Original scientific paper
CLASSICIST VOCABULARY OF DUBROVNIK'S RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE IN THE RENAISSANCE
Nada Grujić
; Filoofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Abstract
In the second half of the 15c and the first half of the 16c the establishment of the Renaissance style, much more evident of facades than in the interiors of residential architecture, shows certain limitations and a slower reception of classical forms. From the begining of the XVI century, classical Renaissance concepts, leaning on first hand knowledge of ancient monuments, but equally so on Vitruvius' texts, fixed rules are stipulated regarding the application of elements from classical architecture. The architects in Bramente's circle diused them from Rome throughout Italy. The arrival of two Italian architects in dubrovnik in the middle of the 16c should be seen in the same context, On the facades of two palaces they demonstrated the knowledge of classical forms and tried their hand at the application of classical orders. The construction of the palace of Fran Gundulić was started in 1546 by Jeronim Gatani from Ancona and Dujam Rudičić from Split. The large three-storey corner building (partially preserved) had bugnato-framed portals on the ground floor with characteristic of the Tuscan order; the first floor window-frames were edged in the Doric manner, the second floor ones were lonic, while the extremely high third floor windows were probably adorned with the ornaments of the Corinthian order. Just as important for the composition of the palace facade are the corners marked by bugnato up to the level of the second floor, i.e. to the garland decorated with the motif of waves. It emphasized the horizontal division of the palace, while a central axis covering a portal and the third floor windows which used to have balconies laid emphasis on tripartite facade composition. A design close to the Roman palaces of the 1520s and 30s accompanied by top-quality execution place this palace at the very top of Dubrovnik's residential architecture. The palace of Toma Stjepović Skočibuha was constructed in the 1549-1553 period. The design of the facade, the third floor windows in particular, was made by Anthony of Padua. In the context of Dubrovnik, a peculiarity of this palace is its plasticity and the appearance of aedicules. In addition to this, each storey of the facade, i.e. its openings, is expressed in a different order. The ground floor portal is framed by Doric aedicule. The first floor has lonic windows, the second again repeats Doric aedicules as window-frames, while the third floor aedicules on the high windows bear the traits of the Composite order. The architect used elements of a classical repertoire, yet this superposition of orders deviates from Vitruvius' strict rules: after the Doric and lonic order, the Doric one is used again, followed by the composite order. The design of the multi-storey facade did not come from Roman, but rather from Venetian architecture. This also refers to the plasticity, a result of thickly set aedicules, and to a "free" use of orders. The analysis of proportions shows that on both buildings the ratio of the upper and the lower part of the facade to be 1:P2. Supposing Skočibuha's palace was ment to have one additional bay, then the height of both facades was identical to their width. Analysing the way the modula system is applied to the aediculae one can conclude that Anthony of Padua did not adhere to the standards of his time; nor did he obtain a proportion of particular orders. The comparison between Italian models and these two Dubrovnik palaces points out that the builders of Gundulić palace followed the Classicist principles of facade composition and the use of orders. On the other hand, the builder of Skočibuha's palace obviously relied heaviliy on Serlio's treatise and treated Classicist traits as elements of a formal system, thus departing from Vitruvius' rules. Yet both palaces show that Dubrovnik had mastered the classical vocabulary, grammar and syntax of Renaissance architecture.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
150168
URI
Publication date:
15.12.1993.
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