enduringly popular. The rediscovery of such features as topiary, sundials, pavi- lions, courtyards and bowling greens evoked the feudal certainties of the seventeenth-century manor, while her- baceous borders, exotic plants, specimen trees and large lawns gave a modern twist to these revivalist gardens. Richardson delights in challenging horticultural orthodoxy. Resurrecting Ger- trude Jekyll from the role of sensible, amateur plantswoman, he repositions her as a visionary artist. He questions the supremacy of Sissinghurst; pitting it against Hidcote, with which it shares iconic status, Richardson suggests that the enigmatic American Lawrence John- ston’s manicured precision, episodic lay- out and subtle subversions of expectation give his garden the edge over Sackville- West’s shabby-chic, Bloomsbury bohe- mianism. He also points out that both these flagships of English horticulture have benefited from the marketing exper- tise of the National Trust. Indeed, Richardson’s book is full of fascinating facts and astute observations. He suggests that England’s ubiquitous herbaceous border owes its popularity to the way that it displays a gardener’s skill. He argues that while the architectural ideas of Le Corbusier, Mies and Gropius never really found a horticultural equiva- lent, the modernist aesthetic weaves through English gardens in their function- ality, simplicity, asymmetry, use of new materials and integration of contemporary art. He has unearthed a vibrant trade in flower-smuggling through Covent Garden during the wartime prohibition on the rail transportation of flora. He notes, intrigu- ingly, that Country Life began using Latin names in its picture captions in 1961 just when gardening was undergoing a process of democratisation. He also points out that the importance of social connections has made it taboo to criticise gardens in print and suggests that this genteel politeness in the place of informed criti- cism has perpetuated the low status of gardening among the arts. Richardson brings his study up to the present with an examination of the Con- ceptual garden – a subject he is well placed to present, having written the first book on the Ur-Conceptual landscape designer, Martha Schwartz. This style, which evolved from Pop art and postmodern architecture, derives its design from a dominant idea – a ‘concept’– inspired by the site’s history, ecology or function, rather than layout or plants. Richardson illustrates several of the most contemporary gardens with photos from the short-lived New Eden magazine, of which he was founding editor. As he explains, the magazine, part of the Country Life stable, was a critical success ‘and proved to be commercially buoyant, but those are not the only important factors in the corporate world. . .’. Though the English love of flowers, narrative and charm militates against any large-scale embracing of the horticultural avant-garde, Richardson predicts that, in the twenty-first century, an ecologically responsible approach to layout and material, coupled with traditional plants- manship, will ensure that horticulture continues to be the main English medium for exploring that most profound of relationships, the interaction between man and nature. katie campbell Writer and garden historian; author of Icons of Twentieth Century Landscape Design (Frances Lincoln 2006) THE NEW PALACES OF MEDIEVAL VENICE juergen schulz The Penn State University Press 2004 d61.50 $85.00 368 pp. 218 mono illus isbn 0-271-02351-1 T he palaces lining Venice’s Grand Canal make it one of the most recognisable waterways in the world. Schulz’s study is concerned with the humble predecessors of today’s mag- nificent palaces, with a particular empha- sis on the evolution of a distinctively Venetian palace type and the ways in which the medieval palaces were used by their occupants. The author establishes that ‘the Venetian pre-Gothic palace is to be accounted a Continental, western European building type’ that, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, was adapted to Venice’s special topographic and demographic circumstances. He ar- gues that the building type and its functions reflects the needs of Venice’s urban elite, made up of increasingly prosperous merchants who were turning this environment into a centre of trade. The first part of the book deals with Schulz’s discussion of his findings. First comes a consideration of the building type. In the absence of any surviving lower-class lay houses of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in Venice, all observa- tions are based on elite dwellings. Schulz notes that pre-Gothic palaces tended to be constructed end-on to the water in order to maximise the availability of land, as well as to minimise the danger of erosion. The notion that Venetian building types are Byzantine is dismissed by Schulz; he argues instead that the palace type is continental and expressive of the ‘exqui- sitely adaptive character of the specifically Venetian palace in siting, structure, layout and articulation’ (that is, a common palace type has been adapted to particular local circumstances). The Byzantine character of the palaces is superficial, and derived from the details of the decoration. The second chapter examines the distribution of functions within the medieval Venetian palace. Schulz comments on the fact that one notable feature of Venetian palace architecture was its conservatism; that is, while the look of palaces may have changed, before the seventeenth-century the use of space within the palace was slow to evolve. Palaces served both as dwellings and as warehouses, with space needed for storage, for stables and for spare boats. The most important space in the palace was the first floor hall, which served as a dining room and day room, and whose decoration was a clear indica- tor of social status. Schulz describes the palaces as characterised by their utilitarian simplicity, again emphasising his conten- tion that the medieval Venetian palace was superbly adapted to its peculiar environ- ment. The third chapter considers the Venetian palace from the point of view of the social background of its inhabi- tants. Here the author comments on a tendency amongst the Venetian elite to move their residences closer and closer to the edge of the water, a trend that would eventually make the Grand Canal into Venice’s most characteristic and splendid (tourist and) processional route. Palaces were increasingly orientated to- wards the waterside, built of expensive materials and with richly decorated fa- cades. Palaces became the outward em- bodiment of a family’s identity, and possession of a waterside palace was coveted and much contested. Each change of ownership fuelled competition between the urban elite, with palaces reflecting changes in fashion in palace design and a greater need for comfort and privacy. The final chapter considers the role of archi- volume 13 issue 1 february 2006 r bpl/aah The Art Book 57 Reviews: Architecture