Design for a Fountain, Plate 119 from Dietterlin's Architectura 1598

Curator: I am absolutely fascinated by "Design for a Fountain, Plate 119 from Dietterlin's Architectura," an engraving crafted by Wendel Dietterlin the Elder around 1598. Its intricate detailing just draws you in. Editor: My first thought? It's delightfully bonkers! A baroque acid trip waiting to happen! It feels… well, architecturally theatrical. Almost aggressively ornamental. Curator: Precisely! The piece sits firmly within both Mannerist and Baroque sensibilities. This was a time when art sought to overwhelm, to create these intense, emotionally charged experiences, which ties into socio-political upheaval from the period. Look at how classical figuration blends seamlessly with monstrous, almost grotesque, creatures. What does that say about the era? Editor: Grotesque is right! Those strange mermaid-dragon things at the bottom look like they crawled straight out of a nightmare… or maybe a really adventurous kid’s imagination. It is an intriguing synthesis, a way, perhaps, of marrying order with chaos, and civilization with its primordial fears. Water is life but can destroy it. And look closely… there are no two faces alike. Curator: Good eye! This deliberate choice directs us toward deeper consideration. Architectural pattern books, such as Dietterlin’s Architectura, were integral in shaping the visual language of their time, promoting particular ideologies through architectural forms and allegorical decorations. Considering the placement of female figures, often conjoined with these hybrid beasts, prompts us to examine prevailing views around gender and the monstrous feminine in late 16th-century society. Editor: Absolutely! Makes me wonder about the function of art then – to both reflect and dictate social norms. Makes you realize that design isn't just about pretty pictures. Everything carries a weight, intentional or otherwise. Looking at this drawing makes me wonder if Dietterlin himself realized how provocative his fountain design was. Curator: Well, provocative or not, Dietterlin’s fusion of mythology, symbolism, and architectural fantasy offers us today a complex dialogue with a distant, yet remarkably present, past. Editor: Yeah, and reminds us to question whose narratives are amplified in art and design and who is often left at the bottom with the mermen.