DOI Heft:
Nr. 2-4
DOI Artikel:Fabiański, Marcin: Ideal Musea in Filarete's Tratatto
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.48711#0248
MARCIN FABIAŃSKI
o nos in the drawings accompanying the text. Ali these
features render it difficult, and — in some places — impossiblo
to interpret the interosting fragment plausibly.
Filareto describod an imaginary precinct of a fow struc-
tures where peoplo striving for famo and folioity were to bo
educated, examined and lauroatod9. Tho precinct in the
shape of an elongatod rectangle comprised an artificial lako,
”theatro”, Pałace of Virtue, Tempie of Virtue, etc.10.
The lako was usod to test the abilities of knights in soa
battles. The candidates for famę were to fight to demonstrate
their virtues in the theatro. In this place public doctoral
oxaminations were to be held. Filaretę apparontly put great
stress at this point: those who failed would havo to be puni-
shed, whereas the succossful doctors would triumphantly be
ushered into the Pałace of Yirtue and givon wreaths11, and
later, in chapols of the Tempie of Yirtue, they would deposit
the products of their hancls and minds that had brought
them to famę12.
As both buildings: the Pałace and tho Tempie fulfilled
different functions, and had intricate forms and iconographic
programmes, they will be discussed subseąuently.
*
* *
Filaretę emphasized that it was only because of necessity
that he had shapod the Pałace of Yirtue in architectural
form: his primitive concept had been an artificial mountain,
on the top of which there was a statuę of Yirtue, accossible
by an only path13. He claimed to have borrowed tho idea
from the Roman Colosseum and Ovid’s Pałace of the Sun14 15.
According to the finał version, the cylindrical Palaoe rosę
on a square place enclosed in walls. The structuro had three
underground storeys dodicated to vice and, above, sevon
floors with porticoes, where virtue was practised (fig. 1). It
was through these floors that one could climb onto the top
with a terraco and a statuę of Yirtue. In the upper part of tho
Pałace Filaretę placed seven rooms which served for studies of
the liberał arts. One had to pass through those chambers
on the way to the terraco13.
In another place of his troatise tho author hintod that in
each of the soven floors there was a room dovotod to one of
the seven liberał arts. The rooms were used for instruction
and doctors wore to be laureated there. These halls, not
marked in tho accompanying drawings, wore interconnectod
by stairs. Tho lowest ono was dodicated to logie and that
on the top, to astronomy. Tho artist did not discuss the
shape of these rooms.Ali we know is that they wore relatively
isolated, as there was only one ontrance to each of them,
above which was a carvod porsonification of tho respective
art. The decoration was completed by statuos represonting
those who passod for the inventors of the givon discipline
and those who had excelled in it16. Having recoived all their
wreaths in the following rooms, tho doctors proceodod onto
the upper terraco.
Tho rooms describod in. this latter version aro probably
tho samo rooms as in tho former version. Thus they wore
places whero wreaths were givon to confirm that the doctor
had mastorod tho róspoctivo discipline there. Special images
embellishing these studioli not only patronized laureation
ceremonies, but also incited to studies.
Eminent craftsmen and knights arrived at the terrace
passing through the halls dodicated to their rospective
realms17. Seven bridges, decoratod with statues of tho Cardinal
and theological virtues, which referred to the qualities of tho
laureates, lod them to a very pleasant, beautiful and delightful
place13, where they were to receive the last wreath. Tho
ceromony was hołd before the figuro of Yirtue on a place that
was describod twice in Book XVIII, each timo in a slightly
different way19. Unfortunately, the rolevant drawings cor-
respond to the toxt only partially.
According to the first version, a statuę dopicting supremo
9 FILARETĘ, Treatise..., o.c., fol. 142 v, p. 246; there are hvo things
in man through which he acguires renown [...] the one by which he acguires
perfect famę is unigue. This is Virtue. This is what makes man happy.
10 Ibidem, fol. 146 r—v, pp. 250—251.
11 Ibidem fol. 147 r, p. 252.
12 Ibidem, fol. 147 v, p. 253; Each one carried to the tempie gifts and
honours given them [...]. It was arranged and constructed with as many eha-
pels as there were games and celebrations. Thus each one madę his donation
to his own [chapel], Fol. 148 v, p. 254; The work that he had done is carried
before him and they leane it in the tempie.
13 Ibidem, fol. 143 v, p. 246: I depicted a high mountain with steep
sides which could be ascended only by one path. T.hen at its summit between
tico peaks and between these two trees I placed [Virtue] on his diamond; —
Fol. 143, p. 247: Now I will tell you what I have thought about the form of
this building, even though I sald preuiously that I had designed it in the form
of a mountain. Ilecause we want it built in a form that can be used, we musi
change the design and adapt the building to our proposal.
14 Ibidem,fol. 142 r—v, p. 245; — 0VID, Met. II, 1—5. —Fol. 143 r.,
p. 247; it will be round and sguare almost like the Colosseum.
15 Ibidem, fol. 142 v, pp. 245—246: In this room one of the liberał
arts will be taught. One can go from this one into another madę in the same
fashion, and continue this up to the number of seven. Then when one comes
to the end of these seven rooms, there will be a plain.%.
16 Ibidem, fols. 144 v—145 v, pp. 249—250: it remains to be seen
how this round part [...] should be [...] The first room has a door above which
is a carred figurę dressed in lined robes of uarious colors. This is done as a
symbol of Logic. In this room are carred the inoentors of this art as well as all
those who were excellent in this discipline. From this room there is a stair that
rises to another floor [...] In the same way there is a door over which another
robed figurę is carved with a book in her hand. This is Rhetoric. All these
rooms continue in the same order, form and dimensions, lerel by lerel up to the
summit, with figures over the doors each a symbol of its science. Within these
rooms figures are carced of the inrentors and those who have been ezcellent in
these disciplines, just as in the first. On the last floor at the top of this building
are the rooms for Astrology [...] All the liberał arts are taught in these places.
— RUFFINI (o.c., p. 37) is then wrong in saying that in guesti luoghi
non si insegna.
17 Filaretę States (o.c., fol. 145 v, p. 250), that no one should be permit-
ted to come here who has not acguired the aforementioned arts or who is not
experienced in the field of arms. Ile futher adds (fol. 146 r, p. 250—251)
that knights and other people entered the terrace through other rooms
furnished with appropriate paraphernalia.
18 Ibidem, fol. 142 r, p. 245.
19 Ibidem, fol. 146 r, p. 251 and fol. 145 v, p. 250.
194
o nos in the drawings accompanying the text. Ali these
features render it difficult, and — in some places — impossiblo
to interpret the interosting fragment plausibly.
Filareto describod an imaginary precinct of a fow struc-
tures where peoplo striving for famo and folioity were to bo
educated, examined and lauroatod9. Tho precinct in the
shape of an elongatod rectangle comprised an artificial lako,
”theatro”, Pałace of Virtue, Tempie of Virtue, etc.10.
The lako was usod to test the abilities of knights in soa
battles. The candidates for famę were to fight to demonstrate
their virtues in the theatro. In this place public doctoral
oxaminations were to be held. Filaretę apparontly put great
stress at this point: those who failed would havo to be puni-
shed, whereas the succossful doctors would triumphantly be
ushered into the Pałace of Yirtue and givon wreaths11, and
later, in chapols of the Tempie of Yirtue, they would deposit
the products of their hancls and minds that had brought
them to famę12.
As both buildings: the Pałace and tho Tempie fulfilled
different functions, and had intricate forms and iconographic
programmes, they will be discussed subseąuently.
*
* *
Filaretę emphasized that it was only because of necessity
that he had shapod the Pałace of Yirtue in architectural
form: his primitive concept had been an artificial mountain,
on the top of which there was a statuę of Yirtue, accossible
by an only path13. He claimed to have borrowed tho idea
from the Roman Colosseum and Ovid’s Pałace of the Sun14 15.
According to the finał version, the cylindrical Palaoe rosę
on a square place enclosed in walls. The structuro had three
underground storeys dodicated to vice and, above, sevon
floors with porticoes, where virtue was practised (fig. 1). It
was through these floors that one could climb onto the top
with a terraco and a statuę of Yirtue. In the upper part of tho
Pałace Filaretę placed seven rooms which served for studies of
the liberał arts. One had to pass through those chambers
on the way to the terraco13.
In another place of his troatise tho author hintod that in
each of the soven floors there was a room dovotod to one of
the seven liberał arts. The rooms were used for instruction
and doctors wore to be laureated there. These halls, not
marked in tho accompanying drawings, wore interconnectod
by stairs. Tho lowest ono was dodicated to logie and that
on the top, to astronomy. Tho artist did not discuss the
shape of these rooms.Ali we know is that they wore relatively
isolated, as there was only one ontrance to each of them,
above which was a carvod porsonification of tho respective
art. The decoration was completed by statuos represonting
those who passod for the inventors of the givon discipline
and those who had excelled in it16. Having recoived all their
wreaths in the following rooms, tho doctors proceodod onto
the upper terraco.
Tho rooms describod in. this latter version aro probably
tho samo rooms as in tho former version. Thus they wore
places whero wreaths were givon to confirm that the doctor
had mastorod tho róspoctivo discipline there. Special images
embellishing these studioli not only patronized laureation
ceremonies, but also incited to studies.
Eminent craftsmen and knights arrived at the terrace
passing through the halls dodicated to their rospective
realms17. Seven bridges, decoratod with statues of tho Cardinal
and theological virtues, which referred to the qualities of tho
laureates, lod them to a very pleasant, beautiful and delightful
place13, where they were to receive the last wreath. Tho
ceromony was hołd before the figuro of Yirtue on a place that
was describod twice in Book XVIII, each timo in a slightly
different way19. Unfortunately, the rolevant drawings cor-
respond to the toxt only partially.
According to the first version, a statuę dopicting supremo
9 FILARETĘ, Treatise..., o.c., fol. 142 v, p. 246; there are hvo things
in man through which he acguires renown [...] the one by which he acguires
perfect famę is unigue. This is Virtue. This is what makes man happy.
10 Ibidem, fol. 146 r—v, pp. 250—251.
11 Ibidem fol. 147 r, p. 252.
12 Ibidem, fol. 147 v, p. 253; Each one carried to the tempie gifts and
honours given them [...]. It was arranged and constructed with as many eha-
pels as there were games and celebrations. Thus each one madę his donation
to his own [chapel], Fol. 148 v, p. 254; The work that he had done is carried
before him and they leane it in the tempie.
13 Ibidem, fol. 143 v, p. 246: I depicted a high mountain with steep
sides which could be ascended only by one path. T.hen at its summit between
tico peaks and between these two trees I placed [Virtue] on his diamond; —
Fol. 143, p. 247: Now I will tell you what I have thought about the form of
this building, even though I sald preuiously that I had designed it in the form
of a mountain. Ilecause we want it built in a form that can be used, we musi
change the design and adapt the building to our proposal.
14 Ibidem,fol. 142 r—v, p. 245; — 0VID, Met. II, 1—5. —Fol. 143 r.,
p. 247; it will be round and sguare almost like the Colosseum.
15 Ibidem, fol. 142 v, pp. 245—246: In this room one of the liberał
arts will be taught. One can go from this one into another madę in the same
fashion, and continue this up to the number of seven. Then when one comes
to the end of these seven rooms, there will be a plain.%.
16 Ibidem, fols. 144 v—145 v, pp. 249—250: it remains to be seen
how this round part [...] should be [...] The first room has a door above which
is a carred figurę dressed in lined robes of uarious colors. This is done as a
symbol of Logic. In this room are carred the inoentors of this art as well as all
those who were excellent in this discipline. From this room there is a stair that
rises to another floor [...] In the same way there is a door over which another
robed figurę is carved with a book in her hand. This is Rhetoric. All these
rooms continue in the same order, form and dimensions, lerel by lerel up to the
summit, with figures over the doors each a symbol of its science. Within these
rooms figures are carced of the inrentors and those who have been ezcellent in
these disciplines, just as in the first. On the last floor at the top of this building
are the rooms for Astrology [...] All the liberał arts are taught in these places.
— RUFFINI (o.c., p. 37) is then wrong in saying that in guesti luoghi
non si insegna.
17 Filaretę States (o.c., fol. 145 v, p. 250), that no one should be permit-
ted to come here who has not acguired the aforementioned arts or who is not
experienced in the field of arms. Ile futher adds (fol. 146 r, p. 250—251)
that knights and other people entered the terrace through other rooms
furnished with appropriate paraphernalia.
18 Ibidem, fol. 142 r, p. 245.
19 Ibidem, fol. 146 r, p. 251 and fol. 145 v, p. 250.
194