PALLADIO’S VILLA AT MASER AND POSSAGNO, TREVISO. 
353 
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obtained the famous collection of Palladio’s drawings that was housed at Chiswick. 
Certain it is that this villa will strike those who know the work of the Burlington-Kent School 
as something familiar. The character of the grouping, the arcades, the rural Italian idea behind 
it all seem to have deeply impressed that group of English admirers of Palladio and Inigo Jones. 
Palladio’s drawings of the Roman baths, as published by Lord Burlington, appeared in 
1730, soon after his lordship’s return from his tour in Italy. Another volume of general 
designs was intended, but 
never appeared. The 
drawings are now in the 
library of the Royal Insti- 
tute of British Architects 
by the courtesy of 
the Dukes 0 f Devon- 
shire, to whom the 
Chiswick villa of Lord 
Burlington descended. 
Cagliari — or Paolo Veronese (1528 — 1588), in his best known title — is perhaps the hero of the 
villa. His brilliant decorative fancies are a permanent attraction, and volumes have been written 
on the subject. They certainly seem to have influenced the French School of decorative painting. 
To the architect they are very interesting, because the rendering of his art in the backgrounds 
of the frescoes is so evidently inspired, if not directed, by Palladio. Cagliari’s brother seems 
to have been an e.xpert at perspective and, w’hile somewhat heavy-handed as a painter himself, 
to have been of the greatest assistance to his more brilliant, if mercurial, brother. Cagliari 
seems to have had the temperament of Lawrence as compared with that of Reynolds. There 
is a boyish simplicity about his statements in his famous interview with the Inquisition, who 
were scandalised at his levity of composition in church pictures, that disarms criticism. It 
368. — SECTION OF VILLA AT MASER, NEAR TREVISO. 
369. — THE HEMICYCLE BEHIND THE VILLA WITH VITTORIA’S STUCCOES. 
