Twee aaneengesloten zuilen, Korintische zuil, plan en opstand van de kapitelen en een voetstuk 1610

Gabriel Kramer made this print of Corinthian columns at the turn of the 17th century. The material is humble – ink on paper. But consider what it represents: the knowledge of classical architecture, carefully transmitted over centuries. This wasn’t just information. It was power. A patron who commissioned a building in this style was making a statement, connecting to the entire cultural weight of antiquity. The production of these buildings involved quarrying stone, transporting it, and then carving it with extraordinary precision. In this print, Kramer isn’t just showing us the result, but also the underlying geometry that makes it possible. This was a knowledge shared among draftsmen, architects, and masons. The columns themselves were assertions of power – but so was the skilled labor required to make them. This print is a potent reminder that architecture is always an assertion of social relations, set in stone.