A View of the Garden of the Earl of BURLINGTON, at CHISWICK

Date18th century

MediumHand-colored line engraving

DimensionsOverall: 10 1/2 × 16 1/8in. (26.7 × 41cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1936-702

DescriptionLower margin reads: "A View of the Garden of the Earl of BURLINGTON, at CHISWICK; taken / from the Top of the Flight of Steps leading to y.e Grand Gallery in y.e Back Front./ Veue du Jardin du Comte de BURLINGTON, a CHISWICK; prise du haut / du Perron qui conduit a la Grande Gallerie."
Label TextBuilt by the third Earl of Burlington, Chiswick House is a glorious example of 18th -century British architecture influenced by the Roman Palladian style. The gardens that grace the grounds are considered the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement. That movement incorporated rolling hills, small forests with water features, and formal gravel pathways winding through blooming perennials—thereby creating the English gardens that we recognize today. Chiswick’s gardens were designed by the landscape architect William Kent, who aimed to create a sense of ordered wilderness where large green vistas were connected by formal elements like James Wyatt’s central bridge over the canal.