Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington

Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork (1694-1753) was an architect and patron of the arts; his profound architectural knowledge and his position in society made him the arbiter of English architectural taste; he promoted the Palladian style, a reaction against the Baroque, inspired by the work of Palladio and Inigo Jones. An early patron of Handel, he encouraged the production of Italian opera in London. 'The Apollo of the Arts', according to Horace Walpole.