Hypnerotomachia Poliphili: The most influential book of the Renaissance

This book was considered to be essential reading by every Renaissance intellectual and is frequently referred to in studies of art and culture. It tells the story of the quest of Poliphilo for his beloved Polia and is attributed to the Dominican friar, Francesco Colonna (1433-1527). Published in Venice by Aldus Manutius in 1499, it was richly illustrated for its time, having over 200 woodcuts which were an immediate influence upon Renaissance artists north and south of the Alps, such as Giorgione, Dürer, Titian, Cranach, Giulio Romano and later artists such as Bernini. The illustrations show intricate garden designs with elaborate topiary and flower beds, as well as ingenious fountains, and architectural garden buildings. They reveal the contemporary importance of antique remains and inscriptions, all of which became influential on future gardens, such as the extraordinary mannerist garden at  Bomarzo. It was also an important source of ideas on buildings.

The seminar format with its smaller numbers will allow for discussion of this important source of inspiration both in the Renaissance and later.

Programme for the day

1. Introduction and literary context of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili from 1400 to 1500.
2. Analysis of text and illustration in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.
3. The immediate impact of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili on painters and sculptors from Giorgione to Bernini.
4. The later influence of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili on garden design in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.