Winter 2016

Winter 152 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Palladian architecture aided by a literal referencing of English and Italian models. The composition of the temple front and the creation of a plan with a large central room and two small side offices closely adheres to sources in Harrison’s extensive library: a temple front building (Fig. 2) in Book IV from the edition of Andrea Palladio’s Four Books delineated and revised by Edward Hoppus (1735); the plan and façade of a garden pavilion (Plate 43) by William Kent, featured in Isaac Ware’s Designs of Inigo Jones and Others (1740); and William Kent’s Venetian windows (Volume I, Plate 73) for Lord Burlington’s Chiswick, built in 1726; and the main elevation of the church of San Giorgio Maggiore (Fig. 3) from Some Designs of Mr. Inigo Jones (vol. 2, Plate 59, 1727). 4 Both the original Palladian church designs and the English Neo-Palladian buildings in these pattern books provided Harrison with examples of elevations where a main triangular pediment is superimposed on another triangular pediment, creating a highly layered façade of strong geometric shapes precisely organized by the use of columns, moldings, and framing elements. The construction of the library is a blend of high– minded design principles, local New England practicality, limited funding, and available building materials. Brownstone, imported from Connecticut at great expense, comprises the foundation. The structure is of wood timbers covered in pine planks rusticated to resemble stone (Fig. 4). Over the front door is a lintel supported by scrolled brackets and decorated with foliage and a scallop shell inspired by plates 55 and 73 in William Kent’s Designs of Inigo Jones . 5 Fine detail and the marked contrast between light and shadow is a distinctive characteristic of the facades. The of affluent and educated gentlemen. Until Harrison’s arrival in Newport, a robust baroque manner defined the city’s buildings, marked by broken pediments, bold cornices, and elaborate quoins. A Neo-Palladian order and harmony, based on the precise proportions of models in English pattern books, prevailed in Harrison’s designs and marked a new direction toward classical restraint in American building. The Redwood Library consists of a Doric portico and side wings set upon a raised foundation in the manner of a Roman temple. This scheme illustrates the masterful handling of Fig. 4: Detail of portico and rusticated wood. Photograph by John Tschirch. Fig. 5: Pierre Eugene de Simitiere (1737–1784). View of the Redwood Library from the artist’s notebook (1764). Watercolor. Courtesy of the Library Company of Philadelphia. This is the earliest known image of the Redwood Library showing the original form of Peter Harrison’s building prior to later additions.