Elena Efimova
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
The paper is of current interest due to the recent publication of the Codex B from the formerly Hyppolite Destailleur’s collection, now in the State Hermitage Library. Though it is outstanding, the book published by O. Lanzarini and R. Martinis still leaves some unsolved problems concerning the album. The main drawback of the work is the authors’ interest only in the Album B. The analysis of its relations to other codices, as well as to general problems of the architectural drawing of the 16th century, was out of their interest.
The Italian scholars divided the drawings into three groups: buildings and their parts; order details; and fantastical architecture. The first group is various and has always provoked the major researchers’ interest. It manifests a close link to the archaeological studies of the 15th century, as well as antiquarian and humanistic tradition of the mid 16th century, in particular with Pirro Ligorio. Here, unfortunately, the authors completely ignored the observations made by M. Mikhailova. Their disregard for the Codex Destailleur A, also in the Hermitage, which definitely goes back to Ligorio’s circle, left ‘Ligorian’ problem uninvestigated. The Album B refers apparently to the Roman and South Italian sources, so, the conclusion on its Venetian origins seems paradoxical.
The second group, namely the order details, also lacks scholars’ attention, though there can be found numerous parallels with other albums of the 16th — first half of 17th centuries They have an equal base with the model books, important in the professional education of architects of the 16th–17th centuries. This tradition is vividly illustrated by drawings of the Hermitage Albums B and C and their analogues, and requires further understanding.
The third group, the architectural fantasies, according to R. Martinis, was influenced by a Frenchman J. Androuet-Ducerceau who relied on Italian drawings of the late 15th — early 16th centuries. Just stating this fact, the scholar has not set a goal to trace this tradition in the mid 16th century, in particular in Roman architectural engraving, which shows more similarities to the Album B rather than to the works of Ducerceau.
Although the publication of the Album B is important for the study of the Renaissance architectural drawing after Antiquity, it does not cover all the problems associated with it. The Album B, as also the Albums A and C require a comprehensive study.