Institute of Art History of the Latvian Academy of Art Anna Ancāne ...

comparable to portals at 29 Chlebnicka and 52 Piwna in Danzig as well
as to Swedish portals in the 1630s and 1640s, belonged to the circle of
Renaissance echoes. The second trend was represented by the portal with
the richest plastic décor of the time at 11 Monētu Street, but the portal at
11 Dome Square (1650) manifested horror vacui typical of the 1 st half of
the century, comparable to the portal at 22 Piwna in Danzig. Most of the
portals of the 1 st half of the 17 th century feature decorative leaning.
Tectonic parts were let into the overall decorative design, following
Serlio’s idea of the classical order as a “raw material” for ornament.
V.3.2. Portals in the 2 nd half of the 17 th century
As a tendency towards classical language of forms emerged, up to the
1670s there was a mixed scene of ornament in which variations of
scrollwork coexisted with floral and fruit ornaments. Like in Germany
where the use of acanthus ornaments were top modern in the last third of
the 17 th century as Italian samples were reprinted, in Riga they spread
more widely in the 1680s. The 1660s and 1670s were a transitional period
during which Mannerist and classical elements coexisted, but in the
1680s and 1690s classical elements in their Vitruvian version, not via
Serlio’s interpretation, became predominant in portals. In the 2 nd half of
the 17 th century the classicising tendency took over the construction and
ornamentation of portals completely. If the 1670s were a sort of “blank
period”, more portals are known from the last quarter of the 17 th century:
a) portals in the shape of triumph arch; b) “ornamental” or atectonic
portals with flower and fruit décor; c) portals with the upper-light
windows; d) tectonic or constructive portals with sculptural décor.
Triumph arch-type portals
This group demonstrates the most representative portals of Riga whose
location and function in public or private buildings required the classical
composition of triumph arch. Influences from Stockholm are evident in
the strong and rather dry style of Riga’s fortification gate portals. On the
other hand, examples inspired by Southern Baroque also emerged, with a
rich sculptural and ornamental finish and detached columns, like St.
Peter’s Church west-side portals. Ornament enters the mature phase of
acanthus – dynamic, lush leaves are complemented with putti, angels’
heads, birds, etc. The genesis of this Baroque ornament is related to the
samples by Stefano della Bella and elaborated ornamental style of Jean
Le Pautre.
Secular public buildings also showed a tendency towards the richest
examples, adapting variations on the triumph arch theme (portals of
Blackheads’ House (1699) and Orphanage (1691)). Portals of dwelling
houses also could be added to the group featuring detached columns – at
2 Mārstaļu Street and 1 Zirgu Street.
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