European and Japanese Gardens 
playful caprice is often carried to extremes, especially in the 
later villas, but in general it is, and in its modern imitations it can 
always be, kept within the bounds of good taste, so that every 
feature shall not only be well placed and pleasing in its effect, 
in conjunction with the foliage, grass and flowers, but pleasing 
also in itself as an architectural design. This was almost always 
true of the designs of Vignola, Giulio Romano, and Pirro 
Ligorio, but not always of their successors. There is some¬ 
times too sharp a contrast between the florid stucco decora¬ 
tions of terraces and fountains and the classic dignity of the 
antique fragments that adorn many of the gardens. Based, as 
this style of gardening is, on the models and on the actual 
remains of ancient Roman estates, it is most successful when 
its adornments of architecture and sculpture are classic in spirit 
and design, a 
principle which 
should not be lost 
sight of in mod¬ 
ern attempts at 
this sort of gar¬ 
dening. In the 
Italian examples 
the chief features 
claiming atten¬ 
tion may be cata¬ 
logued as follows: 
terrace - walls, 
balustrades and 
stairs, gate-ways, 
fountains, loggias 
and other aedi¬ 
cules, exedras, 
stone benches, 
marble vases on 
high pedestals, 
termini, and stat¬ 
uary in single fig¬ 
ures or groups. 
E v e rv one of 
these features is 
PLAYFUL CAPRICE OFTEN CARRIED TO EXTREMES ” . , r 
capable of great 
Ruined Water-organ 
Villa d’Este, Tivoli 
33 
