• Hans Sebald Beham (engraver (printmaker))

Design for the capital and base of a column

1545

- This engraving depicts a design for an order of architecture showing the capital and the base. Although the inscriptions refer to "This engraving depicts a dORICA[E]", this looks more like a variation on the composite order.
- This print is one of a set of four prints of capitals and bases which were engraved by Hans Sebald Beham. Patricia Condon suggests that these prints were made for a general audience rather than for architects ('Ornament and Architecture', 29). Three of the prints in the CCA collection are from the collection of the Ducs d'Arenburg, while the provenance of the fourth print, DR1987:0342, is unknown.

• pattern drawing
• theoretical drawing
• dessin de détail

Engraving

plate mark: 7.6 x 5.0 cm sheet: 7.6 x 5.1 cm

DR1987:0344

• line drawing

• pictorial drawing

- The sheet has been trimmed unevenly on or just outside the plate mark. Traces of glue on the verso indicate that the sheet was once glued to a secondary support.

signed, dated, and inscribed - by the engraver ? in the plate above the image, t.: "VITRVVIVS / DAS .III. CAPITEL."; to the l. of the image, l.l. to u.l.: "QVODLIBET HORVM CAPITVM PONI POTEST / AD CORPVS COLVMNÆ DORICAE" [written sideways]; to the r. of the image, u.r. to l.r.: "DISSE HAVBTER MAG EINIETLICHES GESECZ WERDEN AVF DEN / LEIB DER SEVLN DORICA" [written sideways]; below the image, l.r.: "1545"; and b.: "HSB" [monogram] inscribed - by an unknown hand, in graphite, verso, c.: "P259" inscribed - by one or more unknown hands, in graphite, verso, throughout: with illegible inscriptions [partially removed]

• architecture

• capital
• base
• architectural orders