Wendel Dietterlin
Encyclopedia
Wendel Dietterlin sometimes Wendel Dietterlin the Elder, to distinguish him from his son, was a German mannerist
painter, printmaker and architectural theoretician
. Most of his paintings are now lost, and he is best known for his treatise on architectural ornament, Architectura, published in its final edition in Nuremberg in 1598.
in Württemberg
; his original name was Grapp and he may have been a member of a family of artists in Swabia
, spent most of his life in Strasbourg
(then Strassburg), where he married Catharina Sprewer on 12 November 1570, and where he is known to have painted frescos for the Bruderhof, the Bishop's residence, in 1575, but he is later recorded in Hagenau in 1583 and in Oberkirch
in 1589. He also worked on large projects in Stuttgart for some time (see below). He died in Strasbourg
.
with the execution of a large (57 metres long and 20 metres wide) ceiling painting in the upper hall of the Neues Lusthaus, a building constructed by Duke Ludwig of Württemberg for entertainment purposes. In addition to the ceiling, Dietterlin painted the walls of the hall. The Renaissance Lusthaus having later been rebuilt several times and almost entirely replaced in 1845 by the new Hoftheater (which was destroyed in a fire in 1902, when some of the remains of the original building came to light), nothing is now preserved of the paintings from the hall, but they are depicted in a 1619 etching by the Strassbourg-based painter and engraver Friedrich Brentel
showing the interior of the large room. Other of his paintings are known from engravings by Matthäus Greuter and by his own grandson Bartholomäus Dietterlin. The style, with "exaggerated foreshortenings", appears influenced by North Italian models, such as Giulio Romano
's frescos in Mantua, through German intermediaries.
His only extant painting is a Resurrection of Lazarus (in the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
), signed and dated 1582 or 1587.
Dietterlins architectural treatise Architectvra: Von Außtheilung, Symmetria vnd Proportion der Fünff Seulen was first published in separate parts 1593 and 1594, and finally in a combined and expanded edition in 1598. The book described the classical order
s and their character and proper use, as was traditional in such books. Dietterlin, however, showed less interest in the proportions of the order than in their ornamentation. According to the architectural historian Torbjörn Fulton, Dietterlin treats the orders "more as a basis or excuse for the development of a bizarre ornamental fantasy than as didactic examples of classical architectural ornamentation". Like other theoreticians, he ascribed masculine and feminine qualities to the orders. In giving them an appropriate ornamentation that would agree with these qualities, he borrowed from older forms of ornament, including Gothic tracery. Dietterlin was dependent on many older models, and like other representatives of the Northern Renaissance (such as Hans Vredeman de Vries
) he filled his surfaces with scrollwork
, strapwork
, gemshapes and grotesque
s. Dietterlin had Northern European contemporaries who likewise integrated Gothic elements in their designs, but he was unusual in the degree of blending of elements of different origin. while others kept Gothic elements clearly separate from renaissance forms, Dietterlin would cover renaissance elements in Gothic tracery or allow one to morph midway into the other.
Northern Mannerism
Northern Mannerism is the term in European art history for the versions of Mannerism practiced in the visual arts north of the Alps in the 16th and early 17th century...
painter, printmaker and architectural theoretician
Architectural theory
Architectural theory is the act of thinking, discussing, or most importantly writing about architecture. Architectural theory is taught in most architecture schools and is practiced by the world's leading architects. Some forms that architecture theory takes are the lecture or dialogue, the...
. Most of his paintings are now lost, and he is best known for his treatise on architectural ornament, Architectura, published in its final edition in Nuremberg in 1598.
Life
Dietterlin was born at PfullendorfPfullendorf
Pfullendorf is a small historic city in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Its location is in the district of Sigmaringen, 25 km north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley and therefore on the continental divide between the watersheds of the...
in Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
; his original name was Grapp and he may have been a member of a family of artists in Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
, spent most of his life in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
(then Strassburg), where he married Catharina Sprewer on 12 November 1570, and where he is known to have painted frescos for the Bruderhof, the Bishop's residence, in 1575, but he is later recorded in Hagenau in 1583 and in Oberkirch
Oberkirch
Oberkirch may refer to:*Oberkirch , a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany*Oberkirch, Lucerne, a municipality in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland*Henriette Louise de Waldner de Freundstein, Baronne d'Oberkirch...
in 1589. He also worked on large projects in Stuttgart for some time (see below). He died in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
.
Paintings
In Strasbourg, Dietterlin worked on the decoration of the Neuer Bau (currently the building of the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie) in 1589. Between 1590 and 1592 he was employed in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
with the execution of a large (57 metres long and 20 metres wide) ceiling painting in the upper hall of the Neues Lusthaus, a building constructed by Duke Ludwig of Württemberg for entertainment purposes. In addition to the ceiling, Dietterlin painted the walls of the hall. The Renaissance Lusthaus having later been rebuilt several times and almost entirely replaced in 1845 by the new Hoftheater (which was destroyed in a fire in 1902, when some of the remains of the original building came to light), nothing is now preserved of the paintings from the hall, but they are depicted in a 1619 etching by the Strassbourg-based painter and engraver Friedrich Brentel
Friedrich Brentel
Friedrich Brentel, a German printmaker in engraving and etching, and miniature painter, was born at Laugingen in 1580, and became a citizen of Strasbourg in 1601. His principal work is a set of plates for 'The Funeral of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine,' and the Royal entry of his son as the new...
showing the interior of the large room. Other of his paintings are known from engravings by Matthäus Greuter and by his own grandson Bartholomäus Dietterlin. The style, with "exaggerated foreshortenings", appears influenced by North Italian models, such as Giulio Romano
Giulio Romano
Giulio Romano was an Italian painter and architect. A pupil of Raphael, his stylistic deviations from high Renaissance classicism help define the 16th-century style known as Mannerism...
's frescos in Mantua, through German intermediaries.
His only extant painting is a Resurrection of Lazarus (in the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
The Staatliche Kunsthalle is an art museum in Karlsruhe, Germany.The museum, created by architect Heinrich Hübsch, opened in 1846 after nine years of work in a neoclassical building next to the Karlsruhe Castle and the Karlsruhe Botanical Garden...
), signed and dated 1582 or 1587.
The Architectura
Classical order
A classical order is one of the ancient styles of classical architecture, each distinguished by its proportions and characteristic profiles and details, and most readily recognizable by the type of column employed. Three ancient orders of architecture—the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—originated in...
s and their character and proper use, as was traditional in such books. Dietterlin, however, showed less interest in the proportions of the order than in their ornamentation. According to the architectural historian Torbjörn Fulton, Dietterlin treats the orders "more as a basis or excuse for the development of a bizarre ornamental fantasy than as didactic examples of classical architectural ornamentation". Like other theoreticians, he ascribed masculine and feminine qualities to the orders. In giving them an appropriate ornamentation that would agree with these qualities, he borrowed from older forms of ornament, including Gothic tracery. Dietterlin was dependent on many older models, and like other representatives of the Northern Renaissance (such as Hans Vredeman de Vries
Hans Vredeman de Vries
Hans Vredeman de Vries was a Dutch Renaissance architect, painter, and engineer. Vredeman de Vries is known for his publication in 1583 on garden design and his books with many examples on ornaments and perspective ....
) he filled his surfaces with scrollwork
Scrollwork
Scrollwork is an element of ornamentation and graphic design using a spiral. The name comes from by the supposed resemblance to the edge-on view of a rolled parchment scroll. "Scrollwork" is today mostly used in popular language for two-dimensional decorative flourishes and arabesques of all...
, strapwork
Strapwork
In the history of art and design, the term strapwork refers to a stylised representation in ornament of strips or bands of curling leather, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings and often interwoven...
, gemshapes and grotesque
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
s. Dietterlin had Northern European contemporaries who likewise integrated Gothic elements in their designs, but he was unusual in the degree of blending of elements of different origin. while others kept Gothic elements clearly separate from renaissance forms, Dietterlin would cover renaissance elements in Gothic tracery or allow one to morph midway into the other.
Primary sources
- Dietterlin, Wendel: Architectvra: Von Außtheilung, Symmetria vnd Proportion der Fünff Seulen, und aller darauß volgender Kunst Arbeit, von Fenstern, Caminen .... Nürnberg, 1598
Secondary sources
- von Borries, J. E.: "Brentel [Brändel; Brendel], Friedrich, I", Grove Art Online. Retrieved on 26 December 2008.
- Fulton, Torbjörn: Stuckarbeten i svenska byggnadsmiljöer från äldre Vasatid [Stucco decoration in Swedish architectural settings of the early Vasa period], (Ars Suetica, 16.) Uppsala: Uppsala University, 1994. ISBN 91-554-3332-4
- Heck, Michèle-Caroline, "Dietterlin, Wendel [Grapp, Wendling]", Grove Art Online. Retrieved on 26 December 2008.
- Lambert, A.: "Das ehemalige Lusthaus in Stuttgart", Schweizerische Bauzeitung, Vol. 41/42 (1903), pp. 41–43
- Martin, Kurt, "Dietterlin, Wendel", Neue Deutsche BiographieNeue Deutsche BiographieNeue Deutsche Biographie is a biographical reference work published in German by the Historical Committee at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities and printed by Duncker & Humblot in Berlin. It is the successor to the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie...
3 (Berlin 1957), pp. 702–703.