Theophil Hansen and the Library of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Today, the largest part of Theophil Hansen's artistic estate - his drawings, plans and historical photographs - can be found in the Graphic Collection of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Following Hansen's death on February 17, 1891, the estate was located in his studio in the Reichsrat building, today's parliament. In his will, whick he wrote in 1879 on a trip to Athens, Hansen had appointed his sister Marie his sole heir. Ludwig Lobmeyer had been named the curator of his will, with whom he had been linked on friendly terms.

The estate which comprises several thousand watercolors, drawings, photographs and books came to the academy - with the exception of the plans for the parliament building - at the beginning of 1892. The Board of Professors agreed to accept this free donation on July 22, 1892 on the condition that the entire material was inspected and objects that were not interesting for the academy removed. The drawings and plans that were made of Denmark, which, along with personal documents that his sitter Marie added, can now be found at the Royal Library in Copenhagen, were not sent to the Academy until 1896.

     

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_library_of_greece_athens.jpg

During World War 2 a large part of the drawings and written documents underwent a veritably odyssey. The former were sent to Berlin in December 1941 at Hitler's express wish for scholarly study in preparation for a publication that had been planned to mark the 50th anniversary of Hansen's death. Soon, however, there were differences in opinion between the Reich Building Authority and the Academy regarding the safety of storing the material in wartime. The drawings came back to the Academy at the end of August and were immediately stored in what was then the safety depot.

A History of Western Architecture, 4th edition By David Watkin.

Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome Italy

Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome Italy

San Giovanni in Laterano is a heavily restored and remodeled 4^th century basilica which is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, having its address us Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano in the rione Monti.

Giovanni in Laterano was for Vasi a view over very modern buildings, or to be more precise over very recently modernized buildings, because the new façades of the basilica and of the adjoining palace were completed in 1735. It is interesting to note that the road which surrounded them was not paved.

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/it/la-basilica-di-san-giovanni-laterano

A large modern esplanade a gathering point for political rallies allows a good view of the two buildings, which have not been modified since Vasi's time. The etching shows the tip of the obelisk in front of the lateral façade of S. Giovanni, which however cannot be seen from the esplanade.

After Pope V (1585-90) had redesigned the lateral façade of S. Giovanni in Laterano, many popes considered replacing the old main façade with a new one, but only in 1732 Pope Clement XII took steps to provide the ancient basilica with an appropriate entrance. During the 19^th century the façade was regarded as an anticipation of Neoclassicism and it was highly praised. As a matter of fact Galilei combined elements of the Roman baroque tradition, but he placed them in a very neat frame, which gives the façade a classical appearance. The façade is crowned by fifteen gigantic statues. 

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/it/la-basilica-di-san-giovanni-laterano

The Basilica of St. John Lateran is not the only point of interest, rather the Appio Latino area has many places of attraction both landscape level, both in socio-historical level since the era of Ancient Rome.

Many are the areas and artifacts of this era, beginning from the two ancient Roman roads: the Via Latina and Via Appia, along which are clearly visible even today the patrician villas, the underground cisterns, the Massenzio complex, the catacombs and the defensive structures such as the Aurelian Walls.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Giovanni_in_Laterano

The church was re-built many times because of natural disasters, and its final renovation and façade are work of architect Alessandro Galilei, and were finished in 1734. In the entrance you find the original ancient statue of emperor Constantin, found in the imperial termhae near of the Quirinal hill.

The coffered ceiling, gilded with real gold, is together with St. Mary Major's the most amazing of all Italian churches. It is said that the first gold which arrived from the newfound Americas were used for the roof. It is the work of pupils of Michelangelo, and it was finished in 1562 AD. The wonderful mosaic shows Jesus in the forefront, while the apostles are in the foreground. Many popes are buried in the basilica.

A History of Western Architecture, 4th edition By David Watkin.

Scala Regia in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican, 1835

The Scala Regia, or "royal staircase," is part of the formal entrance to the Vatican and connects the Apostolic Palace to St. Peter's Basilica. Commissioned to Bernini for restoration in 1663, it was actually built by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

http://archimaps.tumblr.com/post/74785823541/berninis-scala-regia-vatican-city

Combining art and architecture, sculpture and decoration in an illusionistic ensemble, this monumental staircase served as the main entrance to the Vatican Palace, as well as the principal connection between the palace and St Peter's basilica. The monument also encapsulates the essence of Bernini's working procedure as architect and designer as well as his creative response to both structural challenges and iconographic concerns.

http://www.generativedesign.com/tesi/030/ric-a02a.htm

The Scala Regia, the ceremonial staircase, is one of Bernini’s most brilliant concepts. Exploiting the fact that the existing walls within which it had to be inserted were not parallel, he dramatized the perspective effect by making the two rows of ionic columns which flank the staircase converge and gradually diminish in height as they rise. Light falls from a concealed source at the half-landing and from a window at the top of the lower flight.

At the bottom landing Bernini placed an equestrian statue of the Emperor Constantine at the moment of his conversion, at the top, where the staircase was narrowest, Bernini set them against the wall and farther down where it widened, and he moved them toward the middle, a little away from the wall. That way they were all in line and when you came from below and looked up, your eye followed the columns and you assumed the steps were the same width all the way up. The columns weren’t the same height either. At the top of the long funnel where the ceiling was lower they were necessarily shorter. You noticed that but figured they only looked shorter because of perspective.

http://www.generativedesign.com/tesi/030/ric-a02a.htm

In Bernini's statue of Constantine, he is awed and his horse rears, as Constantine realizes that he will win only with the power of the Christ. The moral of this story would not have been lost upon royal visitors to the pope, or for that matter, Cardinals accompanying a deceased pontiff's cortege, who are meant to see the leader of the church as the embodiment of the divine power that over-rules the kings of the world. This theme is often repeated in Vatican artworks such as Giulio Romano’s fresco of The Battle of Milvian Bridge, located in the Sala di Costantino "Hall of Constantine “as well as the marble relief in St. Peter's.

Bernini’s decoration of the stairway didn’t end here. He sculpted an equestrian statue of Constantine for a landing just where the columns start.

A History of Western Architecture, 4th edition by David Watkin.

Palazzo Marino, Piazza Della Scala Milan Italy, 1557-1563

Palazzo Marino is a palace in Milano city, named after Tommaso Marino, a banker and trader from Genoa, who was the first owner of the palace in the 16th century. Palazzo Marino is situated between Piazza Della Scala and Piazza San Fedele. The streets connecting the two piazzas, each on one side of Palazzo Marino, are Via Case Rotte and Via Tommaso Marino. The construction was occasionally slowed down by the opposition of the population that had a very conservative attitude towards the architecture of the center of Milan.

http://www.comune.milano.it/wps/portal/ist/en/palazzo_marino_english

The four corners of the ceiling were also decorated with paintings by Aurelio Busso representing the Four Seasons. Further frescos as well as bas reliefs decorated the walls, with mythological themes such as the Muses, Bacchus, Apollo and Mercury by Ottavio Semini. The reliefs depict the story of Perseus.

When Marino died leaving his family bankrupt, the palace became a property of the State, but in 1632 it was sold to another banker, Carlo Omodei. The House of Omodei never inhabited the palace, which maintained its original name "Marino" and was rented to several notable Milanese.

In 1781, the palace was once again bought by the State (the notable Milanese scholar Pietro Verri had an important role in convincing the authorities to buy the palace) and became the seat of administrative and tax offices. The palace was then restored, with the supervision of architect Giuseppe Piermarini, who was responsible for the renovation of the entire area.

http://www.comune.milano.it/wps/portal/ist/en/palazzo_marino_english

In 1848, the palace was temporarily used as the seat of the new government of Lombardy. It was finally elected as Milan's city hall on 19 September 1861. The acquisition of the palace by the city administration marked a new thorough restoration of the building and the surrounding area. The block that occupied what is now Piazza Della Scala was demolished to create the plaza; the façade of Palazzo Marino facing the plaza was renewed to become the palace's main façade on a design by Luca Beltrami, completed in 1892.

http://www.comune.milano.it/wps/portal/ist/en/palazzo_marino_english

In 1947, the façade of Palazzo Marino was covered by large advertising hoardings that concealed the damage caused by the 1943 air-raids. In 1873, the body of Alessandro Manzoni was laid out in Sala Alessi, where the people of the city filed past to pay their last tribute to the great writer. The Sala Verde Green hall is so named from the color of the rich damask covering the walls. It is also known as the Marriage hall, because here, on 4th July 1953, the first civil wedding in Milan was held. The public can watch council meetings from the gallery that looks into Sala Del Consiglio. A motto by Cicero appears in the Sala Del Consiglio “The things performed in the footsteps of ancestors have to be discreet. The reasons of peoples should be far removed from force”.

A History of Western Architecture, 4th edition By David Watkin.

Architecture in Italy, 1400-1500, By Ludwig H. Heydenreich

Church of San Sebastiano, Dorsoduro Venice Italy, 1562

San Sebastiano church in Venice was built in the first half of the 16^th century and finally consecrated in 1548. However, a previous church existed in the same location, dedicated to Saint Mary. When the new one was built, it was consecrated to San Sebastiano as a thanksgiving for the end of a plague. This was not unusual in Medieval Europe, and other Venetian churches have also been built with this purpose.
San Sebastiano church, in Dorsoduro district close to Zattere, is famous for containing the most important works by painter Paolo Caliari, better known as Veronese: a whole series of paintings and frescoes, including ceiling frescoes. Veronese was also buried into this church.

http://www.all-free-photos.com/show/showphoto.php?idph=PI65874&lang=en

The building of the current church and its monastery saw the church's façade switched from facing the Campazzo San Sebastiano to the current arrangement facing the canal. This work was carried out by Antonio Abbondi, known as Scarpagnino, between 1506 and 1548. The church and the convent next door were suppressed in 1810 by Napoleon and the convent was partially demolished before being rebuilt in 1856. The building now houses the University of Venice's department of literature and philosophy.

The façade is dominated by the two pairs of Corinthian columns on each level, which support a large tympanum with statues of Saint Jerome, Saint Catherine of Alexandria and, in the middle, Saint Sebastian. Almost all the decoration of the interior is the work of Veronese - the paintings around the choir and on the ceiling and the organ doors, the frescoed walls, featuring figures and architecture, and the sacristy, which is earlier work. As you go to the Madonna dell’Orto or the Scuola di San Rocco for Tintoretto and to San Giorgio degli Schiavoni for Carpaccio, this church is where you come for Veronese. This was his parish church, and tradition has it that he found refuge in the monastery after killing a love rival. He began decorating it at the age of 30, working here from 1555 to 1581. His commission came from the then prior here, Bernardo Torlioni, who was also originally from Verona.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Sebastiano,_Venice

The ceiling shows scenes from the Life of Esther and the gallery walls the Trial and Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. The trompe l'oeil painting here blends unnervingly smoothly with the architecture, which had been finished only a few years before. You get the impression that the church was built specifically to house the trompe l'oeil vistas and the combination of art, sculpture and architecture is seamless. Veronese had trained as a stonecutter too and designed the altar. He died in 1588 and was buried there his tombstone is in the floor in front of the Lando Chapel. He was buried here with his brother Benedetto Caliari, also a painter, who helped out here, being responsible for the painted decoration on the ceiling.

The basic geometry of the sacristy ceiling established the basic fields for pictorial decoration: a central square image flanked on its sides by longer fields and punctuated at its corners by roundels; these basic pictorial spaces are united by connecting ribs into a tightly knit whole.

A History of Western Architecture, 4th edition by David Watkin.

Architecture in Italy, 1400-1500, By Ludwig H. Heydenreich

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA NORTHWEST SPAIN

Santiago de Compostela was originally founded by the Suebi in the early 400s, as part of the collapse of the Roman Empire 

http://www.santiagoturismo.com/percorrido/exteriores-fachadas-e-prazas

The most sacred Christian monument in Spain, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is a sight worthy of an arduous pilgrim's journey. The cathedral stands majestically on the Plaza del Obradoiro with its towers soaring above the town. An outstanding example of Early Romanesque architecture, the building was constructed between 1075 and 1211 on the site of an earlier ninth-century church that was destroyed in 997 by Almansor's Moorish army. The cathedral was renovated numerous times in different architectural styles, including Gothic, Plateresque, and Neoclassical. Welcoming pilgrims is a splendid entrance called the Portico de la Gloria. Created by Master Mateo in 1188, this doorway is a profusion of sculpture featuring 200 figures from the Apocalypse story and the figure of Saint James the Apostle. The Obradoiro Facade facing the square was created by Fernando de Casas y Novoa. This lavish facade is considered to be the finest example of Spanish Baroque style.

The cathedral's grand first impression sets the stage for an inspiring spiritual experience. Enter the serene sanctuary, a grandiose space of three naves with an astounding surface area of about 8,300 square meters. Directly beneath the opulent Baroque main altar is the main draw for all pilgrims to Santiago, the Crypt of Saint James the Apostle, patron saint of Spain.

Following the French model of Romanesque pilgrimage churches, the Cathedral of Santiago’s interior space has a traditional Latin-cross layout with three naves per arm. The main nave measures, from west to east, around 94 meters long inside, and the transept, much bigger than usual for churches of that time, attains 63 meters from north to south, which makes this Cathedral the largest Romanesque church in Spain. The maximum height of the naves is 20 meters, reaching 32 metros at the dome.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santiago_de_Compostela_plan_vertical.jpg

The central nave is covered by a barrel vault and the side ones by groin vaults. The volumes are supported by elegant semicircular, crowned by a tribune running along the length of the church and continuing along the transept arms and ambulatory. This triforium gives the naves an unusual slenderness and clarity (compared to other churches of this time), as does the large window in its main façade.

The center of the main nave was occupied, between the 12th and 16th c., by Maestro Mateo’s majestic stone choir, part of which can be admired today in the cathedral museum. It was replaced in 1608 by a wooden Renaissance choir that ended up being dismantled in 1946, which finally cleared the view of the altar. In the sanctuary, an ambulatory surrounds the high altar to provide access for worshippers and pilgrims to the radial chapels, on the one hand, and to the relics kept in the underground mausoleum on the other.

A History of Western Architecture 6th Edition

TEMPLE OF ATHENA POLIAS AT PRIENE

The Temple of Athena, built in the mid-4th century BC of gray-blue marble, is the largest and oldest monument at Priene. This Temple, located on the culminating point of the city, rose over a wide terrace of rocks and the defense walls, and was the oldest, the most important, the largest and the most magnificent building in Priene. It was oriented on an east west axis in conformity with the city plan and faced east.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Temple-of-Athena-Polias

It is believed that the construction of the Temple was begun at the same time as the founding of Priene 4th century. The architect of the building was Pythius, who also constructed the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, counted as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Temple is accepted as being a classical example of the Anatolian­Ionian architectural style.

The plan of the Temple is peripteral, with 6 columns on the short sides and 11 on the long ones. Together with the 2 columns each of the pronaos and the opisthodomus, the total number of columns adds up to 34. The building rests on a three stepped platform, 37.17 m. long and 19.53 m. wide. The lower diameters of the columns are one tenth of their 10.10 m. height. The columns of which the bases are built in the Ephesus type, have 24 flutes in their shaft. The capitals height is 0.48 m. 

https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/classical-hellenistic/deck/8768763

The Ionic foot is used as a unit of measurement throughout. The total column height and entablature height equal 50 feet, corresponding to half the length of the cella. The cella, of 100 feet, is thus a hekatompedon, and corresponds closely with the length of the cella of the Parthenon. 

The entablature resting on the capitals consists of the architrave, made up of three hands, and above it in rising order, a row of egg­and­dart molding, dentils. Another row of egg­and­dart molding. The cornice, and on the top a cymatium decorated with plant motifs and lion-headed gargoyles. These parts were polychromed in bright colors, red and blue being the most used.

The building was destroyed completely in an earthquake in ancient times and the pieces were scattered over a large area. It also suffered great destruction in a later fire. However, the construction of the plan and the reconstruction of the building have been possible through the fragments found in the excavations.

A History of Western Architecture 6th Edition

AL QUARAOUIYINE MOSQUE AND UNIVERSITY, FEZ MOROCCO. ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE.

Founded by a Muslim woman, the University of Al Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, opened its doors in 859. Its library has been restored during the last three years by another woman, Canadian-Moroccan architect Aziza Chaouni. A wing will be open to the general public later this year.

The library houses a collection of 4,000 rare books and ancient Arabic manuscripts written by renowned scholars of the region. The manuscripts include a 9th century version of the Quran and a manuscript on Islamic jurisprudence written by philosopher Averroes.

The mosque plan consists of three main sections. As noted above, the prayer hall (sanctuary) is the most historical part, being gradually developed and extended. It is of a rectangular shape stretching from the north to the west thus giving the Qibla side the longest breadth. The span of such space, 83x 44.2 meters, extends over 21 aisles running perpendicular to the Qibla wall, a reminder of the T plan seen in much of North African mosques. The roof is made of a set of green tiled pyramids reflecting the number of arcades carrying it. The arcade itself is made of horseshoe arches supported by some 270 piers. The whole of the internal surface is painted in plain white, resembling the Kutubia Mosque and diverting from the rich decor of the Great Mosque of Cordova.

The central aisle or nave is wider and crowned with five cupolas of different styles mixing between ribbed and muqarnas vaulting, drawing the visitor towards the mihrab area. Further distinction of this aisle is noticeable in its pyramid roof, which was raised deliberately higher than the roof level of the mosque. As mentioned previously, it was added by Ali Ibn Yusuf's Andalusian architects. However, some doubted whether such a story is true. The six domes are not really Andalusian copies, especially the perforated ones. The muqarnas cupolas, executed in square, oblong and circular forms, are definitely older than their Andalusian counterparts. In fact they are among the first muqarnas executed in North Africa by the Almoravids, next only to those introduced in Qala complex of Beni Ahmmad (1080) and Great Mosque of Telemcen (1082). Their development in North Africa coincided with their popularity in the Seljuk domain in Persia and Anatolia.

Tiled in blue and white, the courtyard lies in the western side of the mosque, equipped with three marble fountains. The central fountain is an original 12^th century Almohad piece of furniture which was complemented by two lateral fountains fixed under two symmetrical patios that were built under the Saadid rule , by the Sultan 'Abdallah Ibn al-Shaikh (1606-23). With their slender marble columns, these kiosks are the most elegant part of the mosque. The sections above the capitals were sculptured in beautiful Moorish golden "embroidery" comprising exquisite floral and geometrical forms framed within bands of calligraphy, features recalling the Alhambra famous patio of Lions, which also became typical surface decor in the Saadid dynasty in Morocco.

Modern Architecture: A Critical History (World of Art) – Kenneth Frampton

STOA OF ATTALOS

The Stoa of Attalos is the most splendid Hellenistic building in the Agora and the only one to have been restored in contemporary times using almost exclusively modern building material. It houses the Agora Museum. The building was an imposing two-storey Stoa of the Pergamene type, dominating the east side of the Agora, offering a sheltered refuge to visitors and housing a series of shops.

http://www.agathe.gr/overview/the_stoa_of_attalos.html

The building material employed in its construction reflects the attention to luxury: the columns of the west side, facing the Agora Square, were made up of white Pentelic marble, as were the columns inside the Stoa and the epistyles. The steps and the stylobate of both storeys, the toichobate, the orthostatai, the taenia coursing the façade’s wall, the door posts and the outside stairway which connected the two storeys were constructed of azure-grey Hymettian marble. The other parts of the walls were made up of hard Piraeus limestone. The foundations were made up of pebbles. The low parapet connecting the intercolumnal spaces in the exterior colonnade of the second storey was colored blue and red.

The foundations has shown that the original plan was for a rather smaller Stoa, with 14 rooms only on each storey. While part of the construction work had already been completed (the rooms of the south side and some parts of the north section), the plan was altered and the building was significantly enlarged. Four rooms were added in the south side; these were smaller than the rest, and the outside stairways were placed, each with a width of 2.21m. Finally, before this enlargement was completed a new one was made; three more rooms were added in the north side, each with a width of 4.11m. Some of these rooms were used as offices, while most of them housed shops.

The Stoa was a favored place for setting up statues and monuments in honor of the city’s benefactors.

A large square was constructed in front of the Stoa in order to create a large level space on which the Stoa could rest. The square was 7.33m wide, and together with the comfortable spaces of the storey, it allowed the viewing of athletic and other events taking place in the area of the Agora by large groups of people. The south section of the building featured a fountain, while pedestals that supported statues, a bema and other monuments have been discovered in front of the Stoa.

The Stoa was severely damaged during the raid of the Heruli. It was completely destroyed in the late 3^rd century when the Late Roman defensive wall was constructed, especially as three of its turrets were erected on the spot of the doors of the Stoa's shops.

http://www.agathe.gr/overview/the_stoa_of_attalos.html

  

Parts of the building remained visible until the mid-19^th century. It was then believed that the ruins belonged to two different buildings, the Stoa and the Gymnasium, but this misapprehension was rectified by the excavations of the Athenian Archaeological Society in 1859. The American School of Classical Studies conducted excavations in the Stoa’s site between 1949 and 1953. In 1953-1956 the Stoa was restored using the drawings of the architect which are considered a faithful adaptation of the ancient design. Paradoxically, the ancient building has not been published yet – some of its unearthed architectural members still remain unidentified. The American School implements a project in the context of which all of the surviving authentic material from the Stoa is documented.

http://www.agathe.gr/overview/the_stoa_of_attalos.html

Modern Architecture; Paperback; Author – By Kenneth Frampton

MAISON CARREE NIMES, Southern France

La Maison Carree, or Square House, located in Nimes France it is an ancient roman temple it was founded as a Roman colony during the first century it is an extremely well preserved monument. The Maison Carree, 82 feet by 40 feet wide and it is one of the most beautiful monuments built in Gaul by the Romans, and was done under Augustus’s rule.

It was originally commissioned by his son-in-law Marcus Agrippa, but the person who designed it is unknown. It is known that its design was heavily influenced by Greek architecture as is evidenced by the Corinthian pillars. However, by this time, the Roman architects had developed their own style as well and this can also be seen in the Maison Carree in the raised platforms and wide front steps which had evolved from the Etruscan style of architecture. It was also inspired by the temples to Mars and Apollo and much of it was modeled after the temples to these gods. In short, Maison Carree, among other buildings that were being constructed at this time, was a merging of Etruscan temple style and Greek style, with heavier influence from the Greeks than from the Romans.

                                  

La Maison Carree was lucky to survive the fall of the Empire. This is mostly due to the fact that the building became a church in the fourth century, it has been partly renovated and restored over the years, built of local limestone the graceful edifice is elevated on a tall podium nearly 10 feet high and approached by a monumental flight of stairs on the west end. Despite the temple’s French name, which means “Square House” the building is actually rectangular. The building has a single portico on the west side, consisting of six 33 feet high Corinthian columns, but a symmetrical appearance is maintained with matching engaged columns around the remainder of the building, the architrave above the columns is carved with fine reliefs of rosettes and acanthus leaves, the façade is dominated by a deep portico or pronaos almost a third of the building’s length, it is a hexastyle design with six Corinthian columns under the pediment at either end, the large door leads to the surprisingly small and windows interior, where the shrine was originally housed. This is now used to house tourist oriented film on the Roman history of Nimes.

The Maison Carree was later used as part of the palace of the Visigothic kings, who took over Gaul in the fifth century. It has always been known as a splendid example of Roman architecture and was admired by later generations. The American statesman Thomas Jefferson made drawings of it, and used them when he designed the state capitol of Virginia in Richmond.

Anachronism in the Roman Architecture of Gaul: The Date of the Maison Carree at Nimes

James C. Anderson, Jr. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians Vol. 60, No. 1 (Mar., 2001), pp. 68-79