Caus, or Caux, Isaac de (fl.1612–55). Born in Dieppe, son or nephew of Salomon de Caux. He settled in England and was mainly a gar-den-architect and hydraulics engineer, but was also described as an engineer and architect. He was associated with Inigo Jones, designed a grotto in the basement of the Whitehall Banqueting House (1623–4), and supervised the erection of Jones's houses around the ‘Piazza’ at Covent Garden (1633–4). He designed grottoes at Somerset House (1630–3) and Woburn Abbey, Beds. (1630). De Caux then moved to the service of the Earl of Pembroke, for whom he rebuilt the south front of Wilton House, Wilts., and laid out gardens (1635–7). A Palladianesque composition with pavilion-towers, it was probably derived from Scamozzi's Idea della Architettura Universale (1615), and Jones was likely involved as a consultant. De Caux also prepared designs for Stalbridge Park, Dorset (1638), and published a book on hydraulics in 1644.

Bibliography

Colvin (1995);
J. Hs&T (1979);
M&E (1995);
Strong (1979)

Caus, or Caux, Salomon de (c.1577–1626). French hydraulics engineer and designer of gardens. He laid out the formal gardens at Heidelberg (described in his Hortus Palatinus …, published (1620) in Frankfurt by De Bry) for Frederick V (1596–1632), Elector Palatine of the Rhine (1610–20) and his consort, Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain (1596–1662). These extraordinary gardens (only known from the Hortus Palatinus, as they were systematically destroyed during the Thirty Years War) contained ingenious waterworks and fantastic grottoes similar to those illustrated in his Les raisons des forces mouvantes, published (1615) in Frankfurt by Norton and in Paris (1624) by Sevestre and Droüart.

Bibliography

Colvin (1995);
Journal of Garden History, i/1 (January–March 1981), 67–104, and i/2 (April–June 1981), 179–202;
Maks (1935)