Vitruvius: Writing the Body of Architecture

508 Pages·2002·7.17 MB·English

by  Indra Kagis McEwen

V I T R U V I U S
WRITING THE BODY OF ARCHITECTURE
The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England
V I T R U V I U S
WRITING THE BODY OF ARCHITECTURE
I n d r a K a g i s M c E w e n
© 2003 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying,
recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in
writing from the publisher.
This book was set in FFScala and Scala Sans by Graphic Composition,
Inc., and was printed and bound in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McEwen, Indra Kagis.
Vitruvius : writing the body of architecture / IndraKagis McEwen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-262-13415-2 (hc. : alk. paper)
1. Vitruvius Pollio. De architectura. 2.Architecture—Early works
to 1800. I.Title.
NA2515 .M38 2002
720—dc21
2002075356
À la mémoire de Jean
This page intentionally left blank
CONTENTS
Preface viii
Introduction 1
1
THE ANGELIC BODY 15
Commentaries.
Auctoritas.
A Perfect Ten.
Unified Bodies.
Signification.
2
THE HERCULEAN BODY 91
The King’s Double.
The Once and Future King.
Benefiting the World.
3
THE BODY BEAUTIFUL 155
Vitruvian Man.
Religio.
Venus,venustas.
Corinthia.
4
THE BODY OF THE KING 225
Gnomonice.
The Prima Porta Statue of Augustus.
Corpus imperii.
Conclusion 299
Notes 305
Bibliography 407
Illustration Sources 477
Index 480
PREFACE
It is admittedly a bold venture to take on Vitruvius. More than
twenty centuries have elapsed since he wrote. The language
he wrote in is long dead. Iconic classical status has petrified
De architectura and added further to its remoteness. If I have
succeeded in traversing even a part of the great distance that
separates Vitruvius’s work from mine, it has been in no small
measure thanks to the critical attention and support of the
following.
Richard Brilliant and Joseph Rykwert read and com-
mented on early drafts. Professor Brilliant’s observations were in-
variably bracing and salutary, and Professor Rykwert’s unfailing
encouragement kept me optimistic. Their generosity has been
truly extraordinary.
Others who have assisted me in important ways in-
cludeHans Böker, Jane Francis, George Hersey, Alberto Pérez-
Gómez, Christine Ross, Belgin Turan, Bronwen Wilson, and
MarkWilson Jones. I am grateful to them, particularly to Pro-
fessorBöker, and also to all those who made helpful remarks
and suggestions when I presented parts of this book in lectures
and conference papers. Its remaining flaws are, of course, my
sole responsibility.
viii preface
Research was initially funded by the Graham Foundation
for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and subsequently by the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. I
am grateful to both these institutions for their support.
Friendly assistance was always forthcoming at the li-
brary of the Canadian Centre for Architecture. The librarians in
the Interlibrary Loans department of the McLennan Library of
McGill University cheerfully made even the most obscure ma-
terial accessible. DottorePaolo Liverani at the Vatican Museums
was especially gracious when I went there to photograph the
Prima Porta statue of Augustus. Sarah Balleux was a great help
with the drawings.
Once again, it has been a pleasure to work with the MIT
Press. My thanks to Roger Conover for his commitment to the
project, to Matthew Abbate for editing the manuscript with rigor,
discretion, and good judgment, and to Patrick Ciano for designing
it with sensitivity. Lisa Reeve at all times kept the lines of com-
munication open. I am particularly grateful to Betty Goodwin
and René Blouin for kindly letting me use Pieces of Time IXas
acover image, and also to Judith Terry for her expert help with
proofreading.
My daughter Marianne supplied invaluable photo-
graphicassistance. For her and for her brothers Jean-Sabin and
Jérémie, I give thanks above all. Their love has been my lifeline.
This book is dedicated to the memory of their father, my hus-
band Jean McEwen, who died while I was writing it.
Montreal, August 2002
preface ix