The essays presented in this eighth volume of Architectura Moderna focus on the mechanisms of transmission and influence of the architectural expertise of the Netherlandish architects in Northern Europe from the late fifteenth until the end of the seventeenth century. After 1830 the architectural historiography became more attentive in concentrating on the particular national identity of the artists of the Low Countries and of their works in different European regions. The influence of Antwerp and Amsterdam was in turn progressively divided according to period, the clients, the works, and the countries concerned by the emigration of the artists — building masters, sculptors, engineers — from the Low Countries. Explained in five parts as structured as possible for a subject so protean, the mechanisms in diffusing the architectural inventions are analyzed skillfully, essay after essay, either as a global phenomenon or as examples of the individual and familial careers of artists abroad, sometimes during several generations.
The splendor of the Burgundian court was an important asset for the reputation of the Netherlandish architects. The maniere van Brabant quickly became an architectural model for Northern Europe. As an exception, Spain also integrated these models, but the special relations inside the Habsburg Empire facilitated this process. During the sixteenth century, confessional and military conflicts increased the diaspora of the artists, especially the sculptors already less appreciated in Netherlandish culture.
For a good understanding of the phenomenon, the keyword is network. For the building masters and other craftsmen of an architectural background, Antwerp and Amsterdam were very important: as significant cities for the Northern Renaissance arts, they combined trading networks and an abundant supply of trained artists. The network concept is polymorphic: as a member of a workshop, an employee was often sent abroad for the final installation of the work, and so it sometimes turned into the beginning of an independent career. The invitation by kings and noblemen and the promise of working with high-quality materials (marble from the Southern Low Countries, and alabaster, bricks, and stone) were other aspects in supporting the network. For example, the dynastic connection of the house of Orange-Nassau to the great ruling families in Northern Europe made for an easier diffusion of architectural inventions from the Low Countries. Family ties, diplomatic functions, and studies in the Low Countries boosted the artistic relations with Northern Germany at first, followed by the Scandinavian kingdoms, England, and Poland. The Baltic Sea was essential for the transport of works, with materials sent to harbors in Hambourg, Gdansk, Lviv, Riga, and Copenhagen; importing was also important, for example in raw material such as wood being shipped from Scandinavia.
The political and religious situation in Europe also had implications for this artistic effervescence. The early period of reform provoked a lot of troubles in the Low Countries but also in the Holy Roman Empire. Several princes hesitated a long time, caught between Charles V and reform, which influenced their artistic choices. A double objective in their part was at work: the keeping of their rank in the high nobility while clearly showing their allegiance to the emperor. However, sometimes reversal of dynastic situations provoked a reversal of artistic choices.
Epitaphs were mainly commands for the sculptors, as statues were not in concordance with the sensibility of reform. The maniere van Brabant became the must for the new palaces: brick and stone, gables, square towers, open loggias, and bulbous spires. The characteristic microarchitecture of decorative taste in the Low Countries slowly gave way to assimilation of foreign sources and of artists of different origin. The extension to the east of Northern Europe (including Riga and Vilnius) was accompanied by greater freedom with regard to models that had spread to the Flemish and Dutch engravings of Vredeman de Vries, Cornelius Bos, and Cornelius Floris. Another aspect of the capacities of the Netherlandish architects and engineers was their engineering knowledge. Their expertise in hydraulic and military construction was deeply recognized, and they were also appreciated for their experience in fortifications, waterworks, and urban models.
The great interest of this book lies in the quality of every essay, demonstrating the leading role of the Low Countries in spreading the revival of architecture in Northern Europe. By connecting global analyses with detailed explorations of the careers of artists, building masters, and engineers, the contributors put the Low Countries in their real place, as central and dynamic, and certainly not inferior to France and Italy.
