Title: Illustrations
Proportions
Illustrations
Human body
Walther Ryff translated the Ten books of architecture and artistic construction books of Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. They are the key to an introduction to all mathematic and mechanical art, and also of all of artistic works. The treatise was been diligently and properly written for the population. So that everyone could be instructed in architecture and artistic construction, and could easily understand the importance of the mathematics and mechanical arts involved in architecture. The entire treatise was adorned with beautiful artistic illustrations and with special commentary for a better understanding.
The translated treatise in german has been an enourmous advantageous benefit of all those who use artistic titles and tools. They could benefit of these precious treatise.
The main theme of Ryff’s book is very broad: it deals with the theory of Renaissance architecture, but its components are as varied as churches, basilicas, buildings, palaces, columns and orders. So it ranges from a small detail about the capital of a column to how the different areas of buildings are proportioned.
Walther hermann Ryff was an author of humanism who dealt with theoretical anatomical, medical, philosophical and as well as architectural topics. He published also an Description anatomique de toutes les parties du corps humain in Paris in 1543.
Louis Savot and Claude Perrault attested that architecture and medicine were often compatible.
The illustrations the author makes are so detailed and explanatory. On many pages there is only the illustration and a small commentary, in fact you can already tell a lot from the drawings. These images represent contemporary knowledge from the Renaissance. Besides architecture, the book deals with a wide range of scientific and engineering topics.
I chose these concepts because I find really it interesting how the author very often refers to the human body to explain certain architectural concepts (e.g. proportions).
