Renaissance Masques

of Ben Jonson &

Inigo Jones

A Brief Visual Tour

Ben Jonson

Inigo Jones

Italianate Staging

In 1605 Inigo Jones introduced Italianate staging to the court in his production of Ben Jonson's The Masque of Blackness. On a proscenium stage at one end of the hall, Jones erected a perspective setting which made use of wings, borders and a front curtain, an arrangement current in Italy. Jones would continue to produce masques in this manner until the fall of the English monarchy in 1642. Jack Wolcott http://ascc.artsci.washington.edu/drama/flortext.html

Inigo Jones. Based on the portrait by Van Dyck

Inigo Jones

The son of a London cloth-worker, Inigo Jones studied painting and architecture in Italy through the generosity of his patron, the Earl of Pembroke. He returned to London in 1605 as Queen Anne's architect. Jones was also in charge of the production of court masques, creating innovative stage and costume designs. He collaborated frequently with Ben Jonson until their argument in 1631, after which Jonson was dismissed from his post. Jones' connections at court proved unfortunate, however; as a royalist, he was persecuted after the civil war and died in poverty. Jones' stage designs for court masques drew on Italian style and technique; he introduced for the first time in England the "picture-stage," framed by a proscenium arch and concealed by a curtain. He also developed a system of changing scenes with movable flats and shutters. By 1630-40 both innovations were being used in private theatres.

The AntimasquePartly because the antimasque often involved grotesque costumes, the parts were played by professionals. The dignified main masque was performed by members of the Court.

In The Tempest, Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban perform a function similar to the antimasque.

Jack Cade, from an antimasque by Inigo Jones. 1853

Authentic representations of masque

The following images were taken from http://virtual.park.uga.edu/cdesmet/jonmasq/slide1.htm, which in turn were taken from The King's Arcadia: Inigo Jones and the Stuart Court, ed. John Harris, Stephen Orgel, and Roy Strong (London: Arts Council of Britain, 1973); and Inigo Jones and the Theatre of the Stuart Court, ed. Stephen Orgel and Roy Strong, 2 vols. (Berkeley: U of California P, 1973).

Female Masquer

A Male Masquer

Ethiopian Soldier & Ethiopian Woman

Sketch By Inigo Jones

A Dwarf, as sketched by Inigo Jones,

Three Fairies from the Masque of Oberon

Oberon, from The Masque of Oberon

Daughter of Niger from The Masque of Blackness

Lucy Harrington, Countess of Bedford as a Masquer

Penthesilea from The Masque of Queens

A modern reproduction of a Masquer's Gowne for

Penthesilea, Queene of the Amazones

This particular costume was drawn together from the costume designs for the 1589 Masque La Pellegrina and elements found in Inigo Jones' masque costume designs of the early 17th century, with some influence from Arcimboldo's masque drawings of the 1590s and 16th century books of foreign dress, such as Vecellio.

The design around the bottom is reminiscent of the petticoat worn by one of the female masquers drawn by Inigo Jones in the early 17th century.

Oberson's Palace from The Masque of Oberon and Scene from Prince Henry's Barriers

Banqueting House Whitehall, London, Inigo Jones (1573-1652) 1619-22

The Banqueting House is an entirely original interpretation of the Palladian town palace. Particularly distinctive is Jones's emphasis on generous breadth. This results in a beautifully balanced and proportioned two-story facade which is topped by a flat ballustraded roof. Characteristically the architect gives great attention to detail. Notice the alternation of segmental and triangular pediments, the swags carved at capital level, and the finely rusticated stone. The Banqueting House was commissioned by James I and was Jones's first important building.

Interior of Banqueting House, Whitehall, by Inigo Jones,London:1619-22

Despite the appearance of two stories on the facade, the interior is a single large room with the proportions of a double cube. A gallery marks the place of the first entablature outside, and the columns and pilasters of the exterior are repeated on the interior wall. The entrance is at the side of the building, set off by pairs of Ionic columns. The ceiling painting by Peter Paul Rubens was put up in 1635

Peter Paul Rubens Ceiling, Banqueting House, Whitehall

Inigo Jones' installation at Whitehall

for the Masque, Florimène

Florimène- Sectional View of the Stage