Open AccessCharacters of Ancient Architectural Orders and their Mannerist Interpretation in Dietterlin’s Book from 1598
Author(s) -
Vladimir Mako
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
athens journal of architecture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2407-9472
DOI - 10.30958/aja.7-2-1
Subject(s) - german , architecture , narrative , interpretation (philosophy) , prerogative , literature , context (archaeology) , art , aesthetics , history , art history , sociology , classics , philosophy , visual arts , linguistics , politics , archaeology , law , political science
The aim of this paper is to explore a particular metaphorical pictorial language used by German mannerist painter Wendel Dietterlin in his book on architecture at the end of the sixteenth century. It was formed through personal imaginary interpretation of the Vitruvian notion regarding personal characters of the five ancient architectural Orders. In that context it has all aspects of the mannerist approach in inventing metaphorical meanings by combining ancient, mediaeval, and contemporary narratives. However, in that process Dietterlin unavoidably refers to cultural and social aspects of his time, particularly when reflecting on the issue of the invention of the ‘new [German] architecture’. By this, Dietterlin enters the group of the majority of German sixteenth and seventeenth century authors on architecture emphasizing one particular prerogative in their writings: to merge the ancient roots with the longing for a coherent German cultural identity. However, it seems that in the process of narration, used to ‘invent’ new forms of architectural expression, Dietterlin refers also on particularities related to the historical development of mankind in a personal manner.