This style of column, often referred to as Solomonic was a popular decorative motif of the 17th century, having been utilised to massive public acclaim by Bernini in his design for the Baldacchino at Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, which was begun in 1624. The spiralling shafts of the four columns of this shrine and tomb are thought to have been based upon an earlier use of the design by Constantine, who built the first basilica to house Saint Peter's tomb. The design probably originated in the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem though, and it was this immediate visual connection that the shape of the columns brought about, that served to link the Catholic Church and the power of the Papacy, to its roots in the Holy Land, and Divine Authority.
Bernini's achievement was imitated across Europe, in Italy, Austria, Germany, France, and even as far North as Wales, where Inigo Jones in the 1640s used the design to great effect for the Wynn family, in the dining room of their seat at Gwydir Castle.