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The Origins of Classical Architecture
Temples, Orders and Gifts to the Gods in Ancient Greece
Mark Wilson Jones
Art 45
Greek temples captivate anyone with an interest in antiquity, and the
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columnar orders that clad them launched
the classical architectural tradition down to modern times. The Origins
of Classical Architecture proposes groundbreaking new theories in both
areas as it elucidates the nature and function of Greek architecture.
While contextualising past debate and prevailing, frequently
evolutionary assumptions, Mark Wilson Jones explains how the orders
emerged over a relatively short period in response to cultural
developments, human agency and artistic inspiration. Temples were
houses for the gods while also considered as offerings to them, and thus
made appropriately from enduring materials and grandly scaled. These
structures, furthermore, sheltered votive offerings of great artistic
quality, the design of which influenced that of the temples and the
creation of the new architectural forms. Temples and their orders
thereby symbolised the dedication of effort and artistry to the cause of
religious expression and collective identity.
December
288 pp. 285x220mm.
30 colour + 230 b/w illus.
HB ISBN 978-0-300-18276-7 £40.00*
Mark Wilson Jones is an architect and architectural historian. He is
director of postgraduate research, department of architecture and civil
engineering, at the University of Bath.
The Sheldonian Theatre
Architecture and Learning in Seventeenth-Century Oxford
Anthony Geraghty
A jewel of the University of Oxford, the Sheldonian Theatre stands out
among the groundbreaking designs by the great British architect Sir
Christopher Wren. Published to coincide with the 350th anniversary of
the building’s construction, this meticulously researched book takes a
fresh look at the historical influences that shaped the Sheldonian’s
development, including the Restoration of the English monarchy and
the university’s commitment to episcopal religion.
The book explains just how novel Wren’s design was in its day, in part
because the academic theatre was a building type without precedent in
England, and in part because the Sheldonian’s classical style stood apart
in its university context. The author also points to a shift in the
guiding motivation behind the architecture at Oxford: from a tradition
that largely perpetuated medieval forms to one that conceived classical
architecture in relation to late Renaissance learning. Newly
commissioned photographs showcase the theatre’s recently restored
interior.
Anthony Geraghty is senior lecturer in the history of art at the
University of York.
September
168 pp. 256x192mm.
40 colour + 10 b/w illus.
HB ISBN 978-0-300-19504-0 £35.00*
Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art