Perspectiva: Corporum Regularium
Classification
models and prototypes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of the Estate of David Wolfe Bishop
Accession Number
1957-192-3-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Perspectiva: Corporum Regularium** (1568) by Wenzel Jamnitzer, a master German goldsmith from Nuremberg (1508–1585), invites visitors into the Renaissance world of geometry and perspective. The title, translating to "Perspective: Of Regular Bodies," reflects Jamnitzer's pioneering exploration of polyhedra—perfect geometric solids like Platonic forms. Created during a time when artists and mathematicians blurred lines between art and science, this work exemplifies the era's obsession with mathematical precision, influenced by figures like Albrecht Dürer in nearby Nuremberg. Classified as mod...