alois riegl

220 Pages·2014·33.32 MB·English

ALOIS RIEGL
•' i
------------o --------------
P R O B L E M S
OF S TYLE
FOUNDATIONS
FOR A HISTORY OF
ORNAMENT
T r a n s l a t e d by
E v e l y n Ka in
A n n o t a t i o n s , G l o s s a r y , a n d
I n t r o d u c t io n by
D a v id C a s t r io t a
Pr e f a c e by
H e n r i Z e r n e r
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
f
H" M #
'Si
Banh Mi SAIGON Bakery
Vietnamese Sandwich
ft i ffi 198 1
198 Grand Street a- t a n
New York • NY 10013 OPEN 7 DAYS
212 941*1541
8:30am - 7:00pm
*
( c/£S)
r
Copyright © 1992 by Princeton University Press
o*
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street,
r
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Chichester, West Sussex a DEDICATED TO
o
<«
All Rights Reserved (T Christine Ivusic
AND
The preparation of this volume was made possible in part by
ri Otto Pacht
a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities,
(V
an independent federal agency. N
VftI
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data l«\
at
Riegl, Alois, 1858-1905
[Stilfragen. English]
Problems of style : foundations for a history of
ornament / by Alois Riegl ; translated by Evelyn Kain ;
annotations and introduction by David Castriota ;
and preface by Henri Zemer.
p. cm.
Translation of: Stilfragen.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8071-1706-4
1. Decoration and ornament—History. I. Castriota, David,
1950-. II. Title.
NK1175.R513 1993 91-22797
745.4'4—dc20
This book has been composed in Adobe Caledonia
Princeton University Press books are printed on
acid-free paper, and meet the guidelines for permanence
and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines
for Book Longevity of the Council on
Library Resources
Printed in the United States of America
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
------------ 0 ------------
List o f Il l ust r at io ns ix
Tr ansl at o r ’s Not e xix
Pr ef ac e xxi
Anno t a t o r ’s Int r o duc t io n and Ac kno w l edg ment s xxv
Int r o duc t io n 3
Chapter 1. The Geometric Style 14
Chapter 2. The Heraldic Style 41
Chapter 3. The Introduction of Vegetal Ornament and the
Development of the Ornamental Tendril 48
A. Near Eastern 53
1. Egyptian. The Development of Vegetal Ornament 53
2. Mesopotamian 83
3. Phoenician 96
4. Persian 102
B. Vegetal Ornament in Greek Art 104
1. Mycenaean. The Origin of the Tendril 106
2. The Dipylon Style 137
3. Melian 140
4. Rhodian 145
5. Early Boeotian and Early Attic 156
6. The Interlacing Tendril 161
7. The Development of the Tendril Frieze 172
8. The Further Development of the All-over Tendril Pattern 178
9. The Emergence of Acanthus Ornament 187
10. Hellenistic and Roman Tendril Ornament 207
a. Two-Dimensional Palmette-Tendrils 214
b. The Acanthus Tendril 220
Chapter 4. The Arabesque: Introduction 229
A. Tendril Ornament in Byzantine Art 240
B. Early Islamic Tendril Ornament 266
Anno t a t io ns 307
Gl o ssar y of Terms and Co nc ept s Used by Rieg l 397
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
--------------- 0 --------------
Note: This list of illustrations has been added for the reader’s convenience, com
plete with sources wherever possible. An asterisk follows each listing where the
illustration taken from the Riegl’s source has been cropped less than in the 1893
edition of Stilfragen, in order to give a better sense of the context.
1. Carved reindeer bone spear thrower from Laugerie-Basse, detail of handle.
After Bertrand La Gaule avant les gaulois, 89, fig. 61.
2. Engraved reindeer bone from La Madeleine. After Dictionnaire archeolo-
gique de la Gaule, vol. 1, “Cavemes,” no. 21.
3. Marrow spoon of reindeer bone with engraved decoration from Laugerie-
Basse. After Dictionnaire archeologique de la Gaule, vol. 1, “Cavemes,”
no. 1.
4. Assyrian relief from Nimrud, engraved detail of Heraldic Style composition
with winged bulls. Adapted from Layard, Monuments of Nineveh, vol. 1,
pi. 45, no. 3.
5. Late antique Egyptian textile applique from the cemetery at Saqqara. After
Riegl, Aegyptische Textilfunde, no. 416.
6. Reindeer bone with engraved flowers from La Madeleine. After Dictionnaire
archeologique de La Gaule, vol. 1, “Cavernes,” no. 23.
7. Lotus blossom in profile view.
8. Lotus blossom in profile view (so-called papyrus).
9. Lotus leaf.
10. Lotus buds.
11. A series of lotus blossoms alternating with buds.
12. Lotus blossom in frontal view (rosette) with rounded petals.
13. Lotus blossom in profile view with schematically rendered corolla.
14. Bell-shaped lotus-blossom capital.
15. Column with lotus-bud capital.
16. Lotus blossom in the combined view (Egyptian palmette).
17. Lotus blossom in profile view with volute-calyx.
18. Lotus blossom in nature with overflowing calycal leaves. After Goodyear,
Grammar of the Lotus, fig. 4.
19. Egyptian palmette with schematically rendered leaf-fan.
20. Volute-calyx with simple cone as axil filler, from Kamak.
21. Border with alternating series of opposed palmettes and profile lotus blos
soms, wall painting from Medinet Habu. Adapted from Prisse d’Avennes,
Dart egyptien, atlas 1, “Omementation des plafonds; postes et frises,”
fig. 9.
22. Arcuated band frieze with lotus blossoms and buds, wall painting from Ne
cropolis at Thebes. Adapted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art egyptien, atlas 1,
“Couronnements et frises fleuronnees,” fig. 6.
23. Painted ceiling decoration with opposed arcuated band friezes of palmettes
and profile lotus blossoms from the Harem of Rameses III at Medinet
IX
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Habu. Adapted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art dgyptien, atlas 1, “Ornemen- 46. Mycenaean pot with “ivy leaf’ ornament on its shoulder (after Furtwangler
tation des plafonds, postes et fleurs,” fig. 7. and Loeschke, Mykenische Vasen, pi. 18, no. 121.
24. Frieze of tendril-like elements connecting lotus blossoms and buds, wall 47. Mycenaean vase decoration. Excerpted from Furtwangler and Loeschke,
painting from tomb 75, Necropolis at Thebes. Adapted from Prisse Mykenische Vasen, pi. 13, no. 82.
d’Avennes, L’art igyptien, atlas 1, “Frises fleuronnees,” fig. 3. 48. Diagonal rosette on embossed gold sheathing over bone, from Mycenae, Shaft
25. Frieze of spirals with lotus blossoms as axil fillers, wall painting from Ne Grave I. After Schliemann, Mykenae, abb. 459.
cropolis at Thebes. Adapted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art dgyptien, atlas 1, 49. Mycenaean vase, detail of painted ornament, from Mycenae, Shaft Grave 1.
“Couronnements et frises fleuronnees,” fig. 12. Excerpted from Furtwangler and Loeschke, Mykenische Thongefdsse,
26. Painted ceiling decoration with spirals and lotus axil fillers from tomb 33,
pi. 2. *
Necropolis at Thebes. Adapted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art egyptien, 50. Mycenaean potsherd painted with a continuous tendril, from Thera. After
atlas 1, “Omementation des plafonds,” pi. 31, fig. 1. Furtwangler and Loeschke, Mykenische Vasen, pi. 12, no. 79.
27. Painted ceiling decoration with spirals, lotus axil fillers, and bucrania from 51. Ceramic cup from Megara, Mycenaean. After Archaologischer Anzeiger,
tomb 65, Necropolis at Thebes. Adapted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art
(1891), 15.
egyptien, atlas 1, “Omementation des plafonds, bucranes,” top. 52. Painted vase, Mycenae, Shaft Grave VI, detail of ivy tendril. Excerpted from
28. Detail of carved openwork prow of Maori canoe. After Mitteilungen der An- Furtwangler and Loeschke, Mykenische Thongefdsse, pi. 11, no. 56. *
thropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 20 (1890): 85, fig. 22.
53. Intermittent tendril, the painted border of a Melian amphora, from Melos.
29. Engraving on Maori fruit rind. Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Ge
After Conze, Melische Thongefdsse, pi. 1, no. 5.
sellschaft, fig. 23.
54. Embossed gold plaque, Mycenae, Shaft Grave III. After Schliemann, Myke
30. Engraving on the sinker of a Maori fishing net. Mitteilungen der Anthropo
nae, abb. 266.
logischen Gesellschaft, fig. 24.
55. Relief ornament on the stone ceiling from the tholos at Orchomenos, detail.
31-32. Maori facial tattoos. After Lubbock, Origin of Civilization, 47, figs. 13- Excerpted from Schliemann, Orchomenos, pi. 2.
14.
56. Painted ceiling from the Necropolis at Thebes. Adapted from Prisse d’Aven
33. Border decoration on Assyrian glazed brick from Nimrud. After Layard, Mon nes, L’art egyptien, atlas 1, “Omementation des plafonds, postes et
uments of Nineveh, vol. 1, pi. 86, no. 3.
fleurs,” no. 3.
34. Relief ornament of alabaster doorsill from the Assyrian palace at Nineveh 57. Painted wall ornament from the Mycenaean palace at Tiryns. Adapted from
(Kuyunjik). Excerpted from Layard, Monuments of Nineveh, vol. 2, pi. 56. Schliemann, Tiryns, pi. 5.
35. Assyrian relief showing canopy with supports crowned by palmettes, from the 58. Stamped gold plaque from Mycenae, Shaft Grave III. After Schliemann,
bronze doors at Fort Shalmaneser (Balawat). After Perrot and Chipiez His-
Mykenae, fig. 249.
toire de I’art, vol. 2, fig. 68.
59. Carved ivory casket plaque, from a Shaft Grave at Mycenae. After Schlie
36. Assyrian depiction of pomegranate.
mann, Mykenae, fig. 222.
37. Egyptian crowning pattern or “khaker.”
60. Gold pectoral with embossed ornament from Mycenae, Shaft Grave V. After
38. Assyrian border decoration, wall painting from the palace at Nimrud. After Schliemann, Mykenae, fig. 458.
Layard, Monuments of Nineveh, vol. 1, pi. 87, bottom. 61. Gold plaque with embossed ornament from Mycenae, Shaft Grave III. After
39. The so-called sacred tree of Assyria, detail of the stone reliefs from the palace Schliemann, Mykenae, fig. 245.
at Nimrud. Adapted from Layard, Monuments of Nineveh, vol. 1, pi. 7. 62. Limestone relief stele from the Grave Circle at Mycenae, detail of curvilinear
40. Egyptian palmette tree, border of painted ceiling decoration from the Ne meander ornament in border. Excerpted from Schliemann, Mykenae, fig.
cropolis at Thebes. Adapted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art egyptien, atlas 1,
142.
“Omementations des plafonds: legendes et symboles”. 63. Electrum goblet with gold inlay from Mycenae, Shaft Grave IV. After Schlie
41. Cypriote stone pilaster capital with palmette tree, from Atheniu. After Perrot mann, Mykenae, fig. 348.
and Chipiez, Histoire de I’art, vol. 3, fig. 52. 64. Embossed gold plaque from Mycenae, Shaft Grave III. After Schliemann,
42. Phoenician palmette.
Mykenae, fig. 305.
43. Achaemenid Persian border of glazed brick from the palace at Susa, detail of 65. Embossed gold plaque from Mycenae, Shaft Grave IV. After Schliemann,
corner decoration. Excerpted from Perrot and Chipiez, Histoire de I’art, Mykenae, fig. 369.
vol. 5, pi. 11.
66. Melian amphora, from Melos. After Conze, Melische Thongefdsse, pi. 1,
44. Achaemenid Persian palmette tree, glazed brick decoration from the palace at
no. 1.
Susa. After Perrot and Chipiez, Histoire de I’art, vol. 5, fig. 346. * 67. Melian amphora, detail of ornament on neck. After Conze, Melische Thon
45. Upper portion of a Mycenaean pitcher. Excerpted from Furtwangler and
gefdsse, pi. 1, no. 4.
Loeschke, Mykenische Vasen, 81.
68. Klazomenian terra-cotta sarcophagus, detail of painted border. Excerpted
xi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
from Antike Denkmaler, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut, vol. 1 (1886), 93. Painted Greek vase ornament.
pi. 44, center. 94-95. Details of ornament on an Etruscan ivory situla from the Pania tomb at
69. Painted filler ornament from a Melian vase. After Conze, Melische Thon- Chiusi. Excerpted from Monumenti inediti, Deutsches Archaologisches
gefasse, pi. 4. Institut, vol. 10 (1874-78), pi. 39a.
70. Painted decoration of Rhodian bowl from Kameiros. Excerpted from 96. Painted ornament from Attic red-figure vase.
Salzmann, Necropole de Camiros, pi. 51. 97. Painted ornament from Attic red-figure vase.
71. Painted decoration from a Rhodian oinochoe from Kameiros. Excerpted from 98. Painted ornament from Attic red-figure vase.
Salzmann, Necropole de Camiros, pi. 37. 99. Corinthian skyphos. After Masner, Vasen und Terracotten, fig. 6, no. 89.
72. Rhodian plate from Kameiros. After Salzmann, Necropole de Camiros, pi. 52. 100. Handle ornament of a Corinthian[izing Attic] drinking cup.
73. Arcuated band frieze on a Rhodian oinochoe from Kameiros. Excerpted from 101. Handle ornament of an Attic black-figure amphora. After Feldscharek, Or-
Salzmann, Necropole de Camiros, pi. 37. namente griechischer Thongefasse, pi. 4a.
74. Fragment of a Rhodian plate from Kameiros. Excerpted from Salzmann, 102. Handle ornament of an Attic amphora in mixed red- and black-figure style.
Necropole de Camiros, pi. 29. After Feldscharek, Ornamente griechischer Thongefasse, pi. 3.
75. Rhodian amphora from Kameiros. After Salzmann, Necropole de Camiros, pi. 103. Handle ornament of Attic black-figure amphora. After Feldscharek, Or
46. namente griechischer Thongefasse, pi. 3c.
76. Painted border from a Klazomenian terra-cotta sarcophagus. Excerpted from 104. Handle ornament of an Attic red-figure stamnos. After Feldscharek, Or
Antike Denkmaler, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut, vol. 1, (1886), pi. namente griechischer Thongefasse, pi. 2a.
46, no. 2, top. 105. Handle ornament of a red-figure “Nolan” vase. After Brunn and Lau,
77. Painted border from a Klazomenian terra-cotta sarcophagus. Excerpted from Griechischen Vasen, pi. 25, no. 3.
Antike Denkmaler, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut, vol. 1 (1886) pi. 106. Handle ornament from an Attic red-figure vase.
46, no. 2, bottom. 107. Neck ornament of a black-figure vase. After Brunn and Lau, Griechischen
78. Portion of a painted Rhodian plate from Kameiros. Excerpted from Salzmann, Vasen, pi. 11, no. 4.
Necropole de Camiros, pi. 33. 108. Shoulder ornament of Attic white-ground lekythos. After Archaologische
79. Painted border of a Klazomenian terra-cotta sarcophagus. Excerpted from Zeitung 38 (1880), pi. 11, top.
Monumenti inediti, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut, vol. 11 (1879-83) 109. “Overflowing palmette” from the cornice of the Parthenon.
pi. 54, top. * 110. “Split palmette” on the acroterion of an Attic grave stele. Excerpted from
80. Boeotian kylix. After Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archdologischen Instituts, vol. Quast, Das Erechtheion, vol. 2, pi. 17, no. 3.
3 (1883), 333, fig. 5. 111. Corinthian capital from the Choregic Monument of Lysikrates in Athens.
81. Boeotian kylix. After Jahrbuch dec Deutschen Archdologischen Instituts, vol. After Jacobsthal.
3 (1883), 335, fig. 8. 112. Leaf of acanthus spinosa, from life. After Jones, The Grammar of Ornament,
82. Ivy-tendril border from a later Boeotian vase. After Athenische Mitteilungen, 46.
vol. 13 (1888), 418, fig. 6. 113. Ornament from the necking of the columns in the north porch of the Ere
83. Interlacing tendril on an Attic bowl from Aegina. Excerpted from chtheion in Athens. After Quast, Das Erechtheion, vol. 1, pi. 7, no. 2.
Archaologische Zeitung 40 (1882), pi. 10, top. * 114. Painting from an Attic white-ground lekythos. After Benndorf, Griechische
84. Decorated bronze plaque in the Berlin Antiquarium. After Archaologischer und sicelische Vasenbilder, pi. 15.
Anzeiger (1891), 125, fig. 12e. 115. Lotus and palmette molding from the door of the north porch of the Erech
85. Decorated bronze plaque from Thebes in the Berlin Antiquarium. After theion in Athens. After Quast, Das Erechtheion.
Archaologischer Anzeiger (1891), 124, fig. 12a. 116. Detail from the anta capital on the east porch of the Erechtheion. Excerpted
86. Painted border decoration from a Greek vase. After Brunn and Lau, Die from Quast, Das Erechtheion, vol. 1, pi. 6, no. 1.
Griechischen Vasen, pi. 11, no. 8. 117. Corinthian capital from the temple of Apollo at Bassae-Phigalia. After Stack-
87. Dalmatian corded embroidery from Ragusa Yugoslavia. elberg, Apollotempel zu Bassae, 44.
88. Chalcidian amphora. After Masner, Vasen und Terracotten, pi. 3, no. 219. 118. Painting from an Attic white-ground lekythos. Excerpted from Archaolo-
89. Lakonian kylix. After Masner, Vasen und Terracotten, no. 140, fig. 9. gische Zeitung 43 (1885), pi. 3. *
90-91. Painted ornaments from Attic black-figure vases. 119. Painting from an Attic white-ground lekythos. Excerpted from Benndorf,
92. Painted border of a Klazomenian terra-cotta sarcophagus. Excerpted from An Griechische und sicelische Vasenbilder, pi. 22, no. 2.
tike Denkmaler, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut, vol. 1 (1886), pi. 45, 120. Painting from an Attic white-ground lekythos. After Stackelberg, Graber der
center. Hellenen, pi. 44, no. 1. *
xiii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
141. Roman mosaic from Simeon-Strasse, Trier. Excerpted from Wilmow
121. Gilt silver amphora from Nikopol-Chertomlyk. After Compte rendu de
la Commission Imperiale Archeologique, St. Petersburg (1864), atlas, sky, Romische Mosaiken aus Trier, pi. 8. *
pi. 1. 142. Capital and entablature from the Basilica of St. John Studios, Istanbul. After
122. Gold diadem from Elaia. After Archaologische Zeitung 42 (1884), pi. 7, no. 1. Salzenberg, Alt-christliche Baudenkmale, pi. 3, no. 1. *
123. Gold diadem from Abydos. After Archaologische Zeitung 42 (1884), ill., cols. 143. Decorative sculptural details from the Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus,
93-94. Istanbul. After Pulgher, Les anciennes eg Uses byzantines, pi. 3, no. 2.
124. Crowning terminals of Egyptian stylized date palms. Adapted from Lepsius, 144. Relief decoration from the spandrels of the lower nave arcade in the Church
Denkmaler aus Agypten, Abth. Ill, Bl. 69. of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. Excerpted from Salzenberg, Alt-christliche
125. Apulian red-figure vase ornament. After Jones, The Grammar of Ornament, Baudenkmale, pi. 15. *
pi. 19, no. 7. 145. Capital and portion of the intrados decoration from the Church of Hagia
126. Greek vase decoration. Adapted from Jones, The Grammar of Ornament, pi. Sophia, Istanbul. Excerpted from Salzenberg, Alt-christliche Bandenk-
20, no. 1. male, pi. 15, no. 7.
127. Painted tendril ornament from an Attic lekythos of the fourth century B.C. 146. Capital with entablature from the outer gallery in the Church of Hagia So
phia, Istanbul. Excerpted from Salzenberg, Alt-christliche Baudenkmale,
128. Ornament from a Greek red-figure vase. Excerpted from Compte rendu de
la Commission Imperiale Archeologique, St. Petersburg (1880), atlas, pi. pi. 17, no. 4.
5, no. 1. 147-148. Details of relief ornament from the Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus,
Istanbul. Adapted from Salzenberg, Alt-christliche Baudenkmale, pi. 5,
129. Embossed gold bow case from Nikopol-Chertomlyk, detail of border. Ex
cerpted from Compte rendu de la Commission Imperiale Archeologique, nos. 3, 7.
149. Detail of wall painting from the Macellum at Pompeii. Adapted from Nic
St. Petersburg (1864), atlas, pi. 4.
colini, Case ed monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 1, part 1, “Panteone,” pi. 2, top
130. Stucco relief frieze on the Temple of Isis, Pompeii. After Niccolini, Le case
ed monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 1, part 2, “Tempio d’Iside,” pi. 10. center.
150. Detail of relief ornament from the Church of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
131. Decorated cornice molding from the exterior entablature of the Mausoleum
Adapted from Salzenberg, Alt-christliche Baudenkmale, pi. 17, no. 4.
of Diocletian at Spalato. Excerpted from Adam, Palace of Diocletian at
151. Decoration on a wooden tie beam from the Church of Hagia Sophia, Is
Spalato, pi. 37, top.
tanbul. Excerpted from Salzenberg, Alt-christliche Baudenkmale, pi. 20,
132. Decorated cornice molding from the entablature of the outer colonnade of
the Mausoleum of Diocletian at Spalato. Excerpted from Adam, Palace of no. 14.
152. Ornamental details of a third style wall painting from Herculaneum. Adapted
Diocletian at Spalato, pi. 30, top.
from Niccolini, Le case ed monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 2, part 2, “De
133. Decorated cornice from the door of the temple near Diocletian’s palace at
scrizione generale,” pi. 90, top center.
Spalato. Excerpted from Adam, Palace of Diocletian at Spalato, pi. 46,
top. 153. Detail of relief ornament from the Church of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
Adapted from Salzenberg, Alt-christliche Baudenkmale, pi. 17, no. 13.
134. Decorated cornice molding from upper interior entablature of the Mauso
154-155. Details from the marble opus sectile decoration in the Church of Hagia
leum of Diocletian at Spalato. Excerpted from Adam, Palace of Diocletian
at Spalato, pi. 36, top. Sophia, Istanbul.
156. Detail of a cornice from the Church of the Pantocrator, Istanbul. Excerpted
135. Frieze from the Forum of Nerva, Rome. After Moreau, Fragments et orne-
from Pulgher, Les anciennes eglises byzantines, pi. 10, no. 4.
ments d’architecture, pi. 14, no. 3.
157. Decorated cornice from the Early Christian Church at El Barah, Syria. Ex
136. Frieze from the Forum of Nerva, Rome. After Moreau, Fragments et orne-
cerpted from De Vogii6, Syrie centrale, pi. 76.
ments d’architecture, pi. 14, no. 5.
158. Border from the main apse in the Early Christian Church at Qalb Lozeh,
137. Border from a polychromed stucco wall decoration, Pompeii. After
Syria. Excerpted from De Vogue, Syrie centrale, pi. 129.
Niccolini, Le case ed monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 2, part 2, “Descrizione
159. Decorated late antique pediment from Ahnas, Egypt. After Archaeologia 87
generale," pi. 45, center. *
138. Painted Arabesque wall decoration from the Palace of Sultan Abdul (1938), pi. 70, no. 4.
160. Decorated border from a late antique or early medieval Egyptian grave
Aziz, Istanbul. After L‘architecture ottomane, “Peintures murales,” pi. 3.
stele. Excerpted from Gayet, Les monuments coptes du Musee de Bulaq,
139. Detail of frame ornament from the Koran of the Mamluk Sultan
Mou'ayyed, dated 1411, written by Abdar’Rahman ibn as-Falgh. Ex pi. 98.
161. Sassanian Persian impost capital from Bisutun, Iran. After Jones, The Gram
cerpted from Bourgoin, Precis de Part arabe, part 4, pi. 27, center.
mar of Ornament, pi. 14, no. 24.
140. Roman mosaic border from the entrance hall of the basilica at Trier.
162. Pilaster capital in the grotto of the Sassanian Persian king Chosroes II
Excerpted from Wilmowsky, Romische Mosaiken aus Trier, pi. 3. *
xv
xiv
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
at Taq-i-Bustan, Iran. Alter Jones, The Grammar of Ornament, pi. 14, 185. Decorative heading from an Armenian illuminated manuscript. Excerpted
no. 25. from Collinot et Beaumont, Ornements turcs, pi. 28. *
163. Detail of an acanthus leaf on a Sassanian Persian impost capital from Isfahan. 186. Window grill from the Mosque of Al Zahir, Cairo. After Prisse d’Avennes,
164. Lower border of a Sassanian impost capital from Bisutun. Excerpted from L’art arabe, pi. 8.
Jones, The Grammar of Ornament, pi. 14, no. 16. * 187. Frieze from the mihrab of the Great Mosque at Cordoba. After Girault de
165. Stucco ornament from the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo. After Prisse d’Aven- Prangey, L’architecture des arabes et des mores, pi. 4, no. 8.
nes, L’art arabe, pi. 44, no. 31. * 188. Stucco ornament from the Cuba, Palermo. After Girault de Prangey, L'ar-
166. Stucco ornament from the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo. After Prisse d’Aven- chitecture des arabes et des mores, pi. 12, no. 1.
nes, L’art arabe, pi. 44, no. 34. * 189. Carved wooden chancel from the mimbar in the Mosque of Al Amri at Qus,
167. Stucco ornament from the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo. After Prisse d’Aven- Egypt. Excerpted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art arabe, pi. 79.
nes, L’art arabe, pi. 44, no. 33. * 189a-190. Details from fig. 189.
167a. Greek “translation” of fig. 167. 191. Tendril decoration from a Byzantine manuscript. Excerpted from Stassoff,
168. Stucco ornament from the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo. After Prisse d’Aven- Ornement slave et oriental, pi. 123, no. 10.
nes, L’art arabe, pi. 44, no. 6. * 192. Arabesque filler ornament from a circular wall inset in the house of the four
168a. Islamic wood carving of the twelfth century. teenth-century Emir Bardak in Cairo. Excerpted from Bourgoin, Precis de
169. Mosaic pavement from the temple of Isis, Pompeii. Excerpted from Nic- Tart arabe, part 1, pi. 32.
colini, Le case ed monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 1, part 2, “Tempio diside,” 192a. Greek “translation” of fig. 192.
pi. 2, bottom. 193. Decorated panel from the mimbar in the Mosque of Barquq, Cairo. Ex
170. Polychrome stucco vaulting decoration from the Apodyterium of the Stabian cerpted from Prisse d’Avennes, L’art arabe, pi. 49, bottom left.
Baths at Pompeii (after Niccolini, Le case ed monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 1, 194. Acanthus tendril-volute from the apse mosiac of the Church of San Cle
part 2, “Terme presso la porta stabiana,” pi. 3. mente, Rome. Excerpted from de Rossi, Musaici antichi delle chiese di
171. Mosaic column from the Villa of the Mosaic Columns near Pompeii. Ex Roma, pi. 21.
cerpted from Niccolini, Le case ed monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 2, part 2, 195. Border from a Persian carpet of the Safavid period. Excerpted from Sarre and
“Descrizione generale,” pi. 63, center. * Trenkwald, Old Oriental Carpets, vol. 1, pi. 10. *
172. Decorated marble soffit from the architrave of the Temple of Jupiter Ton- 196. Calyx-palmette from the mosaic decoration in the Dome of the Rock, Jerusa
nans, Rome. After Desgodetz, Les edifices antiques de Rome, 137, Temple lem. Excerpted from de Vogii6, Temple de Jerusalem, pi. 21.
du Jupiter Tonnant, pi. 3. 197. Calyx-palmette and tendril decoration from a “Mosul Bronze,” the inlaid
173. Relief panel from Betursa, Syria. Excerpted from De Vogii6, Syrie centrale, copper inkstand of the Mamluk Sultan Bahrit Shaban. Excerpted from
pi. 43. Prisse d’Avennes, L’art arabe, pi. 171, center left. *
174. Moorish ivory casket from Spain, dated a.d. 965. After Kiihnel, Islamische
Elfenbeinshulpturen, pi. 15, no. 25b. *
175. Moorish ivory casket from Spain. Kiihnel, Islamische Elfenbeinskulpturen,
pi. 9, no. 21a.
176. Illumminated ornament from the Codex Vigilanus in the Escorial, ninth cen
tury.
177-178. Marble puteals or well heads from Pompeii. After Niccolini, Le case ed
monumenti di Pompeii, vol. 2, part 2, “Descrizione generale,” pi. 96.
179. Frieze with acanthus tendril and blossoms from the Temple of the Genius
Augusti (Temple of Vespasian) at Pompeii. After Niccolini, Le case ed mon
umenti di Pompeii, vol. 1, part 2, “Tempio detto volgarmente di Mercu-
rio,” no. 8.
180-183. Blossoms based on the acanthus, from a Byzantine illuminated man
uscript of the eleventh century. Excerpted from Stassoff, Ornement slave
et oriental, pi. 124, no. 24.
184. Decorative heading from a Byzantine illuminated manuscript of the tenth
century. Excerpted from Stassoff, Ornement slave et oriental, pi. 124, no.
17.
XVI
TRANSLATOR’S NOTE
--------------- 0 --------------
I would like to give a brief account of the genesis of this annotated English
version of Riegl’s Stilfragen, say a few words about the characteristics of
the original German text, offer some thoughts on the translating process,
and then make my acknowledgments.
It was Tom Kaufmann who, in the early 1980s, first gave me the idea to
do an English translation of Riegl’s Stilfragen. Tom felt that it was time to
make Riegl’s ideas more available to English-speaking scholars and that,
as an American who had studied art history at the University of Vienna
and accumulated some translating experience, I was the one to do it. It
seemed a daunting task at best. However, at Tom’s urging and with the
encouragement of Otto Pacht, one of whose lifelong wishes had been to
see greater appreciation of his predecessor’s contribution, I met with
Christine Ivusic, who gave enthusiastic support to the project. It was clear
from the start that Stilfragen s introduction to the English-speaking world
required a respectable critical apparatus, to which purpose Henri Zerner
and David Castriota agreed to contribute their expertise. The project re
ceived a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and
work began in 1985. Neither Otto Pacht nor Christine Ivusic lived to see
the completion of the undertaking that they helped call into life; there
fore, the present volume is dedicated to their memory.
Riegl’s German syntax is like the Arabesques that the author so exhaus
tively describes in Stilfragen: in both instances, the first impression is of
bewildering complexity, so that one initially despairs of ever deciphering
the basic pattern. However, just as Riegl was able to break down, through
painstaking observation, the perplexing effect of Islamic decoration into
its simple, constituent parts, so Riegl’s prose reveals its clear, underlying
structure to anyone patient enough to subject it to analysis. There are no
instances of what I refer to in general as the “translator’s nightmare,”
namely places where the thinking of the author was obviously ambiguous
and unresolved in his or her own mind to begin with, and therefore impos
sible to translate. On the contrary, Riegl was always quite certain about
what he wanted to say, though he expressed his ideas in a style that repre
sents a challenge to the contemporary reader.
Riegl meant Stilfragen to be read closely, at a pace essentially slower
than what one is used to today. He expected the reader to sit back and
share his delight in observing minute detail and unraveling its dazzling
XIX
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
complexity. One enters, so to speak, on a kind of fantastic journey through
PREFACE
the very bloodstream of ornamental existence. Reading Stilfragen is,
therefore, a myopic experience, and as a whole, this inspired study of 0
humble decoration is a testament to the belief in the profundity of small
things, a textual equivalent to such images as Diirer’s “Great Piece of
How many of our graduate students, indeed how many of us who teach
Turf.”
them, can read German with sufficient ease to appreciate the full sig
The translator, as I see it, is always in an inherently awkward and decid
nificance of Riegl’s Stilfragen, to grasp the relation between the large
edly unenviable position: ill-cast to play the role of the author in the pro
sweeping historical design, the detailed analyses or scholarly discussions,
duction of a work that can never do more than masquerade as the original,
and the theoretical theses? As for myself, I found it most rewarding to
one is always acutely aware of one’s personal shortcomings and of the seri
read Evelyn Kain’s excellent translation. It has the flow of idiomatic
ous obstacles involved that are far greater than the obvious linguistic kind.
English, and this is essential to render Riegl’s work. The rhythm of his
Is it even possible, one asks oneself in this particular case, to make a piece
prose is often that of the spoken word and in fact we know that by the time
of scholarship that was written for a public dressed in starched collars or
he taught at the university his publications were directly related to his
corsets, seated comfortably in overstuffed armchairs, understandable to a
lectures.
readership one hundred years later, which is more likely to be wearing
Something also that the translation will, I hope, convey is the passion
sweatshirts and sneakers while working out on an exercise bicycle? And
invested in Riegl’s enterprise. We are made to feel that the issues he
yet, the overriding desire to understand and to communicate that under
discussed mattered vitally to him; it was the very nature of art and its
standing to others manages to keep one from despair during such an un
relation to human life that were at stake, art as an absolute necessity. This
dertaking and finally to win out in the end. Problems of Style was written
is the fundamental significance of formalism at its inception, not that art is
in this spirit of communication. Neither a literal nor a literary translation,
divorced from life but, on the contrary, that it is a human urge so funda
it makes no effort to recreate the flavor of the original Viennese Acade
mental that it does not depend on anything else.
mese (for that fascinating aspect, the reader is referred to the original
Stilfragen occupies a key position in the development of Riegl’s work
text). The present volume is an attempt to make Riegl’s ideas accessible to
and thought. Up to then, he had published a whole cycle of specialized
a contemporary English-reading public, and if it is at all successful, there
contributions to the study of the decorative arts, especially textiles. This
should be times when readers of Problems of Style can forget that they are
was the outcome of his activity as curator of textiles at the Museum of Art
reading Stilfragen in translation.
and Industry in Vienna, an institution modeled on London’s South Ken
Finally, I would like to thank the people who gave support and encour
sington Museum (now called the Victoria and Albert Museum). Institu
agement to my work on this project. They include Tom Lyman, Gerhard
tionally as well as intellectually his work went hand in hand with the arts
Schmidt and Margaret Olin; Ted Jones, Louise Schang, Jeffrey and Sarah
and crafts movement, which was particularly brilliant in Vienna. At the
Quilter, plus Doug Northrop along with many other colleagues at Ripon
museum, Riegl’s most sustained task was to catalogue oriental rugs, and
College; and, of course, Gene, Jascha, and Nico, who helped me every
this gave him the occasion to develop exceptional skills for the description
step of the way.
and analysis of the intricate patterns. This rigorous discipline in the dis
cussion of ornamental motifs is the backbone of Stilfragen.
In 1889, Riegl, who was thirty-one years old, submitted a successful
application to enter a university career. In 1890 and 1891 he lectured on
the history of ornament, and Stilfragen was the first work to result from
this new activity. Riegl’s increased intellectual ambition takes shape here
in the form of a bold historical thesis: he claimed that there had been an
uninterrupted continuity in the history of ornament from the ancient king
dom of Egypt until the Islamic world (and consequently until the present).
XXI
XX