Epistle to the Right Honourable Richard Earl of Burlington

The "Epistle to the Right Honourable Richard Earl of Burlington" is a poem by Alexander Pope, written in 1731. It critiques false taste in architecture and design, offering guidance on the proper use of wealth by a nobleman. The poem is characteristic of Pope's mature work and is written in the style of Horace.1

The subject of the epistle, Richard Boyle, 3rd earl of Burlington, was an influential English architect and a proponent of the English Palladian style. Burlington's architectural endeavors, inspired by classical models and the works of architects like Andrea Palladio and Inigo Jones, aimed to promote good taste in Britain. Pope's poem, therefore, engages with contemporary ideas about art, taste, and the responsibilities of the aristocracy in shaping cultural aesthetics.21