Architectura Curiosa Nova Unplugged

"Georg Andreas Böckler was a German architect, engineer and author. He was the architect of the city of Nuremberg and specialized in hydraulic architecture. Architectura Curiosa Nova was his main opus, a four-part work in one volume, published in 1664.

Illustrated with 200 engravings, the decorative plates of the first three parts show the theory and application of hydrodynamics for fountains, water-jets, spray-patterns, garden fountains and well heads; and elaborate and often fanciful designs for free-standing fountains. The fourth part includes designs for grottoes, garden pavilions and architectural designs including views of European palaces."

It was my good fortune while fossicking around in the digital cloisters of the University of Heidelburg to discover that since my last post about Böckler's Architectura Curiosa Nova, the whole work has been posted online. It would never be described as understated. Many wedding cake decoration ideas within.

The image above the engraving with the statue carrying a trident was the only plate I saw (when I remembered to look) with an engravers name, but I can't make it out even using the pdf zoom capability at the site.

Part I, II, III, IV of Architectura Curiosa Nova.

• Previously: Böckler's other great work, Theatrum Machinarum Novum.
• Also previously: a post about another of the 'Theatre of Machines' authors, Jacques Besson, which has links to all the other renaissance engineering-type posts at BibliOdyssey.
• The best (large) colour examples from this baroque work can be found by searching on 'boeckler' at Panteek Gallery. [personally, I think the original black and white plates are superior]
• Mazarine have a 'quick and dirty' large thumbnail view of some of the mazes (a usual addition to any gardening or architectural landscape work of the day) from Part IV.
• For the keen: George Goodall's Facetation website is always worth perusing, even if it makes my head spin a bit [Böckler at Facetation]
  

nb. Part I of Architectura Curiosa Nova has quite a few pages of text and only a couple of images of piping diagrams; Part II has images of the fountain heads for the most part; Part III has both 'wall' variety and complete fountain images and Part IV concentrates on depicting some of the great houses of Europe and mazes.