Recto: The Houses of the Barbarians (Vitruvius, Book 2, Chapter 1, nos. 3, 4); Verso: The Aeropagus in Athens with Cave Houses (Vitruvius, Book 2, Chapter 1, no. 5).
Medium
Pen and dark brown ink
Dimensions
sheet: 7 1/2 x 5 9/16 in. (19.1 x 14.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Bequest of W. Gedney Beatty, by exchange, 2008
Accession Number
2008.105.5
Tags
About this artwork
"Recto: The Houses of the Barbarians (Vitruvius, Book 2, Chapter 1, nos. 3, 4); Verso: The Aeropagus in Athens with Cave Houses (Vitruvius, Book 2, Chapter 1, no. 5)." by Sangallo family|Marcus Pollio Vitruvius (Italian) from 1530–45 represents an important work in drawings|ornament & architecture. Created in pen and dark brown ink, this work demonstrates technical skill and artistic vision. This drawing provides insight into artistic process. The artwork reflects aesthetic values of its time, o...
Art Historical Context
This exquisite recto-verso drawing, created by a member of the renowned Sangallo family of Italian Renaissance architects between 1530 and 1545, brings to life passages from Marcus Vitruvius Pollio's ancient treatise *De Architectura On the recto, it illustrates the "Houses of the Barb" (Book 2, Chapter 1, nos. 3–4), depicting primitive dwellings that Vitruvius described as early human shelters. The verso features the Areopagus in Athens with its cave houses (no.5), showcasing rugged, natural rock formations adapted for habitation amid the city's storied landscape. Executed in pen and dark br...