Seite - 88 - in Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte, Band LIX
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Kristoffer
neville88
ancient monuments, which he later cited in the
Ent wurff.2 But Fischer went beyond the recon-
structions and antiquarian works of his prede-
cessors by giving his book a new structure and
a new approach. The Temple of Solomon, the
wonders of the ancient world, and several other
famous ancient monuments form Book One.
These are followed by various Roman structures
in Book Two, a clutch of non-western monu-
ments, such as the pagoda of Nanking and a
series of mosques, in Book Three, and, finally,
a representative selection of Fischer’s own archi-
tecture in Book Four. A semi-independent fifth
book presents a suite of vases, some ancient,
some his own invention. An extensive text ac-
companies the first two books. Cumulatively, it
presents a structured history of world architec-
ture, in which the achievements of the ancient
world culminate in the modern world, repre-
sented by Fischer’s own work. The paramount
importance of the book’s structure is evident in
the full explication of the contents and their or-
der on the title page.
The importance of the book has long been
recognized. In the eighteenth century, it went
through three German editions and two Eng-
lish editions.3 It was studied carefully by many
contemporary architects, and has since been seen
as a milestone in the literature of architecture.4
But despite the importance of the work and the
strong interest it has drawn since its publication,
we know surprisingly little about its develop-
ment. Fischer himself wrote in the application for publication privilege in 1721 that he had
worked on the book for sixteen years, placing the
inception of the project around 1705. This must
refer to a more concentrated focus or a clearer
concept of what he wanted to do, however, since
he evidently showed a general interest in the an-
tiquarian scholarship that supports the book in
Rome in the 1670s and 1680s.
A number of the plates of contemporary
works were initially produced for other publica-
tions, but were used or reused in the Entwurff.
The engraving of Schönbrunn Palace near Vienna
was sent as an independent image to Salzburg,
Graz, Berlin, and elsewhere in 1701. The plates of
the Collegiate Church of Our Lady in Salzburg
were originally part of a project to document
the patronage of Prince-Bishop Count Thun
in Salzburg, which was aborted when he died
in 1709.5 With the exception of the larger early
Schön brunn print, however, these various pro-
jects were similar enough in format and scale that
they could later be assembled in a new context.
The concept of the Entwurff was clear by
1712. Emperor Joseph I died suddenly in April
of the previous year, and was succeeded in De-
cember by his brother, Charles VI. Fischer and
Heraeus, the antiquarian, concettisto, and keeper
of the imperial antiquities and numismatic col-
lections, prepared a version of the book com-
prised of a manuscript text and printed images
for presentation to the new ruler. All court em-
ployees served by the grace of the emperor. After
the death of the ruler, they continued in their
2 Kunoth, Die Historische Architektur Fischers von Erlach (cit. n. 1), pp. 45–46. Hellmut Hager has recently pointed
to Carlo Fontana’s historical work in this context, which has not often been taken into consideration. See H. Hager,
Carlo Fontana e i suoi allievi: il caso di Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, in: M. Fagioli/G. Bonaccorso (eds),
Studi sui Fontana. Una dinastia di architetti ticinese a Roma tra Manierismo e Barocco, Rome 2009, pp. 237–256.
3 The Entwurff was first published in Vienna in 1721, with subsequent editions in Leipzig (1725 and 1742) and London
(1730 and 1737).
4 W. Oechslin, Bildungsgut und Antikenrezeption im frühen Settecento in Rom. Studien zum römischen Aufent-
halt Bernardo Antonio Vittones, Zürich 1972. – W. Oechslin, Fischer von Erlachs ‘Entwurff einer historischen
Architectur’: die Integration einer erweiterten Geschichtsauffassung in der Architektur im Zeichen des erstarkten
Kaisertums in Wien, in: E. Liskar (ed.), Wien und der europäische Barock (Akten des XXV. Internationalen Kon-
gresses für Kunstgeschichte), vol. VII, Vienna 1986, pp. 77–81. – Prange, Entwurf und Phantasie (cit. n. 1).
5 Prange, Entwurf und Phantasie (cit. n. 1), p. 57.
Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte
Band LIX
Entnommen aus der FWF-E-Book-Library
- Titel
- Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte
- Band
- LIX
- Herausgeber
- Bundesdenkmalamt Wien
- Institut für Kunstgeschichte der Universität Wien
- Verlag
- Böhlau Verlag
- Ort
- Wien
- Datum
- 2011
- Sprache
- deutsch, englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-205-78674-0
- Abmessungen
- 19.0 x 26.2 cm
- Seiten
- 280
- Schlagwörter
- research, baroque art, methodology, modern art, medieval art, historiography, Baraock, Methodolgiem, Kunst, Wien
- Kategorie
- Kunst und Kultur