Lexicon Speciale n. 2, Architetture per la vita. Palazzi e dimore dell'ultimo gotico tra XV e XVI secolo, p. 25-38, 2021
Building and renovating a house: as far as the contracts go (Catalonia, Valencia and Mallorca, c.... more Building and renovating a house: as far as the contracts go (Catalonia, Valencia and Mallorca, c. 1480-1530) Foundations, walls, and roofs are fundamental parts in the structure of a house. Kitchens, bedrooms, barns, latrines, or cellars are necessary spaces for habitability, but they tend to be merely functional, and they receive little or no ornamentation. However, other parts of buildings have a more representative character, and they are given more attention. Entire façades and patios or elements such as doors, windows, staircases, studios, porches, fireplaces, and galleries are usually embellished with decorations that reflect the taste, fashion, and style of each era. Heraldry and other emblematic elements often acquire a special meaning among a decorative repertoire that draws on elements of the architectural lexicon and the stylization of plants and animals, until the arrival of the various "Roman" forms. This paper has a starting point in the wealth of contracts preserved in the archives of the Crown of Aragon, and it reflects upon private building construction between 1480 and 1530. Aspects considered include the supply of new construction materials and / or the reuse of old ones, the demands of promoters, the imposed models, the quality standards, and the dialogue between tradition and innovation (Gothic and Renaissance or "Flemish" and "Roman"), as well as other details that some of the richest documents in the archives unveil. Due to their exceptional nature, two contracts concerning the construction of three houses in Barcelona and La Seu d'Urgell are analyzed in greater detail.
Lexicon Speciale n. 2, Architetture per la vita. Palazzi e dimore dell'ultimo gotico tra XV e XVI secolo, p. 397-410, 2021
The staircase in the stately courtyards of Palma de Mallorca: typology and ornamentation The stai... more The staircase in the stately courtyards of Palma de Mallorca: typology and ornamentation The staircase that gives access to the main floor of the house is a key architectural element of the Late Gothic civil architecture. It also gives character to the courtyard of the great stately mansions. Unfortunately, examples are rather scarce in Palma de Mallorca due to renovations carried out in modern times (17th and 18th centuries) and irretrievable losses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the surviving staircases, the one from Can Oleo stands out. It is from the late 15th century, and it has an openwork railing divided into panels separated by pinnacles and other sculptural decorations. The staircase from Cal Comte de la Cova must also be considered despite the transformations it has undergone through time. The most direct typological and decorative antecedents of Majorcan staircases can be found in Catalan houses and especially in the monumental staircase of the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona, but potentially comparable examples can also be identified in other areas of the Crown of Aragon and more particularly in Valencia. This contribution will review and systematize this type of staircases: while Majorcan scholarship has paid some attention to them, deeper contextual study is necessary to establish their artistic filiation, to determine their chronological sequence, and to analyze in greater detail their Flamboyant Gothic-inspired ornament.
Lexicon Speciale n. 2, Architetture per la vita. Palazzi e dimore dell'ultimo gotico tra XV e XVI secolo, p. 25-38, 2021
Building and renovating a house: as far as the contracts go (Catalonia, Valencia and Mallorca, c.... more Building and renovating a house: as far as the contracts go (Catalonia, Valencia and Mallorca, c. 1480-1530) Foundations, walls, and roofs are fundamental parts in the structure of a house. Kitchens, bedrooms, barns, latrines, or cellars are necessary spaces for habitability, but they tend to be merely functional, and they receive little or no ornamentation. However, other parts of buildings have a more representative character, and they are given more attention. Entire façades and patios or elements such as doors, windows, staircases, studios, porches, fireplaces, and galleries are usually embellished with decorations that reflect the taste, fashion, and style of each era. Heraldry and other emblematic elements often acquire a special meaning among a decorative repertoire that draws on elements of the architectural lexicon and the stylization of plants and animals, until the arrival of the various "Roman" forms. This paper has a starting point in the wealth of contracts preserved in the archives of the Crown of Aragon, and it reflects upon private building construction between 1480 and 1530. Aspects considered include the supply of new construction materials and / or the reuse of old ones, the demands of promoters, the imposed models, the quality standards, and the dialogue between tradition and innovation (Gothic and Renaissance or "Flemish" and "Roman"), as well as other details that some of the richest documents in the archives unveil. Due to their exceptional nature, two contracts concerning the construction of three houses in Barcelona and La Seu d'Urgell are analyzed in greater detail.
Lexicon Speciale n. 2, Architetture per la vita. Palazzi e dimore dell'ultimo gotico tra XV e XVI secolo, p. 397-410, 2021
The staircase in the stately courtyards of Palma de Mallorca: typology and ornamentation The stai... more The staircase in the stately courtyards of Palma de Mallorca: typology and ornamentation The staircase that gives access to the main floor of the house is a key architectural element of the Late Gothic civil architecture. It also gives character to the courtyard of the great stately mansions. Unfortunately, examples are rather scarce in Palma de Mallorca due to renovations carried out in modern times (17th and 18th centuries) and irretrievable losses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the surviving staircases, the one from Can Oleo stands out. It is from the late 15th century, and it has an openwork railing divided into panels separated by pinnacles and other sculptural decorations. The staircase from Cal Comte de la Cova must also be considered despite the transformations it has undergone through time. The most direct typological and decorative antecedents of Majorcan staircases can be found in Catalan houses and especially in the monumental staircase of the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona, but potentially comparable examples can also be identified in other areas of the Crown of Aragon and more particularly in Valencia. This contribution will review and systematize this type of staircases: while Majorcan scholarship has paid some attention to them, deeper contextual study is necessary to establish their artistic filiation, to determine their chronological sequence, and to analyze in greater detail their Flamboyant Gothic-inspired ornament.
INTRODUCCIÓ
Visura (del llatí visum, vist); visurador (aquell que contempla, examina, inspeccion... more INTRODUCCIÓ
Visura (del llatí visum, vist); visurador (aquell que contempla, examina, inspecciona). Quan els antics documents parlen d’una visura es refereixen a l’examen que un perit o expert fa d’una obra de qualsevol tipus; lògicament les construccions també es visuren.
En l’àmbit de l’arquitectura es poden fer visures de molts tipus: la reunió de mestres abans de l’inici o de la continuació d’una fàbrica important; el viatge d’un arquitecte per conèixer obres i prendre’n traces; el peritatge que fan els experts d’una obra que ha patit desperfectes i cal adobar; l’examen per taxar el valor i la qualitat d’una obra realitzada, etc.
Aquest seminari científic pretén examinar algunes visures rellevants en la història de l’arquitectura gòtica, preferentment de l’antiga Corona d’Aragó. Sens dubte es tracta de documents de gran interès no sols per a la comprensió dels edificis des del punt de vista formal, tècnic i constructiu, sinó també per entendre aspectes de la praxi de l’ofici i del pensament arquitectònic d’un moment determinat.
El debat, doncs, és obert: quan i en quines circumstàncies cal visurar un edifici? Qui són els implicats? Com es trien els visuradors? Quin tipus d’inspecció es du a terme? Quines són les modalitats de declaració? Com s’avaluen els resultats de la visura i es decideix portar endavant les obres? Veurem quines respostes en donen les notícies històriques.
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Papers by Joan Domenge
Visura (del llatí visum, vist); visurador (aquell que contempla, examina, inspecciona). Quan els antics documents parlen d’una visura es refereixen a l’examen que un perit o expert fa d’una obra de qualsevol tipus; lògicament les construccions també es visuren.
En l’àmbit de l’arquitectura es poden fer visures de molts tipus: la reunió de mestres abans de l’inici o de la continuació d’una fàbrica important; el viatge d’un arquitecte per conèixer obres i prendre’n traces; el peritatge que fan els experts d’una obra que ha patit desperfectes i cal adobar; l’examen per taxar el valor i la qualitat d’una obra realitzada, etc.
Aquest seminari científic pretén examinar algunes visures rellevants en la història de l’arquitectura gòtica, preferentment de l’antiga Corona d’Aragó. Sens dubte es tracta de documents de gran interès no sols per a la comprensió dels edificis des del punt de vista formal, tècnic i constructiu, sinó també per entendre aspectes de la praxi de l’ofici i del pensament arquitectònic d’un moment determinat.
El debat, doncs, és obert: quan i en quines circumstàncies cal visurar un edifici? Qui són els implicats? Com es trien els visuradors? Quin tipus d’inspecció es du a terme? Quines són les modalitats de declaració? Com s’avaluen els resultats de la visura i es decideix portar endavant les obres? Veurem quines respostes en donen les notícies històriques.