a heavy cornice, and featured compound windows. It was structured similar to the Roman domus in the aspect that there were no hallways. All rooms were accessible from the central courtyard. The living areas were on the 2nd and 3rd floors above a store space. The ground floor featured a  grad staircase that led to the piano nobile, the main living area located on the second floor. The interiors of the palazzos included elaborate frescos, tapestries, and fireplaces. One of the most prominent palazzos belonged to the Medici family. It is located in Florence and was designed by Michelozzo di Bartolommeo. There were three main principles that they followed in the design of this palazzo including symmetry, public rooms that were accessible directly from the main entrance, and dividing the rooms into smaller "apartments" belonging to one person.

One of the most influential architects from this time was Andrea Palladio. Through his writing of The Four Books on Architecture, Palladio inspired many people including Thomas Jefferson. One of his greatest accomplishments was the Villa Rotunda. Each side of the villa featured a classical temple front with stairs, columns, entablature, and pediment. All of the rooms were arranged symmetrically around the central dome. Palladio recommended proportions in architecture that were based on buildings from the Classical world.

          

The features from this time can be seen in modern building especially in many American governmental buildings. By including the classical forms in design, buildings gain a feeling on importance and sophistication.

The interiors of this time included decorative moldings, elaborately coffered ceilings, painted walls, beautifully decorated fireplace mantles, pilasters, and floors decorated in geometric patterns. The furniture was portable with gilding and inlays of ivory, and beautiful stones.












Because the interiors were of such importance during this time, there was a rise in the amount of furniture from the period. Major pieces from this time include the cassone (chest), cassapanca (the influence for sofas), elaborate beds, the trestle table, and the Florentine table (seen in the French Empire and English Regency).