Architektur (Petersdom und Römische Palaste - St. Peter’s Basilica and Roman Palaces) 1. Grundriss (Ground plan) 2. Seitenansicht der Peterskirche (Side view of St. Peter’s Basilica) 3. Palast der Cancellarien (Bramante) (Palace of the Chancery (Bramante)) 4. Kleiner Palast (Peruzzi) (Small Palace (Peruzzi)) 5. Theil der Facade des Palastes Farnase (Sangallo und Michel Angelo), Sammtlich in Rom (Part of the façade of the Palazzo Farnese (by Sangallo and Michelangelo), all located in Rome) 6. Schloss Caprarola Zno Rom und Vitero (Castle of Caprarola near Rome and Viterbo) 7. Villa (Palladio)

Description

This engraving shows two main axes representing the highest level reached by both religious and civil architecture in post-Renaissance Rome: the palazzo culture shaped by St. Peter's Basilica and Rome's Papal palaces. The central plan and sectional drawing reveal the multilayered construction process of New St. Peter's Basilica, beginning with Bramante and extending to Michelangelo, Madera, and Bernini. The central plan demonstrates the ideal scheme of a central dome, the rhythmic proliferation of side naves, and the ultimate expression of the Renaissance ideal of a "return to the ancient plan." Michelangelo's colossal dome is a reinterpretation of the Roman heritage inherited from the Pantheon within a Christian universal framework. The palazzo facades (similar to the Farnese Palace), seen at the top and right of the page, are prime examples of Rome's ancient orderly principles adapted to the modern city palace typology. The modular layout of these palaces, with a ground floor featuring rusticated stonework, a piano nobile (first floor) accented by a composite column layout, and upper floors finished with balanced cornices, established a common architectural "standard language" for the European urban aristocracy. This style spread throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. Chateau de Caprarola is a pioneering transitional example, transforming the Renaissance tradition of defensive construction into a villa-fortezza (castle-villa) model outside the city.