Design for Garden Architecture 1700 - 1780

This drawing of garden architecture was made by an anonymous artist and is now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It seems like a sketch of an idealized architectural structure meant for an elite garden. The architecture is defined by order and symmetry, and uses classically derived elements such as columns, niches and statuary. These are the visual codes of power associated with wealth and aristocracy across much of Europe during the early modern period. The intended design speaks to a specific set of social relations: that of a powerful elite whose authority relies upon the creation of a public image through spectacle. Here the spectacle is a private garden, but one which would be visited and admired, thereby broadcasting the owner's status. Understanding such a drawing involves examining how similar designs were realized in the gardens of actual aristocratic estates. We could also look at the pattern books from which garden designers drew inspiration. These types of social and institutional histories help us to understand the role of art in a particular cultural context.