Architectura von Ausstheilung-Symmetria und Proportion der Fünff Seülen Possibly 1593 - 1595

This book, "Architectura von Ausstheilung-Symmetria und Proportion der Fünff Seülen", was created by Wendel Dietterlin, an artist who lived during a time of significant religious and intellectual upheaval in Europe. Think about this object as a marker of its time; the late 16th century was defined by the rise of the printing press and the dissemination of knowledge. Dietterlin’s book on architecture would have been part of a larger cultural project, focused on establishing rules for the creation of beautiful, functional, and durable structures. But who got to decide those rules? How do they reflect social hierarchies? The book itself, with its elaborate binding, speaks to the status and privilege associated with knowledge. Dietterlin's work invites us to consider how aesthetic principles are intertwined with social and political structures. By studying these historical texts, we gain insight into the values and power dynamics that shaped our built environment.