Uvedale Price
Encyclopedia
Sir Uvedale Price, 1st Baronet (baptized 14 April 1747 – 14 September 1829), author of the Essay on the Picturesque, As Compared With The Sublime and The Beautiful (1794), was a Herefordshire
landowner who was at the heart of the 'Picturesque
debate' of the 1790s. Apart from the landscape
and garden design debates described below, Price's theory resurfaced in architectural and urban design
concepts of the mid-twentieth century, being a source of inspiration for the Townscape Movement conceived by Hugh de Cronin Hastings (aka Ivor de Wolfe), editor of the Architectural Review
(UK
), and his colleagues in 1949. As much as The Picturesque was meant to be a middle ground or synthesis of the Beautiful and the Sublime for Price, for Townscape theorists, the Townscape movement was meant to be a middle ground or alternative approach to what were perceived by Hastings as two branches of Functionalism
, the Rational (i.e. Le Corbusier
) and the Organic (i.e. Frank Lloyd Wright
) approaches to architecture and urban design.
. Educated at Eton
and at Christ Church, Oxford
, Price inherited the family estate of Foxley (in Yazor
) when he came of age in 1768, a few years after the death of his father in 1761 and of his grandfather (Uvedale Tomkins Price
) in 1764. As a young man Price was a figure on London
's social scene, and was once described as the "macaroni of his age," but with his inheritance and his marriage to Lady Caroline Carpenter, daughter of George Carpenter, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel, he settled down at Foxley to tend to the estate and develop his theories on landscape, as well as equally controversial work on the pronunciation
of the Classical languages.
During his life, Price was befriended by Sir George Beaumont
and his wife Margaret Beaumont, with whom he corresponded extensively. He was also a lifetime friend of Charles James Fox
, an associate of William Wordsworth
, and in later life, a correspondent of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
. He died in 1829 having been created a baronet
the previous year, and having finally printed his work on Greek and Latin pronunciation. His only son Robert succeeded as 2nd (and last) baronet.
, whose poem 'The Landscape' was published the same year as Price's Essay delineating his theories on "The Picturesque" as a mode of landscape.
Well before Price's Essay or Knight's poem, however, the term 'pictoresque' was used in early 18th century France
to refer to a property of being 'in the style of a painter
.' Pope, in his "Letter to Caryll", brought the word into English as 'picturesque' in 1712. The term was used by various English authors throughout the 18th century (cf. Oxford English Dictionary
'picturesque') before being described by Bagehot in Literary Studies (1879) as "a quality distinct from that of beauty, or sublimity, or grandeur."
For Price, the Picturesque was more specifically defined as being located between the Beautiful and the Sublime. In practical application this meant that his preferred mode of landscaping
was to retain old trees, rutted paths, and textured slopes, rather than to sweep all these away in the style that had been practised by Capability Brown
. Price contested, for example, the obsession of "The Beautiful" with Classical and natural symmetry, arguing instead for a less formal and more asymmetrical interpretation of nature.
Price's ideas caught fire and led to much debate in artistic and literary circles: they were parodied, for example, by Jane Austen
in Northanger Abbey
. Price republished the Essay several times, with additional material, and entered into a public debate with Humphry Repton
over the latter's approach to landscape design. He similarly fell out with Payne Knight, whose theories of landscape betrayed a more esoteric attitude.
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
landowner who was at the heart of the 'Picturesque
Picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
debate' of the 1790s. Apart from the landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
and garden design debates described below, Price's theory resurfaced in architectural and urban design
Urban design
Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has...
concepts of the mid-twentieth century, being a source of inspiration for the Townscape Movement conceived by Hugh de Cronin Hastings (aka Ivor de Wolfe), editor of the Architectural Review
Architectural Review
The Architectural Review is a monthly international architectural magazine published in London since 1896. Articles cover the built environment which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism as well as theory of these subjects....
(UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), and his colleagues in 1949. As much as The Picturesque was meant to be a middle ground or synthesis of the Beautiful and the Sublime for Price, for Townscape theorists, the Townscape movement was meant to be a middle ground or alternative approach to what were perceived by Hastings as two branches of Functionalism
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
, the Rational (i.e. Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
) and the Organic (i.e. Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
) approaches to architecture and urban design.
His life
Uvedale Price was the eldest son of Robert Price, an amateur artist, by his wife the Hon. Sarah Barrington, daughter of John Shute Barrington, 1st Viscount BarringtonJohn Shute Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington
John Shute Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington was an English lawyer and theologian-Background and education:Born at Theobalds House, near Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, he was the son of the merchant, Benjamin Shute...
. Educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, Price inherited the family estate of Foxley (in Yazor
Yazor
Yazor is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Herefordshire. The hamlet of Yarsop lies about a mile to its north at ....
) when he came of age in 1768, a few years after the death of his father in 1761 and of his grandfather (Uvedale Tomkins Price
Uvedale Tomkins Price
Uvedale Tomkins Price was a British Member of Parliament.- Early life :Uvedale Tomkins Price was the younger son of Robert Price, Baron of the Exchequer, by his wife Lucy Rodd, heiress of the Foxley estate at Yazor in Herefordshire...
) in 1764. As a young man Price was a figure on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's social scene, and was once described as the "macaroni of his age," but with his inheritance and his marriage to Lady Caroline Carpenter, daughter of George Carpenter, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel, he settled down at Foxley to tend to the estate and develop his theories on landscape, as well as equally controversial work on the pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
of the Classical languages.
During his life, Price was befriended by Sir George Beaumont
Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet
Sir George Howland Beaumont, 7th Baronet was a British art patron and amateur painter. He played a crucial part in the creation of London's National Gallery by making the first bequest of paintings to that institution....
and his wife Margaret Beaumont, with whom he corresponded extensively. He was also a lifetime friend of Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
, an associate of William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
, and in later life, a correspondent of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.-Early life:Members...
. He died in 1829 having been created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
the previous year, and having finally printed his work on Greek and Latin pronunciation. His only son Robert succeeded as 2nd (and last) baronet.
The Picturesque and Landscape Theory
Price developed his ideas with his close neighbour Richard Payne KnightRichard Payne Knight
Richard Payne Knight was a classical scholar and connoisseur best known for his theories of picturesque beauty and for his interest in ancient phallic imagery.-Biography:...
, whose poem 'The Landscape' was published the same year as Price's Essay delineating his theories on "The Picturesque" as a mode of landscape.
Well before Price's Essay or Knight's poem, however, the term 'pictoresque' was used in early 18th century France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to refer to a property of being 'in the style of a painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.' Pope, in his "Letter to Caryll", brought the word into English as 'picturesque' in 1712. The term was used by various English authors throughout the 18th century (cf. Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
'picturesque') before being described by Bagehot in Literary Studies (1879) as "a quality distinct from that of beauty, or sublimity, or grandeur."
For Price, the Picturesque was more specifically defined as being located between the Beautiful and the Sublime. In practical application this meant that his preferred mode of landscaping
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
was to retain old trees, rutted paths, and textured slopes, rather than to sweep all these away in the style that had been practised by Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
. Price contested, for example, the obsession of "The Beautiful" with Classical and natural symmetry, arguing instead for a less formal and more asymmetrical interpretation of nature.
Price's ideas caught fire and led to much debate in artistic and literary circles: they were parodied, for example, by Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
in Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, though she had previously made a start on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. According to Cassandra Austen's Memorandum, Susan was written approximately during 1798–99...
. Price republished the Essay several times, with additional material, and entered into a public debate with Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
over the latter's approach to landscape design. He similarly fell out with Payne Knight, whose theories of landscape betrayed a more esoteric attitude.