THURAH, LAURIDS de.

Den Danske Vitruvius. 3 vols.

Kiøbenhavn, Berling, 1746. (Optrykt Thaning & Appel 1966).

Folio. Three volumes uniformly bound in publisher's half calf with eight raised bands. Richly illustrated. A nice and clean copy. 

Photographic reprint of "The Danish Vitruvius", originally published 1746-49, the only extensive Danish work of architecture, a Baroque masterpiece that is of great international importance.

No-one has done as much for the understanding of Danish architectural heritage and building construction as Lauritz de Thura (1706-1759), one of the most important Danish architects ever to have lived. His magnificent magnum opus is not only of national importance but is also internationally significant, as much of his inspiration came from his travels abroad. He is responsible for bringing the Baroque style to Denmark, where he let it flourish for longer than it did in other countries. He kept developing it, in spite of the fact that it was losing terrain to the new rococo style that so quickly became so popular; also therefore, his great work constitutes one of the most important sources of Baroque style.

In 1735, Thura received a royal grant that enabled him to travel around both Denmark and Europe to collect the necessary information for writing the most comprehensive work on architecture in Denmark. It took him more than a decade to gather all the information necessary for the monumental work, and finally, in 1746, he could publish the first part of the work, with the second following in 1749.

The work contains 281 drawings, measurements, designs and prospects of Danish buildings, including, of course, the royal castles.

(For the original 1746-edition see:
Biblioteca Danica II, 602
Graesse VII, 153)

Order-nr.: 62751