Italian Renaissance Gardens

The renaissance was a time of amazing discovery, but also a time to rediscover much of what had been lost from previous cultures. In particular, people involved in the Italian Renaissance found a new affection for the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans. This affection can be seen throughout much of the work produced during this era—everything from architecture to statues to gardens.

In addition to this crucial rediscovery of ancient cultures, the Renaissance people literally expanded the world by discovering new continents and islands. Gardens soon became a way to show off the treasures of the New World and faraway lands, as the rich began to fill their gardens with plants and herbs discovered from all four corners of the globe. The sheer variety of plants was impressive, but it also allowed scientists and botanists to study plants, which fulfilled the basic desire of the times to learn more about and explain the behavior of nature.

Renaissance statue

While Renaissance gardens were academically useful, they were also beautiful pieces of art that were often designed and maintained by professional staff. These gardens were quite ornamental, and frequently contained many statues and sculptures, which were also featured prominently in Ancient Roman and Greek gardens. These statues ranged from religious to comedic, and frequently feature humans depicted in a surprisingly accurate way. Perhaps unsurprisingly the statues in the Renaissance gardens bear stunning resemblances to works from these other ancient societies, and in some cases, the statues are exact replicas.

Note the similarities between the Renaissance garden (top) and
an Ancient Roman garden (bottom)

That’s not to say that the entire garden was merely a copy of an ancient manuscript. Although scholars during this timeframe discovered, and practically worshipped, books and manuscripts from centuries gone by, the renaissance was also filled with new ideas and amazing discoveries. One of the major tenets of the time period was a rediscovery of nature, which was manifested via scientific study and a strong desire to control nature.

This desire to control nature is often seen in Renaissance gardens, and many scholars refer to this as the “third nature.” The third nature is a mix of first nature (pure, unmodified Earth) and second nature (land manipulated by humans to form farmland, fields, and towns). Obviously nature controls the environment and plant growth, but the rigid, geometrical design of the garden, as well as an obsession with a central axis, show that humans too can strongly manipulate the land. There is a constant struggle between human and nature in gardens, and also in much of Renaissance society; each attempts to control the other, with varying degrees of success.

Interestingly, many Renaissance gardens actually try to imitate the first nature by designing rock formations and grottoes, as well as conveniently placing rocks and trees to control the path of a natural stream. By imitating nature, the Renaissance man showed that not only was he able to control nature, but also that he could replicate and improve it. It was quite a powerful thought, but one that reflects strongly upon the new belief that humans were capable and rational beings that had some degree of control over their surroundings.

 

Italian Renaissance grotto 

Sources

http://www2.gwu.edu/~art/Temporary_SL/225/readings/Lazzaro_Ren_Gard_02.pdf

http://www.gardenvisit.com/history_theory/library_online_ebooks/ml_gothein_history_garden_art_design/italian_garden_history_renaissance

http://hamiltongardens.co.nz/collections/paradise-collection/italian-renaissance-garden

Pictures

http://hamiltongardens.co.nz/file/collection1/images/large/46.jpg?v=1289507737 

http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/View-Getty-Villa-from-Courtyard-Garden-with-Sculpture1.jpg 

http://fennerschool-associated.anu.edu.au/environhist/newzealand/journal/2009/dec/images/doube/fig01.jpg 

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MFA_Juno.jpg