Carington Bowles

A View of the Three Walks terminated by the Cassina, the Pavilion and the Rustic House in the Garden of the Earl of Burlington at Chiswick.

16.6 x 10.5 inches

An etching on copper with original hand colour; taken from the drawings of J. Donowell and published by Carington Bowles in London circa 1760.

This important historical perspective shows the lavish gardens laid out at Chiswick House in west London by the Earl of Burlington. The villa itself was modelled on Palladio's Villa Rotonda at Vicenza by the 3rd Earl Burlington upon his return from the Grand Tour in the 1720s. The gardens were laid out in an extravagant style with little expense spared. There were follies, obelisks, temples, columns, urns and caryatids set amidst the most beautiful topiary and pleached hedging. Originally laid out by Kent and Bridgman the gardens were the first in England to break with the formal Dutch tradition. They were augmented by various owners throughout the C18th including the 4th Duke of Devonshire who inherited the villa in 1753. At the peak of their popularity the Bon Ton of London flocked to Chiswick to marvel at the gardens, to attend the entertainments and simply to see and be seen.