List 4-2013 - Libreria Antiquaria Alberto Govi

Speckle’s method of surveying, which permitted a ground plan of ‘any building, city or castle’ to be drawn, is closely related to Hirschvogel’s
procedure. Unlike Hirschvogel’s confusing description of his own invention, however, Speckle’s chapter on surveying is a model of clarity and
verbal economy. Speckle’s straightforward and step-by-step exposition of surveying techniques parallels those of Tartaglia and Bartoli earlier
in the century. It permitted any interested artist or architect to learn and apply them easily” (J.A. Pinto, Origins and Development of the Ichnographic
City Plan, in: “Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians”, 35, 1, 1976, p. 49).
In the Architectura are also described several instruments of his invention, especially his set of six reduction compasses (cf. I. Schneider,
Der Proporzionalzirkel. Ein universelles Analogrecheninstrument der Vergangenheit, München, 1970, pp. 31-32).
Daniel Speckle (Specklin), a native of Strasbourg, was the son of the eminent carver Veit Rudolph Speckle. After completing his apprenticeship
as a silk embroiderer, he left Strasbourg in 1552 to go on a study tour, which took him to the fortress of Komorn and Györ in Hungary. By 1555
he was in Vienna, where he first trained as a master mason and later became an architect. The influence of the chief builder in Vienna, Hermes
Schallautzer, could well have played a role in influencing Speckle’s decision to concentrate
in the future on the construction of fortresses. He soon achieved success in this field and
was employed as head of constructions for various fortress projects. He visited Antwerp
in 1560 and subsequently travelled to Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Russia. In 1564 he
returned to Strasbourg, married and worked again as a silk embroiderer. Having been involved
with the construction of fortifications in Düsseldorf and Regensburg in 1567, he
was once again in Hungary, this time with his patron, the Imperial general Lazarus von
Schwendi, where he was instrumental in the planning of fortifications in Varaždin, Kashau,
and Tokai. During this time he must also have acquired a reputation as a mapmaker, since
as a result of Schwendi’s connections he was commissioned in 1573 by Archduke Ferdinand
to produce a map of Alsace, which he worked on until 1576. He also was engaged in
producing an overall plan for fortifying the city of Ulm. To this end he drew up extensive
plans and models, as well as a builder’s journal, the first of its kind. There followed a journal
for Colmar (1579) and a building code for Basle (1589). By now he had also produced
elaborate pieces of work for the city of Strasbourg, including a large-scale wooden model
of the city. On October 5, 1577 Speckle was appointed City Architect with an annual salary
of 250 Guilders, 6 tuns of wine and 1000 bundles of wood. With the authorization of the
city council he continued to work for other domains and towns, such as Schlettstadt, Ensisheim,
Colmar, Basle, Veldens, Belfort, Cologne, Heidelberg, and Hanau. After being sent
on a study trip to Antwerp, he brought back several plans of the fortifications of towns
in Brabant and Holland. In September 1587 he submitted his Architectura to the council
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