Student Proposal
3-Dimensional
Construction of Giuliano da Sangallo's Plan for New St. Peter's
Under Julius II
Originally erected as a funerary
church for the Great Apostle Cephas, the
ìRockî upon whom Christ would build his
church, the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome became an
increasingly significant site especially during the Middle
Ages. Indeed, multitudes of Europeans making pilgrimages were
drawn to St. Peter's, as it housed one of the most
venerated reliquaries in all of Europe. It was not until the
Quattrocento that the monumentality of St. Peter's in
the consciousess of the Western World became evident in a
large-scale renovation of the old Constantinian basilica.
Initiated by Pope Nicholas V, alterations were planned in order to
transform Rome into a modern seat of the papacy. Nicholas V,
however, never saw his vision for St. Peter's
realized. Instead the dream was bequeathed to his successor
Julius II, who thought of himself as the new Solomon, patron of the
modern Temple through which the grandeur of both Christendom and
the imperial age could be manifested. Julius II was prepared
to outdo his Old Testament example and found for the design of his
project two potential architects, Donato Bramante (1444-1514) and
Giuliano da Sangallo (1445-1516). Ultimately, it is Bramante
who was to become the papal architect and receive the great
commission.
Why was Bramante's plan
for St. Peter's chosen over Sangallo's?
How were the ideas not only of Julius II, but more importantly of
the Renaissance translated differently into each of the
architects' plans? Within a broader scope, what
role does the visual model perform in the Concorso for a particular
commission and to what extent does the patron-architect
relationship influence the intricate execution of such a project as
that of New St. Peter's? To facilitate my inquiry,
I will consult the sources included in but not limited to the
attached bibliography to develop the context in which this
extraordinary project was conducted. Afterwards, I will be
analyzing especially closely the architectural drawings of Giuliano
da Sangallo for St. Peter's. From his plans, I
will endeavor to construct a 3-dimensional model via AutoCAD.
In the process, I hope to elucidate the problems with rendering the
2-dimensional into a more plastic image, thereby stressing the
importance of responsible interpretations of the
architect's original designs. Thus, my approach
can be delineated in three stages: 1) thorough readings of
pertinent texts; 2) examination of Sangallo's drawings;
and 3) construction of a hypothetical model thereof.
Ascertaining the questions under investigation will be enhanced by
the juxtaposition of Bramante's wooden model with my own
3-dimensional interpretation of Sangallo's
design.
I am interested in further
exploration of the capabilities of the computer as a powerful yet
versatile tool for the reconstruction of such grand edifices as
those of the Renaissance. This project would require me to
devote much attention to the computer's function in
creating 3-dimensional simulations of buildings for which only
flat, 2-dimensional drawings are currently extant. This
pursuit is extremely important and enlightening, as it forces one
to pose questions, while looking at drawings in such a way that
otherwise would be neglected. A good instance of this is the
discovery that a structure which appears fine on paper, proves
unrealizable in the third dimension as a result of 3-D modeling
analysis.
The entirety of my research project
will contribute directly to my faculty sponsor's own
research program. Specializing in Italian Renaissance
architecture, she has been focusing recently on the architecture of
Giuliano da Sangallo, including both secular and religious
structures.
The 10-week schedule would be divided up according to the
following scheme:
2.5 weeks of reading texts
1 week of studying Giuliano da
Sangallo's drawings, making sketches, calculating
dimensions, etc.
The remainder of the time will be
spent working with the AutoCAD program constructing the 3-D model,
drawing conclusions and writing the paper. Here it is
particularly difficult to determine exactly the amount of time
needed in constructing such a complex model. The temporal
frame-work will depend mostly upon the level of detail I wish to
obtain, e.g. the representation of Corinthian capitals.
Embellishments can be added later or left out altogether, so as to
meet the deadline. However, I am most eager to spend time
beyond the 10 weeks, perfecting the final model.
Benedettis, Sandro. ìIl Modello per il San
Pietro Vaticano di Antonio da Sangallo il
Giovane.î Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane
1986. 157-174.
Borsi, Stefano. Giuliano da Sangallo. I disegni
di architettura e dell'antico. Rome,
1985.
Bruschi, Arnaldo. ìPlans for the Dome of
St. Peter's from Bramante to Antonio da Sangallo the
Younger.î Domes from Antiquity to the
Present. Proceedings of The IASS-MSU International Symposium
(Mimar Sian Üniversitesi), Istanbul, 237-243.
______. ìProblemi del San Pietro
bramantesco.î Quaderni dell'isituto di
storia dell' architettura I/X (1983):
273-292.
Fagiolo, Marcello. ìLa Basilica Vaticana
come tempio mausoleo ëinter duas metas', le
idée e I progetti di Alberti, Filarete, Bramante, Peruzzi,
Sangallo, Michelangelo.î Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane
1986. 187-210.
Frommel, Christoph L. ìIl cantiere di S.
Pietro prima di Michelangeo,î in Les chantiers de la
Renaissance, Actes des colloques (Tour 1983-83), sous la direction
de Jean Guillaume, Paris. 175-183.
_____. ìSan Pietro. Storia della sua
costruzione.î Raffaello Architetto.
1984. 241-310.
_____. ìPapal Policy. The Planning of
Rome during the Renaissance.î Le città
capitali. 1985. 95-110.
Hubert, H. ìBramante, Peruzzi, Srlio und die
Peterskuppel.î Zeitschrift für
Kunstgeschichte LV (1993): 353-371.
_____. ìBramantes St. Peter-Entwürfe
und die Stellung des Apostelgrabes.î Zeitschrift
für Kunstgeschichte LI: 195-211.
Krauss, Franz. ìBramantes Entwürf
für die Kuppel von St. Peter.î Römisches
Jahrbuch der Biblioteca Hertziana XXVII/XXVIII:
183-200.
Metternich, Wolf. Bramante und St. Peter.
München: Fink, 1975.
Paluzzi, Galassi. La Basilica di San Pietro.
Bologna: Cappelli, 1975.
Saalmann, Howard. ìDie Planung Neu St.
Peters. Kritische Bemerkungen zum Stand der
Forschung.î Münchner Jahrbuch der bildenden
Kunst XL: 102-140.
Theones, Christof. ìPianta centrale e
piñata longitudinale nel nuovo San Pietro.î
L'église dans l'architetutre de la
Renaissance XVIII e colloque d'histoire de
l'architecture (Centre d'études
superieurs de la Renaissance-Tours 1990).
_____. ì Vitruv, Alberti, Sangallo.
Zur Theorie der Architekturzeichnung in der
Renaissanceî Hülle und Fülle.
1993.
_____. ìAlt#und Neu St. Peter unter einem
Dachî Architektur und Kunst im Abendland.
1992.
_____. ìI tre progetti di Bramante per S.
Pietroî Quaderni dell'Istituto di
storia dell' architettura n.s. 15/20:
439-446.
ìZur Frage des MaBstabs in
Architekturzeichnungen der Renaissanceî Studien zur
Künstlerzeichnung. Stuttgart: 38-56.
Faculty Letter of Support