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Why Architects Wear Black

and other Grotesque and SubUme M,stenes:
being a Demonstration of
Eros
Meltuacholy
in the Hermetical Art of Architecture
with reference to the HYPllerotomoehia PoUphUi of Colonna
wherein he showeth, that aIl things human are but a Dream. In the
REPRESENTATIONwhereof are many things figured Sallltary and worthy of REMEMBRANCE.
T. E. WINTON, Depanment of Architecture, McGill University, Montral, September MCMXCVI
;t tIiesissuD1m'ttellto tIie-::;;zofqnztll/lltestulliesllIIIf~
i n ~ ~ ~ J : : : r o f
C Tracey Eve Winton 1996
Mercurius
I ~ I
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of Canada
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0-612-29853-1
Canadl
Platonic Love & Aristotean Melancholy 14
ATour Of1be Monuments 15
1be Interpreter Of Nature 15
The Soulln Doubt 17
Divine Furor 18
As One Loses Oneself ln AForest 18
Melancholia 19
The Pyramid Of Vision 21
A Pbilosopby Of Poetry 23
The Wodd Mountain 24
Representation ln the HypnerotolfUlChia 26
The Mytb Of Pegasus 27
The Sleeping Gant 27
An Elephant Never Forgets 28
The Caryatids 30
The Art Of Building 31
Thus 1be Little World 15 Created 34
How To Understand Plans 36
The Great Portal 37
The Gemini 38
The Valorous Architect 39
A Machine For Memory 41
Pbantasy And Ecstasy 43
To DweU Is To Wander 44
A Visit To The Underworld 4S
Know1byself 46
The Mother.()f-Pearl GroUo 47
The NalUral Power ln les Material 48
The Details OfThe Cave 49
The Guanlian Of The 1breshold 50
A Stranger ln Paradise SI
lbrough The Looking Glass S3
(
ABSTRACfS
A study of the symbotism of love and melancholy in the
HypnerotomachiaPoliphili, anarchitectural treatiseofthe
ltalian Renaissance wrinen as a dream, in which an
alchemical narrative structures the shaping of an adept
through the education of his cognitive faculties. This
author bas speculatedon the representational strategies of
this satyrical and literary architecture and translated ioto
Englisbseveral keypassages fromthebero' srbythmythical
journey througb a musaic architectural wonderland.
DIVOIVUOCAESAJUSEMP.AVCoTOIlVSOllL
CVBEIlNAT.oa ANIMI CLEMENT.ETUIE1lAU
TATEMAECTmICOMMVNJAEllUEaEXU..E.
Une4Studedelasymboliquedel'amouretdelamlancholie
dans Le Songe de Poliphile, un trait4S d'architecture de la
Renaissance italienne. Le rcit pr6sent la forme d'un
songe alchimique dans lequel on suivra les 4Stapes de
rducation de l'initi et de rQvation de ses facults
cognitives. L'auteure specule sur les stratgies
rprsentatives decette architecture satyriqueet littraire.
De plus. sont traduits plusieurs passages clef du voyage
rbytbmythique du hros ttavers un pays l'architecwre
merveilleuse et musaique.
....a l ( ~ " .....ubID IilDn:clipiaauoli
1im.000IDilclcftnKloac.illllulin . .
2
CONTENTS
Absttaets
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
orThe VIsion And The Ridelle
The Free And Proud Shaper
The Dignity Of Man
Berore SUDrise
TheQuest
Dramatis Personae
2
4
5
6
11
12
13
13
The Ritual 112
The Polyandrion 115
The Red Obelisk 115
Architecture Prima Materia 116
Poliphilo's Problem 118
The Mirror Of Love 119
Cupid's Back" Dissolution Of Reason 120
Squaring The Circle 121
The Island Of Cythera 122
Images And Doubles 123
Amulets Of Architecture And Gardens 124
Four Snakes And An Egg 125
Nature Applied To Nature 126
The Earthly Paradise 126
1be Seven Levels 127
The Triumph OfCupid 128
This Rule Was Not Observed 130
1be Amphitheatte 131
The FountainOf Venus 136
Bacchus And Ceres 139
The FountainOf Adonis 142
Polia's Story 146
1beWake 147
Orne Way orThe Creator
Other Grotesque & Sublime Mysteries 149
Why Arcbiteets Wear Black 150
( Polipbilo Comes To His Senses 53
The Education OfThe Architcct 54
The Education OfThe Will 56
This NabJrC Capable Of Dreaming Itself 57
The King ln Alchemy [s lbirsty 58
The Mercury OfThe Philosophes 62
Black Humour 63
The Palace Of Free Will 65
The Descent OfThe Saut 67
The Significance OfColours 69
T h e B m ~ t 69
The Seeds Of A Pomegranate 70
AGame Of Chess 71
The Wealth Of Nature 72
The Faculties OfThe Soul 73
Alchemical Melancholy 74
The Garden Of Glass 75
The Tower And The Labyrinth 75
The Garden Of S1k And Pearls 76
The Garden Of 100 Nympbs 78
The Bridge OfThree Arches 81
Amor Fati: The Three Portais 82
The Toment Of Unlimited Retlection 84
Mater Amoris Or Erototropos 86
The Four Triumphs 88
Earth: Melancholic 89
Water: Phlegmatic 90
Air: Sanguine 90
Pire: Choleric 91
A Method lnThe Madness 93
Time 15 To The Sou! 94
SatumAnd Melancholy 94
Poets And Hemes 96
The Fountain Of Narcissus 97
The Act Of Imagining 99
Vertumnus And Pomona 100
The Altar Of Priapus 101
The Temple Of Venus 101
A111biDgs Flow, Nodng Abides 105
Cosmos And Omament 105
A Museum For Contemplation 107
Bodies And Actions 110
Appropriate Action 112
3
Bibliography
Appendices
Notes
152
157
159
In memory of Esther and Sam Israelstam
Et ignotas animum diminit in artes naturam novat.
his mind rD arts unknown. and laws of
Ovid. VIII 1889
4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.
Virgil. The Aeneid VII 312
1amindebtedtoail those who offered moral support,
praelical adviee and fme red wine during the triaI of
research and writing. Dr. Alberto Prez-G6mez
guided and eneouraged me throughout my labyrin-
thine studies of the book to whieh 1 was originally
introdueedthrough his work; he tolerated myoneon-
ventional methodologies and interests and for two
years allowed me to experiment on his inspiring
undergraduate students with my theories. The in-
vited erilies of the History and Theory programme,
many of whom are aIso friends, and ail ioterested in
chess: MarcoFrascati, DanRoffInan, StephenParll,
Louis Brillant, Timothy McDonald, Detlef Merlins,
GregoryCaiecoandLouise Pelletier. SusieSpurdens
and Marcia King provided much appreciated help
and support. Muchgratitude to my salient coUeagues
Joanne Paul, Katja Grillner, and Michael Jemtmd,
and special thanks to VictoriaBernieinwhose 'Chair
in the AmericanDetective Style' most ofthe original
rnaterial was written. To my mother who taught me
the three principal practiees of alchemy and my
father whotaught me rnathematics, chess, andgeom-
etry (thus assuring my study of Renaissance archi-
tecture): both of you in your unconditional support
made this possible. Not to mention the Unnamable
Other; Nicholas who steered the Odyssey ioto
cyberspace; and my gentle friends Gregory Peaeock
and Jean-Pierre Canape, both Libras.
(
PREFACE
Couat Bernard. of Trevisa. says, in bis Parable,
l
that
wbenthe Kingbas come to theFountain, he takes offthe
golden garmem. gives it to Satum, and enters the bath
alone, afterwards receiving from Saturn a robe ofblack
sille.
An alchemist of the Renaissance, Edward Kelly,
reponed that a particle of the philosopher' s stone,
cast ioto the prima materia, succeeded in transmut-
ing the whole quantity. The present work was en-
tered by dropping a ludicrous fragment into the
primai matter of history to see what crystallized
around il. There is little in external signature to
distinguisharchitectural society, butapredominance
ofblackclothing; on the basis ofthis mute common-
ality, what phenomenologically observed char-
acteristies distinguish and inspire us? Why do arcbi-
teets wear black? Black symbolizes deprivation of
light, loss of consciousness and joy, descent ioto
darkness and mourning. Vitrovius was a melan-
cholie; this is a little-pondered facto As is common
among tbose onder Satum' s influence, he ranked
knowledge above beauty.
But as for me, emperor, nature bas not given me stature,
age bas marred my face, and my strength is impared by
ilI hea1th. Then:fore, SiDCe these advantages rail me, 1
shall win your approval, as 1 hope, by the help of my
knowledge and my writings.
2
Marcus Vitnlvius Pollio played the Dr. Watson of
architectural theory, a gauge of moral tnlth, who
eonventionally read the surface of things, so that by
eontrast, the detective's art of discovering tmth
through error might be portrayed. What is the result
ofa cultural tradition in which the role ofthe straight
man, the golden mean, was playedbya melancholic?
If it were a melaneholie culture, by what
which one might perceive this? And by wbat means
seek to rebalance it? Melancholy itself is already the
error in the surface through which we might enterthe
question.
5
lbroughthe mediationorthesoul the body is reconciled
and united 10 the spirit, and their union is signalized by
the appearance of the black colour.'
Paths of investigation 100 into the significance of
outward appearances or phenomena with respect to
the intentionality behind and the relationship
between the bumanbody which builds and the build-
ing that it constructs and inhabits. These led to an
crossroads between cosmology and omament, and
the melancholic disposition with its associated sym-
bolism. This forleed into the topic of representation
whieh is involved with continuity over time, inter-
pretation and translation, mimesis and invention. At
the centre of the labyrinth was an architectural trea-
tise whose value bas never been fully explored by
architeets, but establishedthe kindofrelations whicb
promisedanswers: a narrativeromance writteninthe
first person: a melancbolic artifex describing an
otherworldly visit with mythological parameters.
The architect, or magician as 1now sawbim, spread
bis blackcloakontheground where it becamealarge
circular hole into which 1plunged with little reason-
ing, falling past Finnegans eollideorscape, Locus
Solus, and Wonderland, past the Crystal Palace, the
Louvre MUseum, John Soane's bouse of mirrors,
Lodoli's monstrous fables, the grottoes: Pope's min-
erais, and Palissy' s eeramic reptiles, de Caust magi-
cal machines, the Palazzo dei Te, and landing with a
little splash in Venice. The quattrocentro.
1
(
INTRODUCTION
(Whcn is a door not a door?)
This essay unveils amirrorthrough which to read the
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499), an anonymous
treatise ascribed to Francesco Colonna Like an
Arcadian temple mirror it retlects divine othemess,
not the earthly self. This is an attempt to festore its
frame and tincture in tanlished places so that you
might imagine what once shone in its retlective
surface. 1have intended a type of skeleton key as a
contribution to understanding the treatise in ques-
tion. The principal secondary sources, Iistedinfull in
the bibliography, are generally adequate in explain-
ing individual references which the author of the
Hypnerotomachia makes, butcriticallywanting, fust
of all in any explanation of the intention uniting the
disparate elements of the complex treatise, and also
inattentionto what 1believe is thecroxofthe matter,
the education of the architeet. My purpose has been
to forge sorne connections. A brief summary of the
major critica1 sources: The banquet which the Hyp-
nerotomachia lavishes on a stranger is served up by
bath Calvesi and Kretzulesco-Quaranta as sketches
of what the food looked like while it was still grow-
ing. Muchenergy isdevotedtoestablishingColonna' s
identity, whether as Alberti or a Roman prince; a
misdirected gamble, in light of the anonymity of the
original publication. (The deliberate anonymity be-
lies an intention toward individual historical refer-
ence; the story is meant to resonate at a deeper,
universallevel.) This is compoundedby a historicist
identification of the actual buildings on wbich the
drawings appearing in the original text were based.
Thelocationofthe 'original' monumentsisarhetori-
cal exercise which is in any case done by the author
himself in the book; iodeed, bis citation ofbuildings
and artifacts from history and myth form a crncial
6
vocabulary for the educational theatreofmemory he
constructs through the narrative. Curtly hyPOthesiz-
ing on the allegorical intention of the middle section
only, Pozzi and Casella have glanced over the work
as a whole to illuminate details but, although on the
right t r a c ~ confessedly faU short of any unifying
idea. Omans is profoundlyinsightful intothemusical
analogy with architectural stnlcture. Fierz-David
has sketched a unity through her Jungian reading
based on the alchemical process in the individuation
of the protagonist, but il is drawn through the eye of
aneedleandinordertodo so, neglects theorigins and
ends of the writing. Medium tenuere beati. At no
point do these authors stipulate the symbolic impor-
tance of love beyond the mediaeval Christian aUe-
gory; whereas, in the Renaissance it was seen as a
universal force, Pagan in conception, and key to the
ideas of alchemy, magic and other fonns of divine
knowledge. Through this it provided a means of
educating the soul and thus was instrumental in
developingthefreedomofthe will. Severa! excellent
short notes andessays onspecific aspects ofthebook
are concealed in dusty volumes on hieroglyphics,
humanism, and psychological theory, as weU as
architecture. The Hypnerotomachia has been trans-
lated into severallanguages. many of them French.
with ail the ambition and variegated success of
translatingaFinnegans Wake. Themostrentschol-
uship of which 1am aware is that in Prez-G6mez'
PoliphiloorTheDarlcForestRevisited, andPolizzi' s
rendition of the 1546 Kerver edition into contem-
porary French. The complexity ofthe book makes it
difficult to grasp in a synthetic manner, and in sorne
cases whole landscapes have been forgiven, but 1
haveattemptedtoreveal keyintentions andsymbolic
devices and to demonstrate their role inthe narrative
slnlcture. This consists of the character of the pro-
tagonist stnlggling with the universal forces ofEros

(
andMelancholy, Love and Death, and the education
othiscognitiveprocesstowardtheendofarchitectural
invention, this moving through his animal drives to
the reaImofthe senses andcognitive perception, the
spiritual or henneneutic fonction, toward the refme-
ment of the intuitive intellect and communion with
the divine ideas through the emulation of nature.
Conversely, the real world ofthedreamis viewed as
a sequence of representatioos which, like alchemy,
move through an inverted cosmogony toward the
goal of unity, the trickery of the sense and illusion
beingrefinedas representationgoes fromreplieation
in the mimetic sense towards OOing a thing in itself.
The sensible correlation of this pross is the use of
vision as a metaphor for divine wisdom.
The architectural tre3tise relates a marveUous narra-
tive sequence, sustained with relative simultaneity
on a nomber of aUegoricallevels, but which differ
essentially from mediaeval allegory. The planetary
and Olympic gods in the Hypneroto1fUJc/a are to he
regarded not stricdy as causal powers but as sym-
boUc figures, meaning that they relate more closely
to the an of divination of the unconscious forces at
play within the self and the uDiverse than to external
forces.
4
The aUegorical stnlcture is countered by a
generous play aUotted to Time, whicb streams back
and forth through the work; the story ernerges in a
dreamwithinadream, byempiricalreckoningthrough
the ages, artificial time. The mystery of whether
tbings seenareprojections or traces; inventive, mne-
monic or recollective, educative (in the original
sense), areaIl concemedwiththephantasies ofaman
drawn into the cycle of the death and rebirth of the
gods, and the risks attendant. AIl swept into the
movement and transfonnation of things in the river
of lime which flows from the weUspring ofetemity,
across boundaries, beyond horizons, bearing mes-
7
sages, translations, interpretations and reflections.
The transformation of nature is symbolized by the
spirit Mercurius, and is drawn along the lines of
Plato' s investigationofperception, thelreatiseheing
influenced at least indirectly by the Neoplatonic
academy of Florence. The question OOgins with the
mechanismofperception, ofthe ttanslation ofexter-
naI stimuli tothe interior worldofthe mind, nkedto
the divine mindandcontemplation ofthe Ideas. This
is an important starting point for the investigation of
representation, for a manttaofthe book' sphilosophy
is that the arts as imitate natural principles, rather
than simply foons. Artifice as representation takes
its cue from sense perception. To uofold the surface
of Mercury' s symboUsm is to suggest some of the
principles at wode: he is the messenger of the gods,
the guide ofsouts to the underworld, the inventor of
writing, a trickster, and the tutor of Eros. As an
alchemical symbol he is tluidity, swiftness, and the
sine qua non of the process of attaining the philoso-
phers' stone, the lapis. As spirit or pneuma he is
hidden in water, a fact easily revealed by boiling it.
In bis capacity as spirit he is the intennediary 00-
tween the divine and the mortal, and as the trickster
and messenger, also the principle of proportion.
***
Ali this is to read the book as an education of the
architect, for what is heing sketched is the creative
process ofarchitecture, for the Renaissance a liberal
art pursuing the imitation of nature, not formatly,
although the naturalistic fonns are indicative ofthis,
but rather physicaUy, based on physis, on the accult
process oftranslation itself, directed by human voli-
tion. The rermement of this human volition is at
stake.
The Renaissance directed aU its intellectually pro-
ductive forces toward the problem of individual
(
(
consciousness. Accordinglythe arcbiteet as a buman
individoal was a potent figure. Arcbitectural trea-
tises ofthe earlyRenaissance proposedastrategyfor
building, activelyfocusing 00theprocess ofthought,
ratherthanapassiveVibUviandocumentation. Nicho-
las ofCusaconsideredtha (platonic) Ideas were not
creative ofthemselves, but required a coocrete sub-
ject as a departure point for aIl creative activity, this
subject existinginthe mindofman. True knowledge
therefore had to he a directed but Cree intellectual
activity. Not in the reproduction of external reality
but ooly through the explication of the self s own
nature would the mind reach genuine insight.
5
The
metapbysics of the creative process made sensible,
concems of making were thus channeUed through
the focus of a particular living body: that of the
architeet. Whatthebodyembodiedandsignifiedwas
critical for its action as a filter on the world. For this
artifex, religiously, philosophically and ethically
imbalanced toward melancholia, chameter was des-
tiny. Inthe misappropriated mins ofhistory we have
read the fonnofthe built workas a self-reproductive
expression of the architeet, rather than what flowed
mysteriously through bis body, not only the four
humours of ancient physics wbich Ddicated man' s
status as model of the universe, but also the world
itselfas knowledge, food anddrink, anddivineerotic
energy. This living body was, in many ways, the
medium of the programme of inhabitation. After
H u m a n i s ~ the model of the universe became a
model for the universe. Rather than redressing the
imbalance, the melancholic architect oflater genera-
tions reproduced bis imbaIanced nature in the build-
ings which reflected il, in a proportionality wbich
was still metaphysical in translation.
The monsters of architecture are not only the buildings,
but also the architeets who suc:ccssfully embody tbem-
selves in the constructcd wodd.'
8
In the sequence of representations accounted as
bistory (epipbeoomenaofthe process of reconciling
oneself with the worl-t whether the city or the
museum) the melancholic humour bas replieated
itself like a shadow which has not been acknowl-
edgedasa partofthe work. nFilaretedescribedinhis
treatise the architect' s role modeUed on physical
nature, as the mother of the building. The model of
generative nature with its eootic miracle rernained
however something to he observed only, except
through human procreation. By erotic 1 intend the
total of motive energy generated in attraction and
culminating in metamorphosis, from sexuality to
light to gravitation.
***
To establish the Humanist idea denoting the condi-
tion of melancholy in the individual as a pre-condi-
tionofcreativityisrelevant tothecharacterizatiODof
the Hypnerotomachia's adept-architeet. Poliphilo.
This bas ramifications in the notion ofcreativity as a
fully embodiedactivity, architectureas anavatarand
Dot simply an intellectual pursuit. Spirit is the instru-
ment ofsympatbetic magic, or tnatural philosopby,'
which makes use of the cootinuity in the symbolic
correspondences between things at different levels
ofexistence. MarsilioFicino's twobooks, DeAmore,
00love, andDe Vila Triplici, 00the relevanceoflove
and of melancholy to knowledge, togetber establish
the importance of Spirit as the means of translation
betweenthe bodyandthe soul, bothat the levelofthe
human body andthe individual soul, and ofthe body
of the world, physical nature, and the divine intelli-
gences. How these symbolic conditions coexist to
define and anicuiate the elliptical cognitive self
clarifies the double nature of Poliphilo' s love and
melancholy with respect to bis ability to imagineand
becomean artifex. At the same time the principles of
natura! magic aredemonstratedthrough the architec-
c
tura1 works in their conceptions, materials, linea-
ments and geometries, numerical symbolism, or-
naments, craftsmanship, and proportions. Alberti' s
work On Painting illustrates the contemporary dis-
cursive appmach to the arts with his notion of the
istoria, anexpressivenarrativetableau, akeyideafor
Colonna; and the Ten Books on the AnofBuilding,
particularly as Alberti significandy devotes half of
his architectural lreatise to omament which is of
monumental importance in the Hypnerotomachia. 1
have a1so made ieference to Giovanni Pico della
Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man, and
Gianfrancesco Pico dellaMirandola' s On the Imagi-
nation, as indicative of the place of man in the
Rumanist universe and the place of the imagination
in that man. The Hypnerotonulchia emphasizes
developing the full potential of the Cree will in arder
to have greater control over one's life and one's
works through a educated and thus liberated imagi-
nation.
Whereas magic deals principally with categorical
affairs, a1chemy is a science of metamorphic pro-
cess. lnalchemy theblackeningornigredois the fust
step of the transfonnation toward the philosophers'
stone. Signifying creative potential, mythological
figures like the black goddess Kali and the black
Madonna are associated with fertility. The complex
relationship between melancholy (complementary
to love) andcreativitygiveninthe Hypnerotomachia
Poliphili is given fonn by the art ofa1chemy. Magic
is more (although not exclusively) concemed with
the visible fonn and material of the final product;
alchemy with transfiguration and transubstantiation
during the creative process. For this reason, the
garden, where both arts were in evidence, was an
important locus for the Renaissance architecte
The book fonnulates the making of an architect, in
9
the embodied sense of revealing potential through a
process of initiation, a kind of architectural educa-
tionformedbyajourneythrougbatheatreofmemory
of architectural representation. The tenn grotesque
deriving from grono or crypt, referred originally ta
the decadent Roman style of painting, discovered in
underground buildings such as the Domus Aurea,
depicting metamorphic creatures, monsters which
combine plant and animal features, and therefore
belongingtonocategorical orlogjcal organizationof
things. The symbolic reaIm of the grotesque, as the
underworld, represents thespiritual realmofmemory
and imagination in the sense of invention in the
creative process. Poliphilo' sjoumey is arecasting of
the myth of the hem, who braves the dangerous
descent into the underwodd in order to overcome
trials and retorD with some valued treasure, he it
jewels, a maiden, wisdomor the lapis angularis. His
retum recircu1ates spiritual or erolic energy into the
world. The swallowing of the hem by the eanh or a
monster is the assimilation of the conscious mind by
the larger unconscious psyche, not bounded by the
physical body. This is a voluntary death to waking
consciousness which is foUowed by a rebinh of a
transfonnedandheightenedconsciousness. Indreams
the divine and the immortal are revealed, and be-
cause true divinity is pneumatic, they are a space of
inspirationanddivination. For this reason the story is
set in a dream. Every architectural place or room
entered by our hem is a transformation in miniature,
one stage of this sequence. This is the role that the
physical architecture plays in the modification ofhis
awareness and knowledge through its capacity to
educate morality. Every entrance is an entrance ioto
the underworld, or ~ o t h e r world,' the place of literai
andfigurative refIection, wherecontemplationtrans-
fonus the subject. Because wisdomwas symbolized
by light, and mirrors symbolized self-knowledge,
( the motif of duplication is manifest tbroughout; all
the monuments have some surface which is 50 weil
p o l i s h ~ or as smooth as glass, that the world is
doubledinil. The privilegedposition giventoheroic
myth is linked to the symbolic aim of the architec-
tural adept lo become a poet and prophet for bis
culture.
The relationships between human beings and built
fonn derived from the Renaissance conception of
architecture have endured (through the persistence
ofnatural representation, mimetic thought), and our
perceptionoftheseunderlying patterns embeddedin
culture has constnlcted the way we continue to
understand the theory and practice of architecture.
Through recognizing these models, transparent in
their conventionality, we are able to question their
significance today and recognize the meaning of
their continued manifestation as a retlection on our
own culture.
..*
Theknowledge whichhas smoulderedinthis tIeatise
for five hondred years is crucial to architectural
practice today. The secret il holds is a critical onder-
standingofthebreadthofarchitectural practicewhich
has beensystematicallydiminishedsincetheGolden
Age, a mythical locus where homo ludens could
make full use of bis potential. It is an understanding
which accounts for architecture heing modelled on
and sympathetic to the living dynamic human body.
Ils principles are flexible; ils relationship to nature
sympathetic and constnlctve, and ils ethics centred
on a respect for theother. It is anarchitectural theory
wbich dignifies the human spirit, and respects the
world arouod il.
It is a door intended for us; it has been ajar all these
( years.
o
10
(
(
1
OF THE VISION AND THE RmDLE
Let him who reads forgive me incrusion of a dreaminto
a bistory of facL But il came 50 home to me - 1sawil aIl
50 clearly in a moment, as it were; moreover, who shall
say what proportion of fact, past. present, or to come.
MaY lie in me imagination? What is imagination? Pcr-
hapsil is a shadowofthe intangible uum. perhaps it is the
soul's thought.
7
POLIPHll..O HYPNEROTOMACHIA, UBI
HUMANA OMNIA NON NISI SO-
MNIUM ESSE OSTENDIT, AT
QUE ODITER PLURIMA
SCITU SANEQUAM
DIGNACOM-
MEMO..
RAT.
*.*
*
The strifefor love in a dream ofPoliphilo, wherein
he showelh, lhat ail things human are but a dream.
ln the settingforth whereofare many things
figured salutary and worthy ofremembrance.
THE FREE AND PROUD SHAPER OF YOUR
OWNBEING
THE HYPNEROTOMACHIA POLIPIULI was published by
the famous Aldus Manutius in Veniee in 1499,
giving its date of writing as 1467. It pays tribute lo a
synthetic period of Humanism in the north of Italy
which had ilS theoretical and religious focus in the
court of Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464) and the
Academy which he established in Florence, whose
members included Manillo Ficino and Giovanni
Pico della Mirandola. Venice's ambassador to flo-
rence, Bernardo Bembo, frequented the Academy
and favoured the diffusion of Neoplatonism. The
Venetian milieu, where the book was published and
ostensibly written, contributed its idiosyncratic dia-
11
lect, an extensive Arabic influence, and a cooscieo-
tious disposition toward the control of fluids.
The book is anonymous, although an acronymofthe
tide letters of the chapters, spelling out POUAM
FRATERFRANCISCUS COLUMNA PERAMAVIT, has led lo
suggestions that it was written by Francesco Col-
onna, aDominicanmonk.1bere has beenagreatdeal
of speculation about the identity of the author, in-
cluding an hyPOthesis that it was Leon Battista
Alberti. In my opinion the anonymity is intended to
indicate thearchetype behindthe person, andderives
from the Humanist notion that the universal cao be
read through the particular. The author loved word-
play, whicb he took seriously, and ail the book' s
invented characters are symbolically named using
Gek mots. As Hersey points out, Greek culture
encouraged games of word association, whic:b Plato
engages in, and Clement of Alexandria claimed that
ail the gods' names were tropes. Tropes have the
playful quality of 'that reminds me of,' and subordi-
nate moral tnlth to poetic association. The word
derives from the Greek meaning to tom(in
a certaindirectionorway), a temperament orcharac-
ter, according to one's humour, or a mode in music.'
It is possible to argue that the Frater of the acrostic
transcription refers to Polia as his mystie sister,
alchemical terminology for an artifex' anima or
muse, and bis name, to an alignment with the more
mystical Franciscan tradition of thought, the Co-
lumna being a symbol ofthe axis mundi wbich spans
the three worlds. Columns, trees and obelisks are
used throughout the book to articulate heightened
significance. At any rate, the was oot unaware
of this possible rendition. For convenience, author-
sbip is attributed to Colonna.
The narrative ofthe Hypnerotomachia describes the
alchemical transfonnation in a dream of the melan-
(
(
cholic hero, Poliphilo, haunted by desire for the
beloved Polia, and symbolizes bis consciousness
extemalized in and expanded through the architec-
ture (including history paintings, statuary and gar-
dens) encountered on his joumey. Poliphilo's first-
person narration (biography was a mode which fas-
cinated the Humanists) tells us what he perives
with his senses, howhe feels inbis spirit, and what he
speculates inteUectually.
The literary sources of the book are rich and varied,
ranging fromthe writings ofVitrovius and Alberti to
Pliny' s Natural History, theMetamorphosesofOvid
and The Golden Ass ofApuleius, HorapoUo' s Hiero-
glyphics, Dante, Boccaccio, Longus, Homer, Virgil
andPausanius. There is, besides theNeoplatonic and
Aristotelian materiaI, a large amount of syncretic
alchemical and magical imagery ofunidentified ori-
gin. Colonnacollages bis material inloanedifice, but
the transfonnations through wbich he takes indi-
vidual motifs is indicative of the methodology he
intended to apply to architectural making. He uses
the narrative works to draw symbolic motifs which
are expanded into different levels of repsentation
in the Hypnerotomachia which set into specificcon-
texts recoUect each other and the associated myths.
The themes ofencyclopaedic and scientific writings
are developed in the Hypnerotomachia to demon
strate how theoretical knowledge is adapted to pme
lical ends. AlI ofthese are synthesized in such a way
to reveal the consonances between the different
levels of discourse in a certain symbolic constella
tion, showing how the art of architecture embodies
the principal concems of life and death, the relation-
sbip of art to nature, the problemofthe individual in
society, and man' s position in the universe, the CNX
of Humanism.
12
THE DIGNITY OF MAN
Humanism was anything but simple, although its
architecture, beginninginFlorencewithBnmeUeschi,
embraced a human simplicity in its geometry and
foon. The basic thought behind this movement,
endorsedina latermanifestobyPico, The Orationon
the Dignity ofMan, 1487, valorized man's place in
the creation, bis unique potential for shaping bis own
life in a way that no other creature could.
Pico retained the mediaeval view of Gad as 'the
mighliest architect' but beyond this, the picture he
presents signifies a triumph ofthe human will. Man,
he describes as 'the interpreter ofnature, set midway
between the timeless unchanging and the flux of
tme.' Little lower than the angels, man is a creature
of indeterminate image, Gad baving granted him a
dual nature; neither a heavenly immonaI Dor an
eanhly mortal, 'inorder that you may, as the freeand
proud shaper of your own being, fashion yourself in
the fonn you may prefer.' At the moment of bis
creation man was endowed with 'the germs ofevery
form of life, by this nature capable of transforming
itself lO to cboose, by the mie of reason, wbich seeds
to cuItivate andbear froit. This was to bedone by the
emulation of the qualities of the angec orders:
intelligence, justice, charity. The idea of dialectic,
the discernment of truth through rational debate,
symbolizedthis conjunctionofopposites in man, his
truth ecited through paradox. Through the mie and
exercise of dialectic the faculty of reason could be
kept agile. Play was demonstrated as the occasion of
knowledge and the projection toward lnlth. From
tbis emerged theory.

(
II
BEFORE SUNRISE
For each thing comes to pass with mcthod and in fixed
measureandbyexaet weighingofthe fourelements.1be
weaving together of aIl things and the undoing of aU
things and the whole fabric ofthings cannot cometo pass
without method. Themethodis anatural one, pserving
due order in its inhaling and its exhaling; it brings
increase and il brings decrease. And to sumup: Ihrough
the harmonies ofseparating and combining, andifnoth-
ing of the method he neglected. al1 thiDgs bring forth
r.ature. For nature applied to nature ttansfonns nature.
Such is the order of natural law lhroughout the w.hole
cosmos, and thus al1 things hang together.
11

THEQUEST .
The Hypnerotomachia is a quest. In its various
allegorical strata one can find the story of a man
searchingforaconjunctionwitbhisfemininecomple-
ment, the joumey of the soul towards Gad, or the
descent ofthe hemiototheunderworld. Atananthro-
pologicallevel it describes the rites of initiation into
society. At the level of natural philosophy it de-
scribes the alchemical process of transmutation,
method beingconceived as order in action and time.
It portrays the dream as a model for the fictive
imagination, and language as the locus of poetic
ambiguity. It includes the new status of arcbitecture
as a liberal art, the visual construction of space, the
placeofgeometry as anorderingprinciple ofhuman-
ism, and of proportion as an ordering principle for
geometry. It shows a world described by a non-
omniscient nanator concurrent with the develop-
ment of bis character through lime. At an encyclo-
paedic level it articulates thecategories described by
Pliny in his Natural History, as weil as cataloguing
geographical features, languages, and works of ar-
chitecture of the glorious pasto The architectural
monuments and gardens encountered in sequence
cao be construed in their own right as a museum of
13
architecture, or as a theatre of memory, an analogue
oftheetemal city. OverwhelminglyPoliphilo' s quest
enacts the inteUectual trajectory ofthe mind towards
the wisdom of God. This wisdom, signified by de-
sire, consists in taking the appropriate attitude to-
ward the flow of erotic energy which constitutes
Nature, so as to serve the divine powers rather than
to manipulate thent, in which Colonna's language,
like the magic which its represents, partakes through
the symbolic correspondences of things with quali-
ties aligned across various strata. This operates
through a portrayal of the deities whose province is
love and reproduction in the natural as weil as the
cultural world, as weil as the manifestation of erop-
tions oferotic energy among the human characters,
and in their relationsbips to the architecture. It maps
out the territories of Humanist knowledge at the
close of the ftfteenth century.
DRAMATISPERSONAE
And he who desires ber mosl
Because of bis great sorrow, dresses in black.
12
Poliphilo is the lover ofPolia, and he bas bis exist-
ence with respect to bis femme fatale. At that time,
the worldly incarnation ofthefeminine principle was
phantasmatizedthroughcourtlylove. Inthis manner,
she took possession of the pneumatic system of her
lover, who, as a pan of a ritualized erotic suffering,
encouraged an increase in distance between them.
Thus he extended bis sorrow, through not consum-
mating bis passionate desire, in the anguish of a
constant contemplationofthe idealizedwoman. This
conservedthe ideaoflove in its symbolic mie as love
ofSophia, w i s d o ~ the suffering of which could not
he cured by the mundanity of consummation. This
syndrome, known as amor hereos, was classified
among the varieties of melancholia.
The relationsbip between melancholia nigra et CanilUl
and amor hereos is explainable by virtue ofthe fact that
(
(
abnormal erotic pbenomena were associalcd, ever since
Aristotle, witb the melancholic syndrome.u
BothFicino, inhisDeAmore, andMelanchthon' sDe
Amore, conjoin the two, the latter with the phrase
melancolia illa heroica. The locus amoenus, such as
the setting of Most of the Hypnerotomachia is, is
recommended in the treatment ofhereos love. In the
Hypnerotomachia
a
Poliphilo' s melancholy, and by
extension his erotic desire, is expanded ioto the
symbol for which the beloved stands, from Polia the
ideal wornan, to the wisdom which she represents,
sPecifically, the wisdomofthe ancients as embodied
in the buildings, imagery and texts of the antique
world.
Polla's name derives from the bright-eyed goddess
ofwisclom, Athena, daughterofMetis andZeus, who
as Polias, or Poliouchos (GuardianoftheCity) inher
oldest temple onthe AcroPOlis, is associated with its
craftsmen, especiallymetalworkersandpotters. Polis
is a citadel or state, and poliso means to build or lay
the foundations of a city. Colonna's portmanteau
poetic integrates polemi1cos, meaning strife, espe-
cially with resPeCt to Poliphilo, palaios, meaning
ancient, and the alchemical nuance of poliainomai,
meaning to grow white, a sign of maturation, or
ancient wisdom; in Latin, polio carries the signifi-
cance ofcoveringwith white mortar or gypsum, also
to adomor embeUish, making Polia the White God-
dess, andPoliphiloa loverofomamental surface. His
namealsomeans the lovero/many, which is notedby
the five nymphs, and prefigures the transformation
of bis vision from the multiple illusions of desire to
the singular truth of love. 'For sorrow's eye, glazed
with blindingtears, Divides one thingentire to many
objects; Like perspectives, which rightly gaz' d UPOn
Show nothing but confusion; ey'd awry Distinguish
fonn. 'l' Desire has the property of constructing im-
ages, so that during his quest Polla is always seen as
14
an object of his desire through fantastic vision,
whereas when he engages reciprocally with bis 00-
loved, herimagebecomes real. ReplacingPollio, she
becomes bis guide in architectural theory.
PLATONIC LOVE AND ARISTOTELIAN MEL-
ANCHOLY
llis DOt bUetbal inmyscbooldays 1everdoubcedthereaI
existence of Albens. 1 ooly doubted whether 1 should
ever see Alhens.
15
In Humanist philosophy, the Aristotelian legacy of
Scholasticismaccommodatedtherediscoveryofpow-
erful Classical and Gnostic texts, particularly of
Plato and the Neoplatonic schaol, preserved during
the Middle Ages in Arabic sources. A hannany
betweenPlata and Aristotle was at stake. This could
he contrived Iike the dialectical construct in the
Phaedrus, where Plata describes how 6two methods
of rea50ning cao be dismed ... The first method is
to take asynaptic viewaf many scatteredparticulars
andcollect themonder a single generic term, 50 as ta
fonn a definitian in each case' and the other is 'The
abilitytodivideagenus iotasPeciesagain, observing
thenaturalarticulation.' Il Simplified, thesetwometh-
ods, division and collection, prcis the alchemical
process of dissolution, purification, and reunifica-
tion. Solve et coagula.
Aprincipal theme of the Renaissance was the mean
region between facing pairs, reiterated in another
motto conjoining opposites, /estina lente. Man was
understood as a creature between divine and animal,
vision as a ray between the eye and the object, love
as a spart, the transmission of the senses to the soul
through the medium of the spirit or phantasy, and
magic, whichoperatedinthe world spirit throughthe
correspondences of the celestial and the terrestrial
realms. In the genesis of knowledge through a play
based in language, Humanist philosophy began to
reveal its trajectory. The ambiguous sense in So-
(
(
cratic irony became a basic strategy for representa-
tion. AlI things proceeded through reflection, repro-
duction, and the ambiguity of poetic language in the
tropes of rhetoric, while meaning issued from the
space of play between doubles or opposites, their
similarities allowing their distinct fealUres to appear
as weUas their common essence. Humanity had two
principal arts with which to shape the world, al-
chemy and magic. Man was the most perfec::t of ail
microcoslDS, and his four bodily humours corre-
sponded to the Pythagorean doctrine of the four
elements and the tetradic divisions of time. There-
fore for bath magic and alchemy, his most potent
device was bis own body.
A TOUR OF THE MONUMENTS
Space was constituted through and around the body,
with radial spacedetennined by visioD. The edges of
spatial spheres were the picture planes created by
blocked axes, or thresholds. The narrative of the
Hypnerotomachia is divided by its thresholds, at
eacbofwhichtransfonnations occur. Thetale begins
in Pollphilo' s bed chamber wbere be bas bis tirst
dream. The second dream takes place in a deserted
plain and darkforest. The underworld proper begins
with a plaza of Nins and antique monuments: a
horse, elephant, andcolossus. The way is blockedby
a mountainous pyramid with an obelisk on top; a
portal in its base leads into a grotto and a labyrinth
underground. On the far side he finds a fountain with
a sleeping nymph and a bath house, the realm of
Queen Eleuterilida, with her palaceofFree Will, and
its gardens of glass and silk, a water labyrinth seen
from a tower, and the garden with an obellsk. The
threshold of destiny is in the grotto domain of ber
sister Queen Telosia. The central door ofthree leads
out ioto the realm of Erototrophos, where Polla
appears, and leads him to the four triumphs ofJupi-
1S
ter, the triumph of Vertumnus and Pomona, and the
altar ofPriapus, then to the temple ofVenus, and the
ruined Polyandrion by the shore. The next threshold
is the sea, crossed by Cupid' s barle to arrive al the
concentrically circular island ofCythera, stepped in
seven levels, wbere they are brought by Cupid' s
triumph to the central amphitheatre in which the
heptagonal fountain ofVenus is unveiled. The lovers
are taken to the fountain and then to the sepulchre of
Adonis in a rose bower. This constitutes the spatial
configuration of the dream proper. At the tomb of
Adonis is described the more complex narrative
structure of Polla' s story in the second book;17 Po-
Iiphilo describes Polla recounting their earthly his-
tory inTreviso, including stories told to Polla by ber
nurse, her own dreams, and bis letters to her, and
things told to himby her, as weUas a discourse to bis
bodyfrombis soul.1be storyranges fromthe temple
of Diana to Polia's dream of a dark forest wbere
Cupid dismembers !Wo wornen, then a temple of
Venus. Properly speaking, they have Dever left the
rose bower. Pollphilowakes upaloneinbischamber.
THE INTERPRETEROF NATURE
The term 'magus' in the Persian longue, according to
Porpbyry, mcans the same as 'interpreter' and 'worsbip-
per of the divine' in our language.
1
Gad had inteDded man as the interpreter of nature,
and magic (natural philosophy) was seen as a wor-
ship of the divine, spiritual magic being considered
the highest and most perfeet wisdom. 'The magic of
Zoroaster is nothing else than that science of divine
things.'1 Througb it man could begin to model bis
imperfect world according to the world of the im-
monaIs, althougb 'the magician is the minister of
nature and not merely its artful imitator.' 19 Spiritual
magic could bring temperance to the soul, and 'fiUed
as it is with mysteries, embraces the most profound
contemplation of the deepest secrets of things and
(
(
finally the knowledge of the whole of nature.' This
magic, in revealing the powers ofGad hidden in the
world 'does not itself wode miracles so much as
sedulously serve nature as she works her wonders.'20
This is sympathetic magic, which reveals or frames
the hannony of the universe and the mutual affinity
of things, applying to each thing that which is most
suitedtoits nature. ColonnaillustratesFieino' s proto-
psychology of a self-understanding articulated
through a radical divination of one' s life, in order to
hannonize one' s further actions with destiny by the
liberated will. This divination is best done from an
external standPQint.
EarlyastronomicalreligioDShadcorrelatedthe move-
mentsofthebeavenlybodies withthecyclical change
retlected on earth through the seasons. The value
derivedfromtbis observation was a causal detennin-
ism of the events of the sublunary world by those
above. Humanist man had an opportunity to play in
the great Tarocchi game of the gods. The magus
united earth and heaven, forging not only the mean-
ing of man, and shaping bim out of bis 'varied,
multifonnandever-changingnature,' butatthesame
time construing a brave new world for him, a world
moreover of bis own design and construction, a
world wbose meaning was given in the representa-
tional act.
Magic drew forth into the Iight the miracles wbich
lay hidden in the recesses of the world, in the womb
ofnature, inthe storehouses andsecret vawts ofGod,
as thougb Nature herself were their artificer. In this
human realm, the symbol for man was the monster,
for he linked nature and the divine ideas, matter with
fonn, to produce the prodigious, the exceptional, a
portent of his own future. Like Janus he has the
capacity to look before and behind him, to heaven
and earth, the past and the future.
16
Tbeaatural.istic philosopbyofthe Renaissance garded
nature as someching divine and self-e:realive; the active
and passive sides of this one self-creative being they
distinguisbed by distinguishing lltllrua lfDlIU'lIIIJ. 01' the
c:omplex of natural cbanges and processes, from ruurua
n41UTtms, or the immanent force which aniDJates and
directs them.li
The wisdom of magic is practical and theoretical,
and in his interpreted world, man the artifex has the
tropical ability to transform memory into imagina-
tion. Memory for the Humanists was not simply a
matter of an individual or collective chronological
past, but included the soul's memory of the divine
ideas before its birth in human fonn. and an unfet-
tered edenic Golden Age. And cmcially, only love
tbrough divine beauty could awaken the remem-
brance of the fonus and ideas. The soul distraeted
otherwise by earthly loveliness, forgetting ail. Spirit
is asleep in matter, and must be awoken to recollec-
tion.
Nevertheless, the pervasive Hennetic mandate to
conceal sacred knowledge from ail but the initiated
could only si8Dify that a man must be appropriately
preparedor purified, in, body, spirit and soult for the
use of such powerful knowledge in the aets oftrans-
fonnation, interpretation, reproduction or represen-
tation. The reason for this is hidden in a place so
evident that it is olten overlooked: the buman body.
Humanism had transferred the locus of creative
activity from God to the human body, and thereby
made that body the medium of translation, whose
imperfect variations in temperament had an import
on the transfonnation being effected. Errors in the
mechanism necessarily were reproduced by a de-
monically impartial translation.
Socrates: Now, when people' 5 opinions are inconsistent
witb fact and tbcy are misled, plainly it is certain ~ m
blances mat are responsible for mistakes creeping inta
their minds.
u
(
(
Error was a question of imbalance, a tamish of the
divine essence. Not just in the matter ofthe Delphic
precepts withrespect to wisdom. but alsotbroughthe
question of health, the appropriate proportioning of
the humours in the body creating a hannonious
balance, andtheirdeviationfromthat mean heingthe
factorofwhat wecall character, ortemperament. For
this reason, certain temperaments were more suited
than others to specific talents. The temperament
most suited to contemplative knowledge of the di-
vine through nature was the melancholic.
THE SOUL IN DOUBT
11Icre's 50mething in bis soul
O'er whicb bis melancboly sits on brood;D
Ficino's projection of the divine powers of the soul
anticipatedJung who five hundred years after reiter-
ated a theory based on understanding the psyche as
the home of many coexistent symbolic forces. The
gods' various powers operated through the human
spirit and the imagination to define character from
within, rather than simply as external forces in the
cosmic spirit, quinta essentia, determining destiny.
A holistic treatment of the subject and problems of
contemplative knowledge affinned the place of the
body as a psychic entity whose entirety had ta he
properly treated in order for creative work to he
accomplished.
1. Heaven. The Sun, Venus and Mercury, most
favorable for contemplation, are gone at night, and
most propitious for study when they rise. 2. Ele-
ments. At sunrise the air is clear and thin from
moving, and the blood and spirits foUow suit. 3.
Humours. At dawn the blood is moved, becomes
thin, wanner and clearer, and the spirits then imitate
the blood; at night, however, melancholy or phlegm
dominates. 4. In the order of things, day is for
waking, andnight for sleep; hewho inverts these wiU
17
he moved by the universe to outer things while he is
moving bimself to inner, and vice versa, struggling
against bimself. 5. The Stomach needs to replenish
depletedspirits aftertheday, andifworkis doneafter
dinner the brain in is competition for spirit with the
stomach. Further, the body must purge its excrement
early in the moming. 6. Spirits are broken down by
daily fatigue, and ooly thicker ones remain at night,
useless for study. 7. Fantasy (imagination orcogita-
tion) in late-night wakefulness is disturbed and dis-
tractedby contrary images and anxieties, adverse for
someone who contemplates or seeks tranquility of
mind.:M
Like the unconscious psyche, the underworld which
makes it accessible to the imagination is a place
where naturalized temporality is suspended, but the
metaphor for the creative process places the descent
into matterbefore the ascent into mind. Modelled on
the creation oftime and the underworld by Lucifer' s
plunge, metamorphosis of a subject from itself ta its
other self requites motion and tme. Although both
exist simultaneouslyinthe symbol, theexperienceof
Love is preceded by Melancholy.
Nigbt always comes on with the mind disturbed, but
a1ways depans with it ca1med, 50 that wc migbt bring a
tranquil nndtoour studies.:S1have found night air to he
hostile to the spirits.
Il is dawn but the sun cannot yet rise. Poliphilo is
accompanied in his sleeping chamber by Agrypnia,
or contemplative melancholy, a product of malady
and fantasy.n ln effect the whole transformation of
the dream takes place instantaneously, and with a
sudden flash of inspiration which is anamorphosed
ioto a longjoumey, the sun may rise on a newday al
the end of the narrative. It is the task of redemption
to approach the paradoxical condition of life with
belief which transcends doubt. Poliphilo hegins in
sterile nightmare which by the end of the dream is
(
(
transfonned into a wode by his productive imagina-
tion. Natural desire will be replad by adesire with
recognition made possible by amor hereos.
DIVINE FUROR
ln fact madness. provided it cornes as the gift of h e a v e ~
is the channel by whicb we receive the greatest bless
ings.2I
Plato cited in the Phaedrus four different kinds of
inspiration by divine furor: that ofApollo, prophetic
madness; of Dionysius, the telestic or ritual madness
of the mysteries; poetic madness from the Muses;
and erotic madness inspired by Aphrodite and Eros.
Poliphilo encounters these four instigators in the
inductionofhis soul intowisdom. Art is notachieved
through technique alone, and requires an infusion of
divinity; Plato bimself notes that the bard work of a
poet will have no fnrit in ttuth without the divine
madness conferred by the Muses. Possession by the
Muses results in the expression in poetry of the
glorious deeds of heroes of old for the instruction of
POsterity. Poetic madness through music arouses the
sleeping parts of the soul, hannonzes, tempers, and
creates consonance. Mystery directs attention ta the
inteUect, the worship of God, and unites disparate
parts with concinnitas. Prophetic madness creates a
unity of the intellect, and thus an ability to prophecy
future things, creating a unity beyond parts, while
erotic madness through love, desirefor divine beauty,
and goodness, is above unity.
SOI aceording to the evidence providedbyourancestors.
madness is a nobler lhing than sober sense.. madness
cornes fromGod. wbereas sobersenseis merelyhuman.
B
Ecstasies are exceptional occunences, and madness
signifiessomethingbeyondeitherreasonorthemerely
human senses, linked to the inscrutable divine of
negative theology. This foror is like an indescribable
ray connecting Gad to man. Melancholy gestures
impatiently from the shadows; it is already a predis-
18
position to this madness, for like love, providiog that
it is not shaclded to the sensible world, it is a link ta
the divine.
JO
TO LOSE ONESELF IN A CITY - AS ONE LOSES
ONESELF IN A FORESTJI
ln ail the mid.space lie woods. and Cocytus girds it.
gliding with murky folds.n
In a dream Poliphilo fmds himself in a deserted
spacious plain which leads swiftly ioto a motionless
dark forest. He is not al home with bestial nature,
fears wild animais, and his civilized trappings en-
tangle him: al every step. 1was heMbackby my robe
which caught on thiclcets and underbrush. He em-
bodies the unsettled and restless furar Love, who is
so preoccupied that he is pictured barefoot to depict
his lack of prudence.
The firstdepartwe [oftbougbt from ilS home intbesoul)
is accompauied bymadness and resdessness; diesecond
[orthe soul fromits bome inthe spirit], byweakness and
thefcarofdeatb; andthetbird[orthe spirit fromilS bome
in the body], by nervousness, trembDg, and sigbing.M
Theexperienceofdarkness in a caveand the absence
of vision creates the labyrinth, a place without per-
spective, like a dark forest, where immediacy is
everything, and the force of the will or instincts is
subordinated to the UDity of the whole. Whereas the
centre of a mandala is the place of all-knowing, the
middleofa labyrinthorforest is the placeofunknow-
ing, although symbolically they are one and the same
situation. The symbolism of the labyrinth is elabo-
rated in further passages, that of the cavemous inte-
rior of the pyramid, and again in the palace gardens
as a watery circuit. In the approach to the centre of
Being, time, the divider, vanishes and the labyrinth
becomes a mandala. Poliphilo hears ooly the echo of
his own voice, and wishes for Ariadne' s thread. His
echo is part ofa motifofduplication, whichoccurs in
different fOnDS related to paired columns, twins like
Castor and Pollux who symbolize the reciprocity of
(
(
mortality and immonality and are the patrons ofthe
mnemonic ans, the symbolismofdeath and birth.
With a double, play is possible; theechosignifies the
possibility of a reflection on the self through an
objective distance, demonstrating both the a1ienated
condition of the self, and the recognition of the self
in the world. This motif is elaborated later in the
double faces of the sculpted dancers, the prolifera-
tion ofmirroring and reflective surfaces in the archi-
tecture, and the verisimilitude ofthe artificial works
with respect ta nature. The double-faced gad of
boundaries is related ta D i a n ~ and their identifica-
tion links the double to a rebirth, self-overcomingby
remaking. Janus' festival was the Agonalia, fromthe
same Latin root as agony, and act. From man's
duplicationofthecosmos originates bis potential for
magical operation. Actionisacrossingofboundaries
which uses limeas a mediumthe way a sculptor uses
clay, to produce the subject from one side to
another. IntheseJanus looks tothepastandthefuture
as a god of boundaries, while Hennes or Mercuryu
crosses over. Inthis sense all henneneutic and pre-
sentational activityqualifiesasduplication, thetrans-
lation of the senses by the spirit for accommodation
by the souI. Love perfonns a replieative &ct, as does
memory.
Love, the oldest of the Goos, was barn in the bosom
of Chaos, the uofonned world, wheo Chaos tumed
toward God-, as ail things tum toward their origins.
In his chaotic condition, the alchemical massa con-
fusa, Polipbilo has a raging tbirst, a need for the
fluidity of wisdom. Fearing that the earth might
swallowhim, he invokes Jupiter and finds a way out
to a flowing stream blocked with rocks and trees
which tempts his buming desire. Whenever he in-
vokes the gods, they come ta bis help; similarly,
whatever he imagines comes to pass; things he per-
19
ceives prefigure other things, a divinatory tbinking.
AIl these are clues ta the power healready bas but of
which he is oot yet in control. The other side of the
stream mstles with unseen movement in the dark-
ness, the life of the unknown. But he is not to drink
fromthis ever-growingriver, the frontier ofthe other
world, for bis spiritual desire is greater than the
physical; he is luredasttay by Doriansingingnwhich
in his disorientation seems always to come from
elsewhere. Finally by the roots of a large oak
(c1raonia), the world tree, which also symbolizes a
door, and whosedewy leaves relieve his arid tongue,
he sleeps again. The consonance of choonia with
chaos is typical of Colonna' s deliberate word-play.
The oak, sacred ta Jupiter or Zeus as at the oracular
tree at Dodona, and on Mount Lycaeus al Arcadia,
cmies misdetoe, the golden bough which opens the
underworld to the hero.
1be are weU-lmown IDCienl instances ... such as the
tree lcaves of Colchis, which oozcd a honey1ike sub-
stance; anyone who tasted it would faII unconscious for
a whole day as if dead.-
MELANCaOLIA
Melancholy is one of four humours designated by
Hippocrates which constitute the human body in
parallel to the cosmic elements. Assembled from
combined qualities of moisI, dry, cold and hot, these
fluids make up the 'radical moisture' or the anima
mundi captive in matter, the divinity in man that
allows bim bis power over nature. For the
Pythagoreans, for whomthehannony oftheuniverse
depended on proportions in sma1l whole number
ratios, the number four held the ooot and source of
etemal nature, bath in lime and in matter. The cbo-
leric or yellowbile corresponds to tire; the sanguine
or blood to air; the phlegmatic to water; and the
melancholicor blackbileto theelementearth, which
is coldanddry. Vitmvius" presents the fourelements

inconsiderationofdivininganappropriateandhealthy
site for building, with respect to prevailing winds,
proxirnity to water, sail and sunlight.
Melancholy is alsoa predispositionto love, or rather,
the two are aspects of animale cause. Whereas sym
bolic connotes the force of drawing things together,
diabolic describes their initial drawing apart, in a
state of tension which we might today cali potential
energy. The Renaissance' s greatest apologist of
melancholy also wrote De Amore, an exegesis of
Plato's Symposium. Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499),
from 1462 the translator of Plato and Hermes
Trismegistus' Corpus Hermetieum for Cosimo de
Medici, was a prolific writer on philosophy and
religion. He describes melancholy in De Vira Tri
pliei, a tripartite essay which explicates its role in
creative contemplation and magic. Fieino was born
under the sign of Satum, its patron deity, who mies
over the passage of time and the vanity of worldly
things. Bearing wbless to the Renaissance trend of
observingthe general throughthe particular, he must
have seen bis great scbolarship as integrally related
to bis own melancholic nature. In pursuit of the
prevalent philo5Ophy of hannonizing the will with
one' s natural destiny, he began with his own charac-
ter an investigation of the universal meanDg of
melancbolia and its generative potential. Ficino' s
work aims at forging a synthesis between the Pla
tonie divine furorexplained inthe Phaedrus, and the
notion of the melancholic genius, briefly set out in
Aristotle' s Problemata.1n this, Aristotle establishes
that aU men who are outstanding in philosophy,
statesmanship, poetry or the arts suffer from melan-
choly as a result of an excess of black bile in their
temperament. He cites Plato and Socrates among
these men.
Ficino still distinguishes two kinds of melancholy
which derive from Aristotle' s condensation of two
20
disparate pbenomena onder one name. Cold melan-
choly is a result ofblack bile whicb
us with tao muchcare or much silliness, anddisturbs
the soul and judgement,' producing despondency
and fear. Hot melancboly causes the more desirable,
if discomforting, divine furor. with wbomil
is excessive and hot become mad, clever oramorous
and easily moved ta passion or desre, and sorne
become more talkative. But many, because this heat
is near to the seat of the mind, are affected by the
diseases of madness or frenzy, which accounts for
the Sibyls, soothsayers, and all inspired persons,
when their condition is not due to disease but to a
natural mixture.' Melancboly is heaven-caused, for
Mercury wbo presides over the beginningofstudies,
and Satum who governs process and discovery, are
bath cold and dry. It is also natural, since the diffi-
cully of pursuing knowledge creates an intemal
witbdrawal toward the centre, as the soul needs to
move itself away from extemal things, like being
fixed the centre of the earth itself, whicb re-
sembles black bile. 1bus black bile rigorously pro-
vokes the soul 50 that it might gather itself into one
pie, stay in one piece, and be contemplated.'a
ContemplatioD, as a kind of 'gathering and seizing,'
contracts one's nature. As abumanphenomenon, the
brain becomes dry and cold, like an melan-
choly'. The spirit, damaged from so much move-
ment, needs to draw thinner and clearer parts of the
bloodinordertorepair it; white theoccupationofthe
mind and beart in contemplation lead to a failu of
liver and stomach; these things leaving the blood
cold, dense, dry, tbick and black. 1be physical con-
dition corresponds to the emotions invested in the
spirit. This expression of emotions in tangible form
became the naturaI model for the genre of history
painting.

(
For Plato the influence of the mind could project
thoughts upon the liver would receive and
retlect them in the fonn of visible images
ll
like a
mrror.11., The Iiverwas instrumental inthe sympathy
of the mind and body through these images. When
the mind wanted tocause fear, the bitteraspect ofthe
Iiver causing Pain. Good thoughts
duced sweet images
ll
and made part of the soul
that ves in the regjon of the Iiver cheerful and
gentle, and able to spend the night quietly in divina-
tion and dreams, as reason and understanding are
beyond iL For our makers remembered that their
father had ordered them to make mortal creatures as
perfect as possible, and so did their best even with
this base part ofus andgave it the powerofprophecy
sothat itmighthave sorneapprehensionoftroth. And
clear enough evidence that god gave this power to
man11 s irrational part is to he found in our incapacity
for inspired and true prophecy when in our right
minds; we only achieve it when the power of onder-
standing is inhibited in sleep, or when we are in an
abnormal condition owing to disease ordivine inspi-
ration.'" Energy is infused ioto the matter of the
divine Machine, an energy of circular motion. As a
body continues io its state ofrest or uniform motion
unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force, it
is the imbalance in the melancholic nature which
impels a particular kind of movement.
The melancholic are not equable in behaviour. because
the power ofthe black bile is not even; for it is both very
cold and very hot. But because it has an affect on
character(for heat and cold are the greatest agents in our
lives for the making ofcharacter) ... it mates our dispo-
sitions ofa particular kind. (...) Owing to the presence of
excess. all melancholic persans are abnormal. not owing
to disease but by nature.
t5
How does black bile engender tbought mechani-
cally?Ficinodescribes blackbileas somethingdouble:
natural, and buming. The natural kind disposes you
tojudgement and but the bumingkind leads
21
to numa. Black bile sbould not be meager, for then
memory and thought will he unstable, but it should
he as thin as its nature will allow. with a specified
proportionofblackbile to bile and bloodinthe body.
The spirits created from this humour are thin
ll
clear,
and subtle spirits like aqua vitae With their
violent motion they are prime for action; because
theyareboundtoa solid, stablehumourtheytransmit
endurance to human actions. The soul, from these
external movements
ll
heing near the gods and sepa-
rated from its own body, becomes an instrument of
thegods.1bus it isfiUedwithdivineintluxes
ll
oracles,
ponders and unaccustomed things
ll
' and pre-
dicts the future. The spirits of someone in love are
constantly depleted by contemplation, and must he
replaced by drawing on the thinner, clearer pans of
the blood.
On tbat accowu. when the pure and clear blood is
dissipalCd. thereremains onlythe impure. thick. dry. and
black. Bence the body dries out and grows squalid. and
henlovers become melancholics. For froID dry. thick
and black blood is produced melancholy. that is. black
bile, which fins the head with its vapours. dries out the
brain. and aselessly troubles the soul clay and night
with bideous aad borrible images. This. we have read.
happened to the Epic:urean philosopher Lucretius on
account of love; shaken first by love and then by mad-
ness. he finally laid bands on himself. And die pbysi-
cian Rhazes taught that it was caused by coitus. fasting,
inebriation. and walking."
THE PYRAMID OF VISION
Throughthe firstdeath. whichis onlya detachment ofthe
$Oui from the body... the lover may sec the beloved
celestial Venus ... and by reftecting on her divine image,
nourish bis purified eyes with joy; but if he would
plssess ber more closely ... he must die thesecond death
by which he is completely severed from the body......
Falling ioto a deeper dream, he reaches a third level
of awareness. He finds himself among the NinS of
c1assical antiquity; theaccompanyingwoodcut shows
the limbless torso of a man, the insensible body.
Althoughthe mins causeinhimamelancholydelight

(
al the impennanence of things, for the Humanists
they were aneducation for the architeel Hisguide is
the image of Polia, in ber polyvalent fonns as the
goddess.likeVenus for Aeneas. AriadneforTheseus,
Athena for Odysseus, for self--discovery is a task
guided and supported by the forces of nature.
He is menad by a wolf, Mars' animal. Exposure to
the animal impulses of the unconscious with neither
identification nor flight is the circumambulatio of
alchemy. the focus on the centre of change. It is a
symbol of his own machia and melancholic doubt
exposed in this earlyepisode; his inability to cry out
reflects an undeveloped faculty of expression or
communication. and the wolf flees. It forebodes
Lycaon. the werewolf-king of Arcadia, wbose name
re-ecboes in the architect of the great white marble
pyramidwhicbblocks Polipbilo' s way. Accordingto
Ovid, Lycaon was the first man transformed into a
beast for his wickedness. Mount Lywon was Zeus'
Arcadian birth place. and al Lybioe was an oracle,
presided over by the nymph Emo, inspired by the
god Pan, a traditional guardian of the sacred reaIm.
who through bis music instilled panic, groundless
fear. into any wanderer in his domain. Erato was
initially an Oak-Queen, but as one of the Muses she
was responsible for erotic poetry and mime.
Lifting my eyes to that region where the mountains
confront one another, 1 saw something in between,
an incredible elevation in the figure ofa tower, and
nearby, a building which appeared to me yet imper-
fectly, ofantique work and stnlcture.- There was a
marvellous abundance ofophite, porphyry, jasper,
serpentine and coral of ail colours, beautiful and
rich. Fragments ofa great number ofdiverse histo-
ries in relief and semi-relief, displaying the acel-
lenceoftheirera, andaccusingourown, inwhichthe
perfectionofthis art is completely absent.
JO
Colonna
uses architectural materials to draw on worlds of
22
meaning. Porphyry isa fine-grained rockcontaining
largerembeddedcrystals. Polishedsections produce
a distinctive mottled design. Pliny mentions the red
Egyptian variety (also quarried by the Romans) of
which the columns of the Egyptian Labyrinth were
hewn. known as imperial porphyry. Jasper is an
opaque quartz chalcedony of red, yellow, brown,
sometimes deepgreen
9
blueor purple; perfect circles
sometimes appearonitspolishedsurface. Serpentine
markings of which resemble snakes' is a trans-
lucent to opaque minerai oCten used for cameos.
intaglios, and as an omamental stone. Of its many
colours, the green varieties are considered most
valuable. authorities recommend the white
variety as an amulet to he wom by sufferers from
deliriumor a coma.',. Theuse ofspecifie materials in
representation fuses their significance with that of
the symbol invoked by tbeir place in the story. The
istoria is a type of painting wbich translates the
classical ekphrasis. the scholarly and precise de-
scription used by the Greeks and sought after by the
Humanists, ioto pictorial expression. Unlike other
woodcuts of the same those ofthe Hypnero-
tomachia are sparse in Iinework. Shading is rare;
perspectiveis primitive. What the images present are
planes, members, bodies and istoriae. The history
painting is a key idea defmed by Alberti, for whom
painting contains a divine force which makes the
absent and which can capture the eye and
move the soul of even the uneducated through the
copiousness and variety in its expression. Life is to
he expressed through graceful motion, the move-
ments of the soul, the emotions or affections, being
made known through the movements of the painted
body, 50 that the soul of the beholder is moved in
sympathy. an affect originating in tragedy. Further,
one ofthe stipulated fewcharacters should point out
what is going on so that 'all is pointed toward
(
(
one ofthe stipulated fewcharacters should point out
what is going on so that 6all is pointed toward
omamenting or teaching the '51 which intro-
duces omament as didactic. The istoria is a wode
designed ta combine the opposing intentions of hs-
tory and poetry, converting mythical memory ioto
anticipated projection. The seven movements ofthe
body listed by Alberti are enacted in Poliphilo's
explorations through the architecture, fust up, down
then right, left, indepth: fllSt closer and then
further away, finally circular motion.
Compositionis that mIeofpaintingby whicbthepartsof
the things seen fit togetber in tbe painting. The greatest
worlc of the painter is not a colossus, but an islOria.
Islonagives greater renown to the inteUect thanacalos-
sus. partoftbeistoria, members part ofthe
bodies, planes part ofthe members. The primaryparts of
painting, therefore, are planes.
SI
Paintingfor Alberti was devisedfromcompositional
arrangement, circumscription of boundary, and the
receptionoflight. Likewise, for Ficino, arrangement
orders the intervals or distances between the parts;
aspect has to do with shape and colour, the hannony
of lights, shadows and lines; and proportion orga-
nizes quantity, orboundaryofquantity, whiehis why
it is integral to perspective, where the picture plane
becomes the golden mean integrating subject and
world. Ratio, like reason, relates two known quanti-
ties. Proportion, however, 6is theequalityofrelations
between two pairs of quantities. That is to say, in a
tnle proportion there must be at least three magni-
tudes: two exttemes and a middle term, normally
ealled Mean. ',. The critical quality is that of the third
term, whieh, as spirit, mediated the proportional
translation of the divine qualities into corporeal
qualities critieal to the istoria. With a temperate
complexionofthefourelements, thesecreatedbeauty
in bodily foon.
23
A PIIILOSOPHYOF POETRY
The distinction between bistorian and poet is DOt in the
one writingprose and the other verse . it consists rea1ly
in Ibis, that theone describes the thing mat bas been, and
the other a kind of thing mat migbt be. Hence poelry is
sornething more pbilosophie and of graver impon tban
history, sin its slatements are of the nature rather of
universals, whereas those ofhistory are singulars."
Poliphilo perceives an appearing universe, based on
an ovidian narrative structure in which staries blos-
som into other stories, tales within tales, the effort-
less gding ofone account ioto another, like a maze,
a1lows glimpses into parallel or possible worlds, just
as the inscriptions and paintings appearing on the
architecture, the symbolie motifs and names of he-
iogs, open potential forays into mythical histories,
each full of insight relevant to hina, recreating a
totality across the joumey, througb the world of the
gods, their interactions, loves, and divine forces.
Mythology is living knowledge. Classical mythol-
ogy in the Hypnerotomachia is a vocabulary and
referenee source for the poetic authority of myth
used to sustain the transformations of the spirit, and
Colonna used it like he used the elassical orders, as
a resource of archetypes, the spiritual version of
symbolic fonn. 6The tradition of the 'subjectively
known forms' ... is, in coextensive with the
traditionofmyth, and is the key to the understanding
and use ofmythologjcal images.'56 The Renaissance
drew ilS knowledge of elassical mythology in many
cases from post-elassieal sources, deriving from
different periods and inconsistent in their iconogra-
phy. Myth' s pertinence lay in its use as a language in
restoring authority from conventional (the laws of
chureh or state) to a poetic autbority given in myth
and not in logie. A principal source of its language,
seen as masking the divine tmth present in natural
philosophy, was Ovid's Metamorphoses, appropri-
ale in its subject matter demonstrating love as a
(
(
motive force in the process of metamorphosis. The
idea of transfonning physical nature while essence
remained stable implied a set range of possible
transfonnations, govemed by the series of qualita-
tive correspondences of essence which constituted
the basis of magic. The authority of logos was
challenged by tbings in the state offlux. Poetic truth
was a latent truth beyond physical manifestation.
Myth was the natural model for its consciously
contrived version. In a text or image each allegorical
level would infonn and replenish the others to refer
to the samesymbolic truth. A1legory narrows a range
of signification toward one aspect by a teleology of
meaning. The revelation of hidden tnlth inthe paral-
lei levels of aIIegory is similar to the empirical
method of detennining an idea through a general
detinition derived from the observation of a hetero-
geneous collectionofthings.1n mytb, an intellectual
aspect combined witb an experiential aspect. The
ideal (numerical or geometric) aspect of the symbol
and (grotesque metamorphic) narrative were distin-
guishedascounterpoints andbecameas it were, form
and omament, edifice and istoria. Theory was liter-
ally elevated onto the surface of practice. Its exalta-
tion to the surface of the wode had a parallel in the
inspiration proper to the artifex in bis role as maker
of bis own world.
THE WORLD MOUNTAIN
Atlas was changed into a mountain as huge as the giant
hehadbeen. His beardandbairweretumed intotrees, bis
bands and shoulders were mountainridges, andwhat had
been bis head was now the mountain top. His bones
became rock.
57
The pyramid is a discourse on vision, both as a
temple of the Sun, and through the mytb ofMedusa,
thesight ofwhomcrystaUizedmovinglife intostone,
likethe transfonnationofAtlas, afterPerseussbowed
himthe Gorgon' s head. Sumerian astronomers knew
24
that the world was neither fiat nor round, but a great
mountain rising from the infinite ocean, 50 the pyra-
mid in its ziggurat origin is a model of the cosmos.
The summit of this mountain is male, the base,
female and their son Enlil, the air god, is bom from
them and divides as Gaia and Ouranos were
separated by Kronos. In the melancholic aporia 00-
tween Heaven and Earth, Ouranos begot on Gaia a
generationofTitans, thenrefused to let thembe born.
It was Gaia who gave to Kronos the siclde, with
which he castrated bis father.
Carved into the stone of the pyramid is a
gigantomachy, the tirst architectural istoria of the
narrative. Thegiants, inGnostic legend(The Bookof
Enoch) the progeny ofangels and the earthly wornen
to whomthey taught the arts, had attempted to storm
heaven and overthrow Jupiter, and were duly pun-
ished by the gods. "Taken in its wider aspect, Pride
(Superbia) isthe headandroot ofall sin, bathoriginal
andactual. It is theendeavour tobe 'as Gad,' rnaking
self, instead of God, the centre about wbich the will
and desire revolve."JI The tower of Babel serves as
another example. Giants, then can generally he said
to symbolize overcoming of an existing order, and
the gigantomachy is the struggle for the moment
when order is bom frorn the matrix.
Occasio est pars temporis, habens in se a1icuius rei
idoneam faciendi aut non faciendi opportunitatem.
The pyramid is surmounted by an obelisk with a
nymph ontop representingFortuneas opportunity or
occas;o." The w;th ils four sides poLished
and shining Like a wellglossed mirror represents a
divine ray, the souI. As drawn in the original wood-
cut, this assemblage resembles a Buddhist stupa
wbich is the world mountain, and traditionally has
eyes represented at the level of the horizon. In this
pyramid that interstice signifies spirit and is denoted
by monstrosity. The stupa represents the five subtle

(
elements, to the Western four heing added aether,
wbich is experienced as sound, the air though touch,
firethough vision, water through taste, earth through
small. As the pyramid bas three layers, the lower one
must lead to the underworld. Poliphilo enters this
templum through the mouth of the Medusa, whose
monstrous mask-face is symbolic ofthe female geni-
tais, and expresses the tenifying othemess of the
world of the dead, and must be confronted. Medusa,
whose narne rneans queen or mistress, brings two
important myths to tbis context: she was caught
making love with Neptune (in the fonn ofa horse) in
the temple of Minerva, when she conceived twns,
the giant Chrysaor [gold], and the winged horse
Pegasus [springs or waters], born from her blood
when her head was cut off by Perseus. From Mer-
cury, Perseus receivedthesicklewhichisanattribute
ofSatum.Perseus,theoffspringofJupiterandDana,
bavingtrickedthe three fates and thence favoured by
the triple goddess of love, slew Medusa, whose
asPeCt would tom men to stone, by viewing ber
reflectedinbismirroredshieldgiven himbyMinerva.
It is also Medusa' s head wbich transformed coral
from a plant into a hardened stone. Minerva secured
the Medusa' s blood for Asclepius, the blood from
ber left side having the power to slay, and that ofber
rigbt to heal. The story of Dana and of Perseus is
representedonthe thirdtriomphal chariot. Medusa is
alsoconnectedbyhersymbolicattributes to Demeter
or Ceres, and appears as a Gorgon mask on the
facades of archaic temples as a primitive fonn of
Artemis, the mistress of wild beasts, Potnia theron.
By overcoming bis fear of the Medusa, Polipbilo
identifies himself with the hero, whose magic san-
dais gave hint the power to cross from one place to
another, the power over thresholds.
ln the right-handface, at the place by which 1 had
2S
entered, andin the middleofiuplinth, was carvedin
relie/the headofMedusa. crying
out in a /unous demonstration of snarling, eyes
darlcened, brows overhanging, her forehead lined
andfrowning, hergaping gullet, which was cavem
ousandpiercedbyasmall vaultedpassage, crossing
through the perpendicular line at the centre ofthe
building. At this open throat (serving as the doorfor
entenng the passage) one cou/d climb up by the
contrivance ofher har, which wasformed in such a
way by rule andcompass that it servedas stairs. And
in place oftresses were coiledlong winding TOpes of
snakes which envelopedandintertwinedeach other,
extending/rom around the headand theface aIl the
way to the chin. They were so appropriately made,
andthe illusion ofthe work was such tMt they gave
me great ten'or: for her eyes were made from a
gleoming stone, such thar, if1Md not been certain
that the material was marble, 1 would never have
dared to approach with composure.
lIII
When 1hadcome to thefront ofthe headofMedusa,
1climbed up by her hair which served as steps (as 1
said above) and entered her mouth, following the
path, untillcame to the endto exit right at the top. on
the cube. He fmds tbat thepathcut through the throat
Ledstraight to a screwandc1imbedaround, being at
the centre ofthe wor1c, by means ofwllich one could
ascend through turning to above the top of the
pyramid, up to the base of the cube on which the
obelisk was placed.
1I
Then, having arril'edthere, my
eyes were not able to sufferlooking down: for every-
thing that was below seemed to me imperfect and 1
did notdare to leave the middleofthis stone in order
toapproachtheedge. Aroundthe exitofthis hela, on
the top, were many copperposts made in thefoma of
balusters or spindles plantedandfixed in the stone,
onefoot in distance between IWo, and having halfa

(
pace in height, onefacing towards the next, conti,",-
OUS and connected by a ring of the same I M t a ~
formed in waves, servingas a barrierandenclosure
for the opening ofthe serew, whieh it enciTcled ail
aTound, except on the sidefrom which one departed
onto theplane, tothis end(as thus1presume) thatno-
onelall thoughtlessly into that greal hollow: for ta
climb it so high and to mm round and round by $0
many steps, eaused an unsteadiness with wondrous
dizziness. The aerial height of the obelisk on top of
the pyramid implies a vast area commanded by a
sweeping shadow visually demarcating time. Pliny
describes the construction of a gnomonic obelisk,
topped by a gilt ball for precision, being set on a
pavement appropriate to the heigbt of the obelisk,
and baving set ioto it bronze rods to measure the
sun's shadow day by daY.G Under the foot 01 the
obelisk, in ilS diameter, was suspended a copper
plaque, engraven withantique letters inLatin, Greek
andArabie, by which 1understood that it was tkdi-
eatedto the sovereign sun;u andfurther, there were
notedaIl the measurementsolthe structure, elIen the
name ofthe architect inscribed in Greek letters on
the obelisle, saying, LICHAS THE LIBYANSET ME UP."
The men of old declared that when Lichas wu RUDg
through the air by Hercules' strong anns, fcar drained
away bis blood and all bis maisture, and he was tumed
into hard, mnly rock."
Thedry melancholic transfonns himselfdirecdy ioto
stonearchitecture, achieved hethroughthe gaze of
the Medusa. This ascent was light throughout, be-
cause the ingenious architeet had, with singular
invention, in several areas of the building made
special secret openings which responded directly to
theaspect ofthesunas hetravelledthus onhis course
throughthethree regions, thetop, bottomandmiddle.
The lower pan was lit by the high openings, andthe
26
higher part by 'hose below which illumitulted it
sufficiently by refkctions and reverberation of the
light: for the disposition ofthe building hadbeen so
weIL calculated according to the three faces, orien-
tal, meridionalandoccidental, thatatail hoursofthe
day, the staircase was brilliant with sunlight!"
REPRESENTATION IN THE
HYPNEROTOMACBIA
Visual messages do not communicate the lookofthings,
what wecansee, butwhat we knowabouttheirimmant
nature.'"
Representation takes something absent or subjected
andmakes it visibleor present, as a modeofcommu-
nication and preservation. The capacity for anaiogy
io man is cmcial to presentation. Eacb time we
make something, we describe the universe in our
own tenns of understanding. We show something,
and situale it in a context with style, or omament,
whicb describes its meaning. This relationsbip of a
detail to its whole is the basis of proportion. As
Frascari bas noted, in architecture a detail cao exist
at aoy scalebut refers primarilyto theconjonctionof
elements; omament is used in architecture in tbis
connectionas acosmeticdevice that positions a part.
The act of representing establishes an orientation of
the makerandamomentofhumanorderintheworld.
ln an act ofcommunication, one part of the universe
speaks to another part not only describing the world
but altering it by ilIuminating its dynamic relations.
In imitation, the basic mode of knowledge, a part of
a world mimics another, and through this play cre-
ates a meta-physical or meta-material relationsbip
between two things. Communication requires bath a
common framework ofreference, and sorne distinc-
tion in point of view. A representation confronts its
antecedent withanethical responsibilityas towhether
to serve or control it; whether to becomes a model of
or for the world. What we cali abstraction in the
(
(
architectural conventions is the Renaissance idea of
the 'invention' or Iineaments. It is through this spiri-
tual part of architecture that theory is given naked
speech.
THE MYTB OF PEGASUS
TItree monuments stand before the pyramid. The
fust of these is the statue ofa winged horse to which
children cling tenaciously. These young ehildren
Iooked sad, with no plaintive voiee, sinee they /rad
been deprived ofspeech andhadno means ofSMW-
ing lift! without it... This is Pegasus, who left theearth
for the realm of the gods, and whose striking the
groundwithhis feet onMount Heliconoriginatedthe
Castalian spring of the Muses. For Colonna, archi-
tecture is poetic speech, and their incommunication
towards Poliphilo points out bis inability to under-
stand the symbolic import of his environment. He
initiates the process ofengagement by entering ioto
the various monuments out ofbiscuriosityanddesire
to Jeun. The horse is marked rENEA meaning orign
or binh. The UNFORroNATE HORSE is DEDICATED1'0 THE
AMBICiUOUS 0005 in its inscriptions. In Indian Bud-
dhist tradition, Padmapni, or Avalokiteshvarais the
master of My (the world of appearance and illu-
sion), and possesses the divine power of assuming
various fonns at will, one of these being a fabulous
winged horse. This horse represents Fortuna
Primagenia, whom Macrobius identifies with the
Moon and Isis, ambivalently good and bad. Its base
is engraven with two images, one of an interwoven
circle of seven men and seven women with double
faces, laughing and crying, in a round dance which
has the fonction of cosmic renewal.
Melpomene. bas ber mask bere on her head; and it is
sometimes placed 50 much more backward. that it has
been mistaken for a second face. [..) Melpomene was
supposedto presideoverall melancholysubjects, as well
as tragedy......
27
This motif which unites the tragic and comic masks
ofthe tbeatre is titled TEMPUS. the space inthe centre
of the ring is the space of appearance, the choros.
Anotheris tided AMlSSIO, a geomantic term, meaning
loss, showing young men and nymphs plucking
flowers. It shows Poliphilo's own oeeasio, but he
cannot yet recognize his potential; that is his loss.
The mythalsoprefiguresthe realmtocome: Perseus'
sister Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, appraises
Helicon: 6Then she looked round at the ancient
graves of the fores!, the caves and grassy s l o p e s ~
starredwithcountless flowers, andcongratulatedthe
daughters of Mnemosyne on their good fortune in
having a home and an occupation which were both
alike 50 pleasant.'l0
Otbers 1bere are who, indeed, believe that chance is a
cause, but tbat it is inscrutable 10 human intelligence., as
being adivine thing and full of mystery.71
Following the introduction of the theme ofopportu-
nity are two monuments representing the compo-
nents which counter the instability of fortune by
means of art, (keeping in mind that stability is pro-
vided by black bile): labour and knowledge. In bis
Book of Life Ficino explains natural philosophy
(sympathetic magic) as the fICSt principle of artifice,
or seductive transfonnation, and a strategy by which
man cao hannonize bis own spirit with the world
spirit in order to propitiate fortune.
THE SLEEPING GIANT
To cause things hidden in the shadow 10 appear, and 10
take away the shadowfmm them, this is permitted to the
intelligent philosopher by God through nature.... Ali
thesething5 happent and the eyesofthe common mando
notseetbem, buttheeyesoftbeunderstanding[inteUectus)
andofthe imaginationperceivethemwithtrue andttuest
visioD.72
The mythofthehero is anarchetypal narrative which
describes an overcoming and remakingofthe self. A
typical joumey begins with a separation from the
(
(
followed by a penetration to some internal
source of power, and an initiation in a region of
supematural wonder, then an enricbed retum to the
as a poet. andreintegration withsociety. The
joumey is necessary for the periodical circulation of
spiritual energy in world. The bero' s participation in
this cycle oferotic energy is therefore a reactivation
and renewal ofits nourishment. both for himself and
the world. Thestructural sequenceoftheHypneroto-
machia is characteristic of this mythological type.
This is a synoptic episode which takes Poliphilo
inside his OWD body for an introduction to natural
philosophy. Hearingthegroanofanaftlicted person,
Pophilo finds ahoUowbronzecolossus lyingon his
back. The pneumatic gustpassingthrough himbyhis
soleless feet effects the noise, and shows that breath
is the precursor of utterance. This introduces the
spirit whicb is the medium by whicb divine soul is
present in the thicker body and 'bestows Iife on what
is inside. [...] Froma certain application ofour spirit
ofthe worldthroughtheartofnatural philosophyand
through affect. the celestial goods get thmst into our
soul and body,'7J and througb spirit whicb is in the
middle of one, strengthened by the anima mundi,
puts one in accord with the heavens.
Thecolossus was Lyingonitsback, madeofbronze or
molten metal and poured with great art. He Looked
Like a man ofmiddle age, his head turned up some
what and resting on a block, Like a sick person. He
had an mouth six yards across, open as though he
wished to cry out. By the hairs of his head. il was
possible to climb onto his stOnulch, and thence to
enterhis mouth by the whiskers ofhis beard. When 1
had come that far, 1 braced myselfto go in: nexl, a
small step down, 1 descended into the throat. after
that, intothestomach, andfromthere, throughall the
other parts of the body, right ;nto the bowels and
28
entrails.
14
Bach body part is shown, with its name
wrltten in Chaldean, Greek and Latin, as weU as the
diseases it can suffer, and the causes and remedies
tbereof. Organs, bones, veins and arteries, nerves
and muscles, tlesh and intestines are illuminated by
hidden windows.
The question, 'How does a thing become conscious?'
would thus be more advantageously stated: 'Howdoes a
lhingbecome preconscious?' And the answcr would be:
'1brougb becoming connected with the word-presenta-
tions corresponding ta iL''75
When Poliphilo turns his attention to the heart, he
reads how sighs are engendered by love and sees the
place al wbich the CRIel wounds are made. There,
completely moved, 1let outa great moan, andcalled
to Polia, so much thatwith ho"or, 1heardthe whole
machine resound with the echo.
1I
Nearby a female
colossus, bis anima, lies buried, with ooly ber head
showing. Herbodytrappedintheeartb represents the
unknown totality of the natura! world; ber head, the
mind in nature. In Poliphilo' s progress througb bis
initialory trials, the goddess undergoes a series of
transfigurations of aspect responsive to bis own
developiogPQtential. The entry ioto the mouth oftbe
Medusa, the swallowing ofthe bero into the beUy of
a roonster is likeenteringa templeor sacredspacefor
a spiritual rebirth, acts wbicb renew Iife. The colos-
sus with bis feet perforated like a sacrificed giant, is
ahinge oflogos between the humanbody, a building,
and the earth as a sleeping landscape gode To the life
of the world wbicb is propagated in all things, such
as hems, stones, and metals, Ficino compares haie,
teeth and bones; having a common Iife, the heavenly
bodies are Iike the head, heart oreyes ofthe world. 'It
diffuses rays that are not only visible, but visual,'71
with wbich it sees lowerthings, nourishes, generates
and Maves them.
(
(
AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS
OurSaturn. orlead, isamuchnoblersubstaneetbangold.
It is the living earth in which the soul ofgoIdisjoined to
Mercury, that they MaY bring forth Adam and his wife
Eve. [...) The tomb in which our King is buried. is dJat
which we caU Satum, and it is the key to the work of
transmutation.li
1contemplateda great elephantofstone blackerthan
obsidian, sparkling with gold and silver fleclcs as
though a powderhadbeen sprinkledon it. The stone
wassopolishedandbright that it representedaIl that
surrounded it as though it were a mirror offine ice;
in any case, there were severai places in it where the
metalhadtumedgreen." The IWogreatteethprojeet-
ing /rom his mouth were made of a white stone.
shining Like ivory. The elephant is sunnounted by an
obelisk: right in the middle. one couldsee erectedan
obelisk of green Lacedaemonian stone with equal
faces, a span in width by the diameterofits base, and
geometrically seven more spans in height, which
narrowed to a point: and at its summit was fixed a
sphereoflightandtransparent maner.
IlI
The rnaterial
of the ohelisk is green porphyry, which Pliny caUs
'brighter than any other marble.'11 Poliphilo trans-
lates the hieroglyphs on the ohelisk to mean: Sacri-
fice liberally /rom your work to the god ofnature;
Linle by Linle you will render your soul subject to the
divinity who, mercifully, will be the guardian ofyour
life, who will govemandmaintain itsafeandsound.
12
For the Neoplatonists, God had knowledge ofthings
directlythrougha graspoftheiressence. Hieroglyphs
symbolized the possibility of this knowledge, in
which the Egyptian priests were seen to have imi-
tated the divine comprehension, signifying the di-
vine mysteries not by letters but through whole
figures of plants, trees, and heasts, a strategy which
Colonna develops in using architecture as phantas-
oc language. Poliphilo' s experience with thecorre-
spondence between word and thing in thecolossus is
reprised as the identity between word and picture in
29
the hieroglyphics. Thelevels ofrepresentation (writ-
mg, hieroglyphs, painting, sculpture, a r c h i t e e ~
and embodied experience) demonstrate degrees of
expansion of the elaborate symholism of the Hyp-
nerotol1Ulchia, and the hieroglyphs by their pres-
ence suggest that the more complex representa-
tional fonns he read in a Iiterary way.
Even in articulating these categories their hound-
aries are razed, for sculpture, although a detail oran
analogous part ofarchitecture, is not identical to it in
the constroction of significance. Poliphilo leams to
distinguish representational objects opaquely in or-
der to reflect on himself through them.
Bcfore the imagination offonns, before the geomettyof
labyrinths, should be placed a special imagination of
dynamics. and even a material imaginalion.
1J
On one side 1found a small doorway and a scale of
sevensteps by which 1a"illedal the Levelofthebase,
andsawthat in the blocksituatedbelow the stomach
was indented another small door. In the hoLlow
cavity inside the elephant were metalfastenersfixed
onto both sides, in the form ofsteps, by which one
could easily climb up and go through this grotesque
evisceratedmachine. 1was seized with desire to see
it, SO 1entered through this daor, then 1climbed up
the pins into this marvellous disembowelled body."
Althe backofilS rearend,/romthe vault, attachedby
brass chains, hung a buming lamp which was never
extinguished, and illuminated that whole empty
prison, where 1 saw the figure of a naked man of
natural size, with a crown on his head, aIL ofblack
stone except his eyes, teeth, andnails, which were of
si/ver. This figure was mounted right on the /id ofa
vaulted sepulchre carved with scales, having the
appropriate mouldings. He had his right arm ex-
tended before him, holding a sceptre, and his left
hand resting on a shield, curved in the form of a
ship 's hull,lSandcarvedinthe semblance ofa horse's
(
(
slcull, on whicla was wrinen in leners of Hebrew,
Greek and Latin: 1WAS NAID UNTIL nIE BEAST cov-
ERED ME. SEEk AND YE SHALL fIND. LEAVE ME ALONE.-
That of a matehing queen. at the far end. says:
WHOSOEVER YOU MAY BE. TAI AS MUeH Of THE TREA-
SURE AS PLEASES YOU; BUT, 1WARN YOU, TAKE FROMnIE
HEAD, DO NOTTOUCHnIEBODY." Wisdomis produced
as a tbeoretical approach, as Poliphilo is plunging
into a world where everything is made of precious
materials, but must know that the real treasure is in
his remembrance, not in themselves as objects. The
elephant's drapery is inscribed, THE BRAIN IS IN nIE
HEAD. His forehead is draped witha rug which reads:
LABOUR AND INDUSTRY.-
The vesse! must he round in sbape, that the anifex may
be the transformer of the firmament and the brain-pan.
just as the tbing we need is a simple thing.Il
THECARYATIDS
By this tilDe, Polipbilo, curious about what lies
belowthe pyramid, descends to seek its foundations
and penetrate the unknown depths beneath the ap-
pearances of things, as in himself. And in order to
Icnow the truI/a, /loolced llarough the doorway, and
saw therein, tlaere was a great hollowness,
ma",ellously dark.ID The description of the PQnal is
Colonna's greatest foray into architectural theory,
geometry and proportion, where Poliphilo imagina-
tively rettaees and comments on the process of the
architect in its construction. He is envious ofstudy-
ing, inflamed with the desire to understalllt 10 pen-
etrale Ihe profound ingenuity of the perspicacious
architect, oflais dimensions, and ofhis lineaments,
andpraetice, serutinizingit subtly.Its earthly beauty
recalls the divine to him: My senses suspended be-
tweena vitalpleasureandstupor, were captivatedby
an anentive and persevering examination 10 the
point that no remembrance, happy or sad, crossed
my memory. But in admiring with application and
30
euriosity these perfeet and noble statues of stone
representing lIirgins, / could not, in lhe agitation
whichtoolcholdofme,butgaspwhilesobbing./nany
case my amorous and resolUlnt sighs in Ims solitary
place, abandoned, andwith a thielcenedatmosphere,
reminded me ofmy divine Polia, immoderately de-
sired.Alas! / eouldnotforgetherforiong, shewhose
simu1acra is in my spirit, she who is the diligent
companyofmyjoumey./tisinherthatmysoulfirmly
establisheda nest to sleep, happy andcertain, li1ce in
a protective trench, anasylum where nothingis 10 he
feared.
9
Poliphilo' suntemperedemotionalresponses
tothearchitecture, ofdesireanddejection, shows Dot
ooly the teDSion between the extremes ofhis cbarac-
ter, but the architecture's capacity to move bis soul.
The qualities of Love in its different aspects as the
prime moyer and vital foree in the universe are
expounded in Ficino's work De Amore, wbich de-
tails the philosophical principles at work in this
magic. A commentary to Plato' s Symposium, On
Lolle describes the Renaissance adaptation of Pla-
tonic t h o u g h ~ in balance to his more Aristotelian
Book ofLife, on magic. Ficino copies the stnlcture
and subject of Plato' s Symposium as a series of Dine
dinner speeches on the nature of love. Love is tirst of
ail a desire for beauty, and this desire is instigatedby
the visual image. The making of representations is
thereforebathaneroticanda magical enterprise. The
third book of De Vila Triplici describes the conver-
sion of natural objects to attract desirable divine
influences, whichalsooperatethrough love. Ficino' s
keystone is the intennediary of spirit, or eros. Spirit
is the mediumofconveyance and conversion, trans-
lation and proportion. It is the link between symbol
and metaphor, the mediumof establishing love, and
Cupid's little golden and leaden arrows denote
alchemically its directional attraction or repulsion.
Thespiritconveys thepowers ofthe soul to the body,
(
(
and the sensual impressions of the body ta the s o u ~
by transferring or transfonning these images.
While looldng at these [images]. by a power of [the
soul's] OWD. it conceives wilhin itself images like them
but much purer still. This kind of conceiving we cali
imaginationorfantasy.lmages conceivedherearestored
in the memory.'2
Nevertheless, neither the eye nor the spirit can store
these images in their absence, and the continued
physical presence required of Polia perpetuates
Poliphilo' s desire. Like love, desire is also a thresh-
old phenomenon, heing that which we partly pos-
sess, and partly lack. A kind of present anticipation
ofan absent good, it is considered both pleasing and
attainable, and (this is the coonection to the istoria
and the naturalistic StalUary) orchestrated to achieve
sympathetic motions ofthe soul, for 6likeness gener-
ates love'" and 'love attracts like to Iike.'"
Love .. is weU pmportioned...." "Proportion" includes
a11 ofthe pans ofa composite body, and does not exist in
individual parts but in ail ofthem."
In the act of translation, the relationships between
constituent parts undergo a reassessment in terms of
the whole. This necessary revision is the alchemical
ritual ofdeath and rebirthofthe material worldofthe
work. Love is the creator and the preserver of ail
works that areaccording to nature,"andail things are
preserved by a unity oftheirparts.- The derivationof
theory necessitates an attention to conjonctions and
connections, and these operate through proportion.
Order in architecture like that of language or dreams
depends onfixing a kind ofgrammar oftheelements.
THE ART OF BUILDING
Madness is symbolized by blindness, and is
symptomatized by a break in conventional relations
betweentheobjects ofperceptionandtheir represen-
tation in the imagination. Schopenhauer speaks of
madness in tenns of loss ofmemoryt and Poliphilo's
oneiric melancholy emblemalizes the condition of
31
bis culture with respect to the worship of nature and
knowledgeofpoetic mythoftheGolden Age. 1aslced
myself how the modems, in their blindness, thinlc
themselves skiIlfuI in the art of building, although
they know not even what it is. so tha! they extract ail
the rules from their miserable buildings, sacred or
profane. publicorprivate, and, neglectingthe teach-
ings of Nature herse/f. do not talce account of the
parts in between. That is a golden word, a celestial
word, lilce that ofthe poet when he affirmedthat only
there lies virtue andhappiness. It is in the neglect of
this central part tMt onefalls inevitably into disor-
der. and that ail things ring false. For every pan
which is incongruent with ils principal is ridiculous.
and. ifyou deviale [rom arder and ru/e. what work
would then seem commodious. gracious and wor-
thy? Now the cause of an error as weil as the
unsuitable proceeds [rom an obstinate ignorance
andissues[rom an absence ofletters."
Allegories are, in the realmofthoughts, what nrins are in
the realm ofthings.
ICIO
An ideal UDiverse once fractured by temporality
refracts truth nto a series of proportional parallels
which refer to the same original symbol but with
different vocabularies. Allegorywasoriginallymod-
elledonthe prefigurationoftheOldTestament ofthe
New Testament, and developed into the emerging
latemediaeval notion ofexegesis applicable not ooly
to sacred texts but to any text at ail. In the early part
of the fteenth century the foundations of absolute
tmthin knowledge received through sacredtexts had
been shaken by the rediscovery ofrhetorical style in
the ancients. This knowledge had given to the tropes
ofrhetoric the function ofrevealing a moral doctrine
held by an individual. The new application of aIle-
gory was a mode of encrypting moral truth in fic-
tion.
IOt
Dy introducing lime into metaphor, it is en-
coded and decoded through the proportional cela-
(
(
tionsbips ofthe parts and the whole. Thetrajectoryof
one story is read througb another, in this medium
which, like perspectival construction, conals in
orderto simultaneously reveal. Colonnauses both of
these senses: the fust book makes an a1legory of
Poliphilo' s education on the various levels men-
tioned previously, and the second book reconciles
the alchemical projectio with prophetic allegory.
The new alIegory, whicb privileged origins over
representations, gave new importance to direct rev-
elation from the divine. The visionary dream de-
scribed the narrative rendition of wisdom revealed
directly by Gad but, like ail oracles, cloaked in
metaphorical imagery. The struggle for the truth
could he seen through the lens of Gnostic thought,
passed into the circle of Cosimo de Medici via the
writings of Hennes Trismegistus, rendered from the
Greek by Ficino. These texts, believed to predate
both Plato and the Bible, were an exercise of the
second to third century AD synthesizing their influ-
ences, but seen as precursory, written by a great
prophet. The principles of Gnostic thought were
based on the notion ofacorropt worldcreatednot by
the principal deity, but by an inferior and evil
demiourgos, a material bricoleur, whose manofclay
was brought to life ooly by the pneumatic breath of
life of the true Gad. The dualist perception of the
Gnostics was that matter was corrupt and evil, while
spirit was good. For the Gnostics the spirit was
elevated through the transmutation of the corporeal
world.1bisdemiurgeinadvertentlybecamethe model
for the human arcbiteet, in whom creature and cre-
ator were united, earthand melancholy. The Renais-
sance architeet for whom the world was a machine,
saw bis own works in the same light.
Thus, in the time of alcbemy, metapbor and transmuta-
tion were mutuaUy dependent, alonc. A psycbological
experiencedoubledthea1cbemicalexperience. Alchemi-
cal thinkingdemonsttales lo us the reversibility ofMeta
32
pbors. White wine is potable gold. Red wine is blood.
llD
A metaphor, for Vico 6 a myth in miniature,' is a way
of making the invisible visible, a way of giving
sensible fonn and qualities to the insensible or ideal.
Because it is an irrational process, it also introduces
invention, in the sense ofrevealing, into representa-
tion.
Metaphor. far from being Iimited lo a Iinguistic artifact.
is characterized by ilS epistemological fonction of dis-
covering newmeanings. What is at stake is still knowing
inpmcess but consideredinits 'nascent momenL' lntbis
sense metaphor is a thought process before being a
language process. It is indeed to the theoretical media-
tions of experience thal metaphor makes a powerful
contribution, al the poinl where observation is joined lo
theory.lo)
Allegory, is a 'speaking otherwise' from the Greek
alios agoreuein, related to the Latinago. The berme-
neutic traditionofetymology in languagesustains an
apocryphal notion that allegory originally signified
'the sufferingoftheOther.' Colonna' s statues do not
just represent emotions, but 'cause' them in the
beholder. Allegory is inclined to the unfamiliar, and
arouses sublimity by stimulating the mind with ob-
scurity, whicb bas an effect of creating admiration
and delight. The principle reason for the alIegoricai
fonninthe Hypnerotomachia isthealchemical trans-
formation of the cognitive intellect, a
process for which there is no language (as Pophilo
often remarks througb the narrative) and which must
necessarily he described through a series of meta-
phorical images, as an alchemical theoria. It is be-
cause words are the lost bonds that the text system-
atically builds an architectural vocabulary through
its descriptions.l see myselfconstrainedto use here
expressions which, to he skilful in usage, do not
belong10vulgarlanguage. Forwehavedegenerated
and are absolutely deprived of the wealth ofterms
which, alone, wouldpermit to be well-rendered the
delails ofsuch a work.
ICM
(
(
Ifdreams designare - parspro toto tbe entire region of
double meaning expressions, the problemofiDrerpn:ta-
tion in tom designates aU understanding spec:ifically
concemedwiththe meaningofequivocal expression. To
interpret is to understand a double meaning.
IGf
The representational strategies in the Hypnerotoma-
chl are so elaborate that it is legitimate to assume
that this issue is at the forefront of the work. The
inventive language of the original text is a Venetian
combination of Latin and Italian with Greek com-
pounds used in the text as 'verbal hieroglyphics.'
The texture of it resembles the portmanteau dream-
language used in two modem dream-novels.
IClt
For the only pleasure the melancholic permits bimself,
and il is a powerful one, is allegory. (...] It must not he
assumed that there is anything accidentai about the fact
that the allegorical is relaled ... 10 the fragmentary,
untidy, and disordered character of magicians' dens or
alchemists' laboratories.
lG7
Melanchoa is a natural condition of the soul in the
body, to which scholars and philosophers are espe-
cially prone. The soul rebels against identity with the
body, and melancholy is the tonnent of separating
from its captivity. In doing so it oPens up an aporia
in which the spirit expands. Ficino describes why
scholars are melancholiacs in the tirst of bis three
essays, caIIed "On Caring for the Health of Men of
Letters." Previously, to compare the uchitect with
Ficino' s men of letters might not he fit, but the
Humanistarchitectis literallya manofletters. Alberti
exhorts theuseofmottoesengravedintothearchitec-
ture, this practice is demonstratedextensively in the
language, quotations, and citations of the Hypnero-
tOnulchia, using Latin, Greek, Italian, Arabic, He-
brewandEtnlscan, as weil as hieroglyphics unifying
word and image, and reliefs depicting stories of
mythology and the gods; and the extensive word-
play in which he engages the text, where words are
used with a full poetic intention. In speaking of
appropriate architectural making, Colonna specifies
33
that the architeet should be a master of literary
knowledge, akey tobis understandingofhowmean-
ingisgiveninarchitecture. Verbal languageis analo-
goustophantasmic language, andthereforethetheory
of architecture is adequately represented in either
lineaments or writing. The health of literary men,
prone to melancholy, has much to do with the
practicalities ofsympathetic magic. Anegleet ofthe
spirits through the neglect of the body impedes the
search fortnJth.The soul's communication with the
body relies on the health of the spirit which creates
this phantasmic sequence, where health means hu-
moral balance. The soul in its tumgovems the body.
Apollo, as the founder of medicine, proclaimed So-
crates the wisest of men, for he studied the health of
thesoul. Aneglect oftheorysimilarlyimpedes thean
of building.
1beory ... is the ability tu delllOnstrate and explain the
productions of dexterity on the principles of propor
tion.
l

Atheorist is the silent spectator of history. Although

Albeni states that for the architeet the two necessary
branches of knowledge are painting, which has its
greatest momentumin the literary istoria, and math-
ematics, the still-powerful tradition handed down
from Vitruvius purchases an extremely broad range
of leaming. The emergence oftwo significant archi-
tecturai lreatises wrilten in narrative fonn, that of n
Filarete and the Hypnerotomachia, suggests that the
Renaissance man sawhimselfas a polymatb, unlim-
ited by categorical divisions in the liberal arts. AlI
roads led to autobiography, where although Percep-
tion, memory, and reflection change over time, a
master plan is manifest. Narrative embodied tempo-
ral or sublunary order reflected from the etemal
cosmic order of celestial motion, taking musical
ritual as a model for order in lime and applied to
worldly subjects. The period in which the Hypnero-
(
tomachia was writtengavebirthtothemodemBovel.
The vemacular languages were conquering rnediae-
val Latinas the search for a truth rooted inoriginsent
European states iota a quest for their indigenous
roots. The potential of the unique and individual
indicatedan ascendancy ofthe will as adrivingforce
for altering destiny. Rather than remaining a capo-
maestro whoextendedthe hando f G ~ the atebitect
became a maker who could digest the world around
himthrough his body and retlected the results of his
imagination back into the concrete world. The living
humanbodythus becamea locus oftheproduction of
metamorphosis. For Il Filarete (1400-69), whose
Trattato d'architenura describedthe architeet as the
mother of the building with the patron playing the
role of the father, this metaphor was a potent micro-
cosm for the seeding of generative Nature with the
active power of the individual will of a patron. The
buildings drawn in Filarete' s manuscript have as
their foundations labyrinths, symbolizing the
traveUer' s insemination of fecund nature and bis
own rebinh througb it. Like the initiation rituals
found not ooly in primitive cultures but in the mys-
tery cuits celebrated by the Greeks and Romans,
always ina gendereduniverse, involvingthe descent
into the mother goddess and the re-emergence into
masculine political society. The passage to logos
throughmythos stipulates for thepoet the importance
of the Muse, mythical or personal. The metaphor of
love as a unily of desire was apt. But because inspi-
ration is divine, and the nurse of it the unconscious
psyche, or world, the ego..self was no more than a
vehicle for the creation of art. While having the
potential to calibrate his character and being there-
fore responsible in a particular way to society, the
individual artifex was undeservingofpride. The role
of consciousness was to catalyze the connection of
the self and the world, a self-overcoming. Arcbitec-
34
tural magic adapted the mimetic theory of artistic
production to propitiate Fomme through the appro-
priate invocation of particular celestial forces in
order to advantageously direct or frame patterns of
change in Nature. Alberti emphasized the impor-
tance of omament, siting a work in an appropriate
symbolic universe. Through this application a kind
oftropical natural magic wasanimatedthroughform.
This flowering interest in the architeet' s body as a
site ofcreative production. like the cavemous earth
was for nature, placed emphasis on the healthy
balance ofthe body as the microcosmofthe cosmos,
and on an intermediate scale, the built work of
architecture. Alike in f o ~ alike insoul: the creative
imagination had its similarities in nature.
For a dreamer of matter. is not a well-formed pape
aIready a beautiful fantasy of the vine; has il DOt been
sbaped by the plant's oneiric forces? Througb ail of ber
abjects. Natwe is dreaming.
s

Desire, wbile remaining sbackled to destiny, would

createchange by acceleratingcertain forces within a
divine master plan, activated by the subject' s hand.
The dream of the individual was liberated from its
roleofprefigurationofthedestinedfuture tobecome
the projected vision, or day-dream as the French
translation ofhypnos and somniumas 'songe'slOwith
its nuanceofmusingsuggests. This couldbefulfilled
tbrough the pursuit of one' s will, grafting imagina-
tionanddesire. Colonnastipulates aneducatedtheory
as a guide rather than the letter ofthe law, for laler in
the story he deliberatelydeviates fromthe Vitrovian
canon, giving precedence to the architect's indepen-
dent judgement. As he reiterates, the idea of the
building takes precedence over ail other consider-
ations sucb as omament. Alberti observes that the
building is a form of body consisting of matter, a
product of nature, and lineaments, a product of
thought. The achievement of the architect is there-
fore ta conceive it in bis intellect.
(
(
TBUS THE LITfLE WORLD IS CREATED
ACCORDING TO THE PROTOTYPE OF THE
BIGWORLD.
Representation is determined by how an frames
nature. Tropes provided a key structural link he-
tween those things which correspond and redupli-
cate within a dual structure, like mimetic play, and
those which, like memory, models, and illusions
such as painting, present something inaccessible
through certain filters of abstraction. This is not a
strict dichotomy; bath develop knowledge of some-
thing other, whether that other is intemally centred
on a divine idea or extemally on another human
being or culture. In the unconscious psyche those
coincide. The o b e l i s ~ which like a human being
appropriates a radial spacearound itself, was a meta-
phorfor tbis intemalizationoftheexternal othemess,
allowing the Humanists to use columns omamen-
tally rather than Stnlcturally. For the anthropomor-
phism of the axis mundi as a column, each body
becomes a colonizing centre of vision. The Renais-
sanceorders were neitherGotbic engineeringnorthe
orders of the Classical world. As John Onians has
pointed out, Filarete had contrived in his treatise a
correspondence betweenthearchitectural orders and
the social classes. Although tbis is not yet expcit in
Colonna, he also separates the utility of subservient
columns, which support weight, from omamental
columns, wbich divine arder. And arder is knowl-
edge. Mimesis, metaphors of ecbo and reflection,
prefiguration, dupcationandreproduction, are play
fOnDS based on imitation as the original occasion of
human knowledge. Aristotle attributes twocauses to
poetry: that man is naturally imitative and leams by
imitating; and that it is natural to delight in works of
imitation.111
Imitation is natura! lo man from childhood, one of his
advantagcs ovcr the lower animaIs bcing this. that he is
the mosl imitativecreatureinthe world. andleams al first
3S
by imitation. And it is also natural for all CO deligbt in
works ofimitation.
IU
Hefollows this withanexplanation: 6Thetrutbofthis
second point is shown by experience: though the
objects themselves may he painful to see. we delight
to view the most realistic representations of them in
art. [...l the reason of the deght in seeing the picture
is that one is al the same tilDe leaming - gathering the
meaningofthings.' Unpleasantthings becomepleas-
ing, for the sublimedeght ofleaming. Delight inthe
imitation of things unseen derives from their execu-
tion or colouring. These are sunilar to the active and
passive modes of cognition: sense (empirical per-
ception) and reflection (ideal speculative orcontem-
plativethought). Asinmany alchemical trealises, the
Hypnerotomachia demands that the anifex imitate
nature. Play is a key metaphor for the inhabitationof
the architectural field; and at many moments of the
narrative one might weUhe on Sero' s satyric stage:
places in between nature and culture, places where
archetypal events are destined to action. Various
kinds of play which constitute and describe cultural
interaction are introduced in architectural, social,
and Iiterary fonus. The game ofchess danced in the
court of the queen is one sucb example. Another is
the implied reference of the labyrinth lo the Trojan
game ofthe Aeneid, also a dance. Imitation occurs in
the architecture as the crystallization of symboc
ideas. Original tnlth is naturalized, basedon the idea
ofthechainofbeing, culminatinginGad, whomman
imitates through love. Beauty is constituted as a
mnemonic device for invisible virtues; cosmetic
artistry reproduces this relation magically. Oma-
ment symbolically binds architectural invention to
its earthly site; that is its crime. The invention of a
building, however, phantasmatized in contempla-
tion, was unfettered psychic cause. From remem-
brance, invention became innovation, transfonning
(
(
the generative imagination from rational to gr0-
tesque, and in the process produced roonsters as its
extemal progeny, unclassifiahle mings, fusing, ex-
isting between categories, like new sentences in a
language. Rational discemment acts as the Iight in
the gretto, the flash photography which freezes a
process in its state of change, 50 that it MaY he
examined and metaphorically named, taking an ar-
chitecturai section through time. Throughout
Poliphilo' 5 joumey, motifs are configured differ-
ently as they recur, their metamorpho5is halted in the
delay at the threshold. The image imprints on the
pure spirit of the fluid body and is recognized lout
chere' by the eyes. The practice which makes mi-
metic activity panicipatory and theoretical rather
thansimulative is a1chemy which, litenatural magic,
relies on the sympathetic identification between two
cosmographie models, the artifex and the work.
Alchemy pertains to a hidden essential reality which
cao ooly be perceived through a transformation of
consciousness from leaden to golden, so that every
thing mayheunderstood inits pure archetypal unity.
The art, basedonnature, is divinely inspired, and this
divine quality is also in the mind of man.
For nature, c:rescent. does not grow alone
ln thews and bulk; but. as tbis temple waxes,
The inward service of the mind and sou!
Grows wide withal.
IU
DOW TO UNDERSTAND PLANS
The unw mundus is a mediaeval theological concept
which holds that when Ood created the world he natu-
rally first made a plan. like a good architect. a model of
the cosmos. Hedidthateither withinthe WisdomofGod
- she is that lUlUS mundus. the creative anima of God
within which He casts the model of the world - or
sometimes il is identified with the pre-existing Logos.
i.e., Christ before he was born on earth. This unus
mundus is not the cosmos as it exists now, but an idea in
God's psyche or mind, the plan which Gad proceeds to
realize, asanarchitect follows bis planfor thebuildingof
a bouse. When an individual has reached this stage of
becoming conscious and one with himself. he does not
36
uniEe withtheaetua1lyexStingcosmos which, according
to Christian doctrine is corruptible and subject to deatb.
but with the U1IUS mundus, that mental model-world in
the mind ofOod. or in the WisdomofGod. He becomes
one, it is a corunctio, he mates in a love act with the
Sapientia Dei, who is identical with this unus mundus
and identical with the experience of synchronistic
events.
1I1
The Hypnerotomachia makes human creative pro-
cess analogous to natural process: as Gad created
nature by bis thought, man creates art by his. Tech-
nique, which is haptic and unconscious, is subordi-
nated to poetic invention. The masculine logos, the
pneuma of divine inspiration, is needed to activate
the feminine aspect of the wode, mythos. Just as in
Gnostic parable the true deity breathed Iife into the
clay golem made by the demiurge, man activates
nature in agriculture, which is the madel for the
actualizarion of the will in art, plunging ioto a
Heraclitus' river ofmetamorphic process inorderfor
inventionquajictiontooccur. Thearchitect ... lu:u1so
appropriately expressedthe conceptandintentionof
his imagination, as much as in the proponion and
measurement ofthe building as in the perfection of
the an ofsculpture, as ifthe material had been, not
marble, but soft wax or clay.l" Colonna compares
this tnle art to a bright Iight which gently rouses us to
contemplation to illuminate our darkness.
Nevertheless, much as the perfection of a highly
elevaled an should not diverge /rom its canon, the
artful and ingenious archilect, who is industrious,
can, by adding and subtracting, give finish to his
workandrenderitpleasant10 the gaze. But hebrings
10il, aboveail, thatwhichpreserves themass[solidoJ
intact, and reconciles it with the whole. What 1 cali
the mass is the ensemble oflhe building, itsprincipal
intention, conceivedfirst ofail, the true invention,
the thought itself, the symmetry of the a r c h i t e c t ~
studiedandconductedwithoutanyaccessory. This is
what demonstrates, if 1 am not mistaken the
(
(
versatility ofhis ingenuity. In effeet, ID omament it
then becomes an easy thmg. Disposition Iras a capi-
tal importance, considering tlrat it is not concemed
to go placing the CTown on thefeet when il shouldbe
put on the head, andthat ail things, eggs, teeth, and
the rest should be put in their ordained place. The
generalordinance is the principle ofinvention, that
heing peculiar only to rare men. Many foots, many
ordinary men, succeed in omamentation. But, the
craftsmen of a manual art are subservient to the
architect, who above ail guards against falling into
peifidyandaccursedgreed. Besides his doctrine, he
should he good, not garrulous, kind, benevolent,
genlle, patient, playful, generous, inquisitive and
curious about ail things as weil asprudent. 1say that
he shouldbe prudent, in orderthat he not let himsel!
he hastened into any imperfection, and[ intend that
he should be ail ofthese. 'III
THE GREAT PORTAL
[nfront ofthis portal (to tell the truth)first, was left
uncovered an area in a square with a diameter of
thirty paces, paved with spectaeuLar mamie slabs,
separatedfrom one another by the length ofa foot:
the separation between IWo, workedwith mosaics in
intricate interlacing lorms and leaves of various
colours, disruptedin manyplacesbythe stonedebris
olthebuilding. Attheedgeolthisplateau, to the right
and left sides. towards the mountains, were evenly
erected two orders 01 columns with an araeostyle
spacing accurately equidistant/rom one another as
appropriateness demands. Thefirst course ororder
beganat the level o/thepaving.lnfrontoftheportal,
from one colonnade to the other. lhere was a space
offifteen paces. For the nlDst part these columns
appeared still standing and intact, with Doric or
pulvinated
u1
capitals, with cortices or snail-shell
volutes. mming upward towards the hollow sea-
37
urchins, withastragalsplacedbeneath, thuslornaing
a projection exceeding by a third the width of the
capitIJl, whose height was hal!the diameter 01their
base. It is c1ear that the capital sa described is not
Doricatal) but ratherIonic. Colonna is redefiningthe
orders according to a Humanist anthropomorphisme
Above these /Qy the epistyle, or continuous upright
trabeate, but the greaterpart olthis wasfragmented
and interrupted. Many columns were denuded of
their capitaLs, and severai ofthem were overtumed,
broun and half-buried in between the ruins, up to
the astragals, up to the hypotrachelia, up to the
hypotesi, amongst which grew linle shrubs and
bushes. Nearthese rowsolcolumnation, plane trees,
a grove of /aurel and coniferous cypresses, and
brian, still from antiquity. 1 suspected
from this that it must Ir.ave been a hippodrome or a
xystus, or a circus, or a promenade, or a
hypotrachelium parch, III or the course ofsome tem-
porary strait.
ll
'1be decapitated andinjuredcolumns
present the gigantomachy in architectural forme
Satyrus states tbat there is an Indian onyx Chat is tlesh-
coloured, with a part of it resembling and a
part chrysolite and amethyst.
12ll
The keystone, or corner ofthe arch or vault, was of
an agateolveryblackstone, carvedin theformolan
eagte, altogether larger than its nonnal size, with ils
wings extended, and dangling an infant from its
talons, straight above his navel, in such a gentle way
that ilappearedthat the birdwasanxiousnot toharm
him.
121
The child was cenainly so perfectly feigned
with the white vein 01 the agate, or onyx, and the
eagte ofsardonyx, which is the other vein present in
the same stone, that [ remained completely aston-
ished, thin/dng ofhow the ingen;ous worlcman hm:l
imagined applying his stone to such wonderful in-
vention. To see the feathers bristling around the
bird's neck, the gaping beakandthe panting tongue,
(
you would have been able to tell tluzt M was talcen
with desire for the child.
12Z
Agate is one of the many

inparaIlelbandsofvaryingthickness, irregularclouds,
or withthe inclusionofotherminerais. The bands are
usually irregular and sometirnes concentric; if the
bands arecolours otherthangreyit is knownas onyx.
Sardonyxis a variant with layers ofreddish brownto
brown mtemating with other colours. 'Pyrrhos ... is
said to have possessed an agate on which could he
seen the Nine Muses with Apollo holding bis lyre.
This was due not to any artistic intention, but to
nature unaided; and the markings spread in such a
way that even the individual Muses had their appro-
priateemblems alIotted to them.'us TheIndianagate,
which displays this pictorial versimilitude, also al-
fays thirst when placed in the mouth. Merely to look
al agate is goad for the cyes. The childis Ganymede,
the cup-bearer of the gods. As an eaglc, cartying
GanymedetoOlyrnpus, Jupiter badbeenallcgorized
as Christ bearing up SLJohn, which hadcnabled the
Evangelist to reveal the secrets of heaven. 1be carv-
ing divines Poliphilo' s own situation, the rise of
mind to the rapture ofcontemplation and the ecstasy
of Platonic love through divine furor.
THEGEMINI
The great portal is flanked by double columns, a
phenomenon which bas no precedent in classical
antiquitylUbutdernonstratestheduplicationoftbings.
Thepairedcolumns arefP..ad as twins orcouples, with
the etbics of a double-centred universe based on
love, in whicheachofa pair bas its beingthroughthe
other.
us
Castor and Pollux symbolize the art of
memory, as onetwin is mortal and one immortal. On
either side ofthe ponat andfor its proper appear-
ance, at a distance of IWo paces, still remained
standing IWo tall and superb columns whose bases
38
were buriedundertMruins. Doingmybentoloosen
ail the rubble, 1 located and uncovered bases of
bronze, the same material /rom which the capitals
were excellently executed. (...) These IWo columns
adjacent to the door were made from finest por-
phyryl'l6 and gracious ophite. Two other columns
were caryatids, fluted or channelled, and very weil
crafted. Besides these columns there were others to
the left and right, moderately spaced, of very solid
Laconianmarhle.
127
The red and greencolumns sym-
bolize Mars and Venus, and the union of strife and
sympathy.1was so truly overwhelmedwith admira-
tion and so occupiedin loolcing at this, tlrat no other
thing (no maUer how solacious or pleasant) might
enter my faney [imagination}, unless it was that
while considering all the parts ofthis beautiful and
convenable composition, 1saw statues nuule in the
shape ofmaidens, so t/rat suddenly hotly ucitl and
sighingheavily,formysighs lingeredin thisdeserted
and solitary place, obfuscated by a thick and gross
air, for 1could not long forget my divine and mast
immeasurably beloved Poila, the amorous and ce-
lestial idea ofwhom was simulatedin my mind, and
whoaccompaniedme on my thus unknown course.
12I
Thus the immortal pbantasmic Polia finds a projec-
tion in the statuary, 50 that the sigbt of them stokes
both love and rnelancboly. The double Doric col-
umns measuredin heightseventimes theirdiameter;
they sprang upabove the blocks described, ail glow-
ing and polished, of a beautifui Phoenician red,
fleclced with distributed i"egularly Iighter spots.
These columns were fluted each with twenty-four
striations, precisely continuous from one section to
the nut.ln the Iowe, thirdofeach were rudentures.
Asforthe reason whichdeterminedthatthe channels
were thus andthat the rudentures occupiedonly one
third, 1thought that it arose from the fact thDt this
mastexcellent workortemple was rituallydedicated
( both to one saandthe other; tlrat is to say, to a gOO
and a goddess, for example, to the mother and the
son, or to the husband and wife, or the father and
daughter. Now, tothefemininesexourcleverances-
tral experts attributedtheflute, much largerthan the
rudenture, which they attributed to the masculine
su, because the natural lubricity of the first sur-
passes byfar that ofthe second in lasciviousness.
129
This hermaphroditic architecture accounts for the
useofcolumns with Doric proportions andCorinthian
capitals. The explicit anthropomorphism is devel-
oped into a relation between cosmetic and omament
which rons implicit throughthe Hypnerotomachia in
the correspondences between the descriptions ofthe
nymphs and the buildings, and the factthat bath have
the power to move Poliphilo' s soul and evoke emo-
tional reactions and desire. As a lover, bis spirit is
phantasmically inclined toward love and beauty,
which colours (illuminates) both bis perception and
bis invention. That which occasioned the use ofthe
flutes, was the need to indicate a temple of the
goddess, the striations imitating the clothing of
women. As for the capitals placed at the top of the
columns, withtheirprojectingvolutes. theydescribed
the curling hairstyle andcharacteristics offeminine
costume. The caryatids, which havefor capitals the
ornnented head 0/ a woman, were placed in the
temples of this rebellious tribe who. having been
subjected, saw fit to impose themselves on such
columns in order that they should perpetually bear
witness to the lack offeminine faith. These remark-
able columns rested on the plinths, their bases 0/
bronzetori decoratedwithoaklealles revealingtheir
acoms and tied with ribbons wound tightly around.
The capitals which crownedthem, o/the same mate-
rial as the bases, were workedwith the harmonyand
appropriateness requiredat every point. They were
suchasCallimachus, caLLedthe Catatechnical, never
39
saw, on the tomb ofthe maid ofCorinth, lhe double
aconthus foma on the basket as good an omament,
and never equalled. Callimachus was a bronze-
caster, and there isa beliefthatoriginally 'CoriDthian
capitals' referred to capitals of bronze rather than
stone. His epithet means 'the artificial. 'IJO These
capitals were topped by their sinuous abaci sloping
and curving. ornamented in the middle with a lily.
The vase was gamishedto perfection by Iwo rows of
eight acanthus Leaves. Beyond the leaves emerged
the volutes which, gatheringtowardthe middleofthe
vase, ordained a lily placed in the centre of the
ahacus' bow, beneath the projection of which
wrappedthe caulcoles.Ill The rest ofthe edificf!yfrom
there "P, was destroyedand/allen, but there was the
appearance of greal double windows denuded of
their omaments, somewhat showing WMt the build-
ing hadbeen in ilS e n t i r e t y . ~ The oak motif demon-
strates the transmutation ofthetree ofthe intennedi-
ale dreaminto a column, and the tropical correlation
of tree, column and human figure as vertical exten-
sion. The ocular double windows, connected to hu-
man verticality, reprise the aIlegory of vision to
which the pyramid is dedicated.
THE VALOROUSARCHITECf
The design of a temple depends on symmetry, the prin-
ciples of which must he most carefully observed by the
architect. Theyare due to proportion. inGreekanalogia.
Proportion is a correspondence betweenthe measures of
the members of an entire work. and of the whole te a
certain pan selected as standard. From tbis results the
principles of symmetry. Wilhout symmetry and propor-
tion there cao he no principles in the design of any
temple; tbat is, if there is no precise relation between its
members, as in the case of a well-sbaped maD.
W
The role ofthe humanist arcbitect is concemed with
the lineaments of the building, its disposition and
mass, omament being understood as self-evident
once the organization is known. To the valorous
architect, being is more important than well-being.
(
(
TIult is to say that he must. be/ore everything, know
howtoconceiveanddispose the mass inonexcellent
way, andto possess in his soul moreover, rather the
conception ofthe whole than that ofthe ornaments,
whichare no morethan accessories in relation to the
principal. The first operation, as such, demands the
fertile skill ofa single man. As for the second, it is
appropriatetonu:myartisans, infact, ignorantwork-
ers, - those which the Greeks called Ergati, - who,
moreover, are the passive instruments ofthe arch;-
tect. 1lI Aristotle' s four causes hannonize in an her-
metic quartet. The builders produce or efficiently
cause matter ta become fonn through a kind of
alchemy. Materialityis orchestratedbynatural magic.
The final cause is the astrological template of the
buildingprogramme. Thefonnal cause is the divina-
tory conception of the architect. In bis invention a
cenain amorality is i m p l i ~ a teleological range of
propheticambiguity whosemeaningwhich is guided
toward 'well-heing' through the magic of omamen-
tation, analogous to the particular details of an aIle-
gory which articulate one aspect of its symbolic
potential. TheDivine arcbetyPeofthearcbiteet, with
the mediaeval builder who acted as bis h a n ~ trans-
lated ioto a paradigtn filled by creating a class of
architects who, as men ofletters and hence oftheory,
imagined architecture. Privileging the poetic imagi-
nationovertechnique, the labour ofconstnictionwas
an inferior task, not less useful, but like the position
ofnatureinthe hierarchy ofthe worlel, subordinateto
the mind. The abstraction of the invention of a
building mass is based in number, a legacy of
Pythagorean philosophy re-emergent in the
Quadriviumofthe liberal arts. Mathematics is num-
ber in the intellect, geometry plots number in space,
music arranges number in tinte and astronomy com-
bines number in space and tme. The qualitative
symbolism of numbers gives proportion its signifi-
40
cance in this regard. Therefore while astronomy is
analogous to arcbitecture, geometry and music are
tools with which the architect constrocts theory.
While number and geometry are prominent in the
architectural descriptions, music, understood in this
particularaspect, is alSOpresent. Colonnaconstructs
an architectural analogy ta music
9
which, while giv-
ing stnlcture to the creative process
9
amplifies
architecture's emotional range through a pervasive
temperament or character corresponding to the in-
vention of the mass. In a sense, astronomical prin-
ciples are separated into geometry and music, then
recombined iotoarchitecture, giving it magical resO-
nance. To imitate is to serve, and hence to preserve.
The aimof natural pbilosophy is not in adoring the
stars, 'but rather about imitating them, and seizing
themby imitation,' IJS and 'song is the most powerful
imitator of everything. For it imitates the intentions
andaffections oftbesoul, andwords, andtbis matters
for the gestures and movements ofthe body, the acts
of tnaD
9
and bis customs.' UI Reason, resident in the
soul
9
througb imagination and the spirit, or through
deliberation can 'by a kind of imitation
9
put itself in
agreement with Jove.
9
m
Music is the preferred rem-
edyagainst melancholy9 anddepolarizes the ambiva-
lent temper of the building mass. This is why 1have
spoken in many places ofthe dutifulobjective ofthe
architect, ofhisprincipal goal, which is the superior
establishment or invention, ofthe rhythmical mass-
ing ofthe building as a solid body. The architect. in
effect, can resolve it in fine divisions, neither more
nor less than the musician when, having fountl
(invento) the intonation, he measures the time in a
lengthandproportions it thus in chromaticdivisions
which respond harmoniously to the stable note. By
analogy, thefirst rule andpanicularofthe architect
consists, after the invention has been established, in
the grid (quadratura) which, divided in smaller
(
(
squares, fumishes the whole with ils convenient
proportion and harmonie modulations, and its ac
cessories subordinate and responsive la the princi.
pal.
1JI
Musical modes are used to eonstnlct architec-
tural moods,lJlI as the Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian
songs whieh appear in the narrative as counterparts
to the Colonnized Dorie, Ionie and Corinthian or-
ders. The columns of the portico are spaced with
araeostyle intervals, the widest intercolumnation of
four diameters, used as a measure of a tempo which
quickens over the course ofPophilo' s joumey, like
a heartbeat accelerating due to gravity, through
diastyle, eustyle, to pycnostyle, one and a halfdiam-
eters. Using musical theory as a frame, Colonna
demonstrates howfluid narrative can be constlUcted
through fixed architecture. The soul, moving by
itself, creates temporal progression. In it originales
the capacity for melancholy and music, bath condi-
tional ontemporality.1beHypnerotomachia'snovel
fonn andchronological progression imply the philo-
sophical foundation of psychic motion, and thus
attribute autbority to the faculty of imagination.
PIalo was rilbt to locain the sou! the first motion and
the tint interval oflime; from the sou! both motion and
time pass into bodies.
l

The elaborate omamentation of the portal includes

many istoriae, amongst which Vulcan forges wings
for Cupid, and Cupid is educated by Mercury. The
anifex had carefully brought out this whole subject
ofthe istoria, on a backgroundofmarble the colour
ofcoral, which he haddrawn out, carried through,
and insened into the mouldings of the aforemen.
tioned block. This rosy tincture shone through the
translucent alabaster, reftecting its outlines and
communicating to the nude bodies andmembers, an
incarnate coloration. Ali the lineaments ofthis ped
estai were equal in the other, only the istora dif
/ered.
l61
The sublime beauty of this stone appearing
41
as healthy glowing f1esh provokes cupidity even in
the reader. Polipbilo sees an inscription stating NIHIL
FIRMUM - nothing is stable, static, or detennined.
1G
In
a niche above the opening, in the middle seventh
division, appears the statue of a nymph bearing two
torches, the right pointing upward to the sun and
burning, the left pointing down to the earth and
extincl On either side of the nymph are two scenes
which depict the Metamorphoses of wornen inta
vegetation, an early heotropism in alchemyt s in-
verted cosmogonie pross. These four are transfor-
mations of the loves of Apollo.
A MACHINE FOR MEMORY
AU machinery is derived from nature and is founded
on the teacbing and instruction of the revolution of
the firmament. lU
ln each ofthe tranglesformed by that vault and the
columns. there was a pastophore carved in that art
whichiscommonlycalledcameo, thegarmentswhich
imitated their virgin bodies, ftying abroad, which
uncovereda panoftheir lovely thighs togetherwith
their breasts and muscles, hair scattered, and with
bare/eet, eachhelda trophyo/victorytumedtoward
the cornera/thetriangle toJill thespace, on the base
of blackest touchstone with the nymphs of millcy
white marble.* Touchstone or paragon is used as a
test for gold, and 'was used by the ancients for sorne
of those sphinxes ... and for a figure of greater size,
a hermaphrodite inParione.'165 On the frieze over the
architrave, inthe middle of which was affixed agold
tablet with anepigramor inscription in Greekcapital
letters filled with fine oxidized silver To VENUS THE
SYMPATHETICMOTIIERANDHERSON
AND CEREs HAVE GlVEN OF THEMSELVES.1M This
tablet is held by two winged spirits set against a blue
background ofglaSsy cyanite stone. 'Cyanus, too, is
divided into male and female varieties.' 147 On the
frieze appear ail kinds of naval and terrestrial war
(
(
machines, a branchofarchitecture reliant oncircular
movement, aording to Vitruvius who compares
thecelestial motions toanengne whichproduces the
a1temationofdayandnight andtheripeningofcrops.
For the Renaissance, the machine belonged to the
same order of things as nature, which by an invested
energy produced the appearances of life. Poliphilo
attributes the building to Jupiter, because of the
carvings of its frontispiece, which is eograved: TO
JUPITER, NOURISHED DY A GOAT. A carving of a
oymph holding a vessel is titled MEuSSA. Melissa
was used inancient medicine as a remedy for melan-
choly, and to purge the body of the Saturnine impu-
rity, 'black, bumt-out blood.' The goat-nymph
AMALTHEA, who was the mother ofPan by Hermes,
is shown oursing Jupiter. The comucopia symbol
derives from one of Amalthea's borns. The gOal is
fIanked by five oymphs, who seemed to sap and
dance to the soundofseveral instruments which t ~
carried. Their clothes were so weil made that t ~
represented ail the movements oftheir persons and
ail the remainder, perfectly completed and accom
plished. This engraved anand lithography WQS not
tlu! worlc 01Polidetus, nor 01Phidias or Lysippus,
andless than those ofqueen ArtemisiaofCarla, that
is, Scaphos, Briaxos, Timothy, LeocharesandTheo",
verylamous sculptors.141 Colonna illustrates howthe
individual monuments are mnemooic triggers for the
encyclopaedic knowledge which an architeet re-
quires, in Many cases drawing bis examples from
Pliny. Theyincludetypologjcal variationsonatheme,
categories oftypes, arcbiteets, forms, and materials,
and are oot ooly provoked visually but through an
interpretatioo oftheir meaning. Also1have110 doubt
thtlt the historian ofnature {PlinyJ had lu! admired
and understood these would not have disdIJined
Egypt in the least, the industriousness, the singular
genius 01 her workmen who, dwelling in different
42
re,ions, havirag to sculpt delimitedpans 01a whole,
however, 1cnewhowtoproceedwitha certainmethod
andtoproduce theirparts with sucha regularity that
they came out, each to their part, to he joined in the
ensemble ofa prodigious colossus. with such exacti-
tude, that one would have thought it the work ofone
man. Alberti in his book On Sculpture devotes a
detailed three-dimensional descriptive system in-
tended for just such a purpose, able to reproduce the
human body proportionally at any size, through its
lineaments. The instruments are exempeda and
finitorium, and obtain the closest possible imitation
of nature. Prohably the historian would have made
some case for tlu! ingenious ability ofthe architect
Satyros and many others as famous: in any case.
withouta doubt, the surprising workofMemnon and
the t h r ~ e monolithic s t ~ s ofthe greal Jupiter, of
whichthes e a t ~ d onehall a/ootspreadofsevencubits
in length. That stupendous miracle 01a statue ofthe
magnanimous Semiramis, carved out 01 Mount
Bagistan itself, ofa height of twentyseven stades,
would, uncontestedlyhavinggivenpkJcetoourbuild-
ing. To describe il, tlu! authors wouldhavepassedin
silence over the extravagant magnitude ofthe pym-
mid01Memphis: they would have negiectedto men-
tion the famous theatres. the amphitheatres, the
baths, buildings sacred or profane, the aqueducts,
the colossi, and the marvellous and majestic Apollo
transported by Lucullus, and the Jupiter dedicated
byClaudius Caesar, andthatofLysippiusofTarento,
and the miraculous colossus of Rhodes. work of
Laclu!sofLindos, andthat olXenodorus in Gaul and
in Rome, and that ofSerapis, an incredible work in
a single emeraldofnine cubits. They wouldhave left
to onesidethe robuststatue ofHercules ofTyre, and,
accomodating the;r eloquence on such a subject,
they would have exalted our monument as the most
admirable thing thtlt was, even the obelisk raisedon

(
four angles, . made in four pieces, offered in the
sanctuaryofthegreatJupiteran indescribablespec-
tacle. Whereas 1couldnot satiate myselfin examin-
mg now this, now tlrat of this beautiful immense
worlc, 1saidto myselfquietty: ifthe debris ofsacred
antiquity, if the fragments or the ruins down to the
snuJllest shards, provoke such a surprising admira-
tion and cause such a pleasure in contemplation,
what wouldtms havebeen Lilce, luJdit ail remainedin
complete integrity?1I" Surrounded by the disembod-
ied spirit of architecture, Pophilo asks, What a
calamitycouldbemorestrange andrigorous than to
live after one's death and dwell without a tomb?""
PHANTASY AND ECSTASY
The art of memory is based on sense perceptions
havinga phantasmiccharacter
t
and thus beingeasily
committedto memory. Where a theatreofmemory is
a -real' sequence of places to which a series of ideas
or a speech is linked, through contemplative 8Ctivity
the linguistic discourse is correlated to the phantas-
mie sequence, and remembered by the superimposi-
tion. As a phantasmalways begins witha perceptible
referent it is necessarily analogical not innovative.
Memory provokes imagination in this way: desire is
the quest for the real of a pbantasm, inspired by this
fragment of an imaginary wodd. The coupling of
word and image, word and thing, produce the cov-
eted mental state. Ficino refers to the Hieroglyphics
of Horapollo, whom Alberti also quotes; the
hieroglypha -keeps spirit in a state of tension propi-
lious to a kind of Meditation close to ecstasy.'
Fieino ... conceived of philosophy as an initiation ioto
mysteries, consisting of a graduai rise in inteUectual
lortiness receiving in response from the intelligential
world a phantasmic revelation in the fonn of fiBur.
1bese fiBUrat!. characters of an inner phantasmagoria
stage<! bythe soul itself. represent thernodalitybymeans
of which the vision of the sou! opens before the oculus
spiritalis. the organ that bas taught the inner conscious-
ness about existence. through diligent meditation.UI
43
Whereas coldblackbilecauses Poliphilo' s thirst and
fear, hot melancholy {melancholiafumosa} exbibits
itselfin passion. The fonner is chronic and hibernal;
the latter, the inspired resource of unstable ecstatic
genius, with a fantastic capacity for memory. In
orderto enter into a complex account ofthe nature of
cognitive translation between mind and body espe-
cially witb respect to image fonnation, Ficino cites
Plotinus. The intellect is drawn to the body by the
mobile world soul which 6contains in itself all the
rniddles of things .... is connected to all things....
conforms to divine things, and to things fallen.' 152
Theanima mundi contains a reason forevery idea in
the divine mind, each of which goes to fabricate a
species in matter. It is througb this ratio that a
material abject is liDked to its idea, and cao thus
reive theintluenceoftheideawhenit is affectedby
it. When sometbingdegenerates fromits fonn, it cao
be re-farmed through this -middle tbing,' via the
sout. The material foons in the world are congmous
to the reasons of the anima mundi through -divine
lures' or magic channs. According to the ancient
Platonic philosopherst the soul 'builds figures with
its reasons beyond the stars in heaven. and some of
these are sucb that it bec::omes something of this
figure itself. It impresses its properties on all these
things.' UJ These compounds of reasons can be noth-
ing other than invention in the sense that Colonna
intends the task of the architect. The constellations
demonstrate this composition. Ficino suggests that
what we understand as the ideal of a thing cames
from its heavenly fonn or figure, whicb defines its
species, whereas its individual variations, orsingular
giftst bave to do with -the location of the stars
t
the
habit of their movements and the aspects of the
Planets,'!St ail products of motion, the mechanical
mathematics in nature.
(
c
Tbese images, beyond thase in the zodiac. are divided
into many figures, according to the same number of
grades. Certain habits and proportions in the univcrsal
images are then set in place. and these are also images.
Such figures have their continuity from the rays of the
stars. one after another. each with its own special prop-
elty."
TO DWELL IS TO WANDER
Schemer is of the opinion. although here Voltelt and
others refuse to foUow him- mat dreamimagination has
one parcular favourite way of represcnting the organ-
ism as a whole: namely as a house.'"
In this early part of the narrative, Colonna has al-
ready established that by a knowledge of astronomy
the architect reproduces in a building the motions
and motive forces of the heavenly bodies, which are
more transparently perceptible in the human body.
Thecorrespondence ofooth bodyand building to the
cosmos, which allows for alchemical and magical
operations, exists infonnandinmaterial. Fonnisnot
what we think of as slcin nor skeleton; it is the effect
of an ideal pattern of motion (the soul) on matter. It
is this which gives the architecture a living sem-
blance. The organization of ideas or reasons into
knowledge bas the same effect when the material
world is ordered, and from this imaginative inven-
tion itself derives weU-being. Next came the impos-
ing comice, whose lines, following tJt.e preseribed
order, agreed elegantly with the consolUUlCe of the
worle. Forjust as in the human body, ifone quality is
in diseord with another, illness follows, - since ap-
propriateness does not aist otherthan bytheaffinity
oftheparts, andthe inappropriatedistribution ofthe
parts to their places leads to de/ormity, - similarly
also, neithermore norless, a monument is dissonant
and unstable if it does not possess the harmony
desired and the modulation required.
m
What re-
mained ofthe aforementioned precinct, on one side
as much as the other, demonstrated a stupefying
work in its grandeur, and the fragments remaining
intacthereandthereallowedthe resttoheimagined.
This ability to recreate the imperfect byan interpola-
tion of the imagination is a re-fonnation in the soul
through the 'middle things' ofreasoo. Poliphilo thus
engages in an a1chemical reciprocity between his
psychic body and the building, whereby his own
potential self is remade with the phantasm of the
architecture. Dante, iotendingthe rigours ofbuilding
as a redemptive activity placed his architects in
Purgatoryt burdening the Proud with the stones des-
ignating their guilt. The essence of pride is the
supervaluationofthedistinct selfoverthe world, and
the tragic aspect ofvanity in this false beliefleads to
melancholy. Colonna, following Vitruvius and
Alberti, bas integratedthe proud ioto the architecture
as caryatids. For hint, redemptive 8Ctivity is imagi-
native and sympathetic. The substrueture, liunave
columns was shapu in the form of stooped men
supporting the greatest weight, the ment ofwhich
could not he Icnown, for they were made just as
required, sujJiciently proportioned to the weight,
their 017l/ltnent and reason including and derived
from hunum liJceness. For, beeause a man having 10
hold up a weighty burden needs to have hroadfeet
beneath rohust legs, it was necessary in a weil-
regulated construction to anribute the naive col-
umns to the foundation beneath the heaviest loads
and to reserve the Ionie and Corinthitm columns,
moreslenderthroughan innocenceofentasis, andof
a moderate sizeandjinish, as requiredby symmetry,
demanded for balance, were placed lhere for the
omament and beauty of the building in conformity
with human semblance. Thus, ail the parts, de-
manded according to the harmony ofthe construc-
tion, conserved an exemplary elegance. For this
reason the composition ofthis building was accom-
plishedwith aIL the neeessary peifections. The vari-

ety ofmamies ofdifferent colours was artfuliy dis

tributed, andhappilyapportonedforthe goodofthe
intended goal: porphyries, ophite, ua Numidian
marbie. firestone, Lacedaemonian marble.
serpentines. alabasters. white marbles variably
rippled, diversijied with mixed and obscure veins.
andandracinefleckedwith the whitest spots, as with
many praisewonhy omaments. The threshold of
the gate was made from an enormous very hard
green rock, spec1ded with tiny grey and yellowish
flec/cs, as weil as various uneven monles.lel) 1thought
tomyselfthatwithinthe interiormightbea venerable
altar ofthe mysteries and the divine fire: or even a
statue ofVenus, or her sacred sanctuary, as weil as
that of11er son, the carrier ofa bow and arrows."1
FoUowing this thought he crosses the threshold,
where he is to plot a planar representation of the
ascent of the pyramid. The arder of the earthly
surface corresponds to the heavenly motions. The
human inhabitant of a temple is a priest-king io the
image of the gad. His steps or stages represent the
ascent to heaven (contemplative thought) and a cor-
respondingrise inconsciousness,just as, in atemple,
the forecourt leads to the sanctuary and thence to the
inner shrine, the place of the gad or his image. With
respect to the Sumerian 'as above, sa below' prin-
ciple, 'the spatial symbolismof such a temple fonn
corresponds to that ofthe ziggurat projected ona fiat
surface: the penetration ever deeper inward being
equivalent to the ascent ever higher a1oft. 'lG If this
analogue is extended proportionally to the pyramid
formsubstitutedby Alberti for theconeofvision, the
ground plane then becomes analogous to the picture
plane. As part of the memory theatte for the educa-
tion of the polyphilosophic architect, the pyramid's
grade symbolizes the translation of depth iota sur-
face, and by analogy places the centre of ail knowl
edge at the point of perspectival vision.
4S
A VISIT TOTHE UNDERWORLD
It is on account ofmatter. therefore, mal the universe is
"sbadowy' anddark. and becauseofthe intcnwining and
orderly arrangement of fonn, implied in the words 'or-
dered universe , that it s called beautiful and "enchant-
ing' . It could very appropriately be dcscribcd as a cave.
enchanlingal fust Sighl by ilS participation in fonns. but
shadowy if one looks into its depths and penettates il in
thought: its extemal and surface appearance is enchant-
ing. but its innerdepths shadowy.IO
The Renaissance underworld became interchange-
able with otherworld, forging a connection between
Elysium and Arcadia. Mystery like primitive
rites of passage and later Freemasonic initiation
rituals, commonly re-enacted the hero' s joumey to
the other side, and subsequent retum. These rites are
intended to eliminate the division between the con-
scious mind and the unconscious life source, and to
reintegrate the individual with bis natural origins. In
the Renaissance this other place is manifested in
gardenarchiteetureasthegrotto, theabodeofnymphs
and fluid life.
This name. of course. is given ta the hollowed rocks in
thebuildings calledby theGreeks "Homesofthe Muses,
wbere sucb rocks bang from the ceilings 50 as to aeate
an artificial imitation of a cave.1101
Like mountains, cavems are epiphanies of the eartb
mother, the material body where Iife begins and
grows throughthemysteries ofnatural force.
stones, plants an grew in the earth, and the water of
springs had special properties. The secret to life
pulsedthere, and so the grotto was the locationofthe
hidden treasure and the philosophers' stone. The
lapis is more than a stone, heing animal, vegetable
and minerai, consisting ofbodysoul, and spirit, and
growiog fromflesh and blood. Grottoes were interi-
ors where mstic nature mingled with divine art;
technically they werearchitectural coDages ofsheDs,
minerais, and coral which symbolized matter in
metamorphosis between the animal, vegetable and
minerai reaIms. Waterranthroughthemby hydraulic

(
ingenuity, sculpture slept or wept, paintings and
mirrors were integrated with an emphasis on geo-
metric fonnality and a playon the disorientation of
the inhabitant, a metaphor for contemplation to he
followed by action. At a lime when the tutelage of
naturalismwas sought, this motifhadtheappearance
ofdemonstratinga natural or 'original' model for the
artifice of architecture, and a place for the artifex to
dream, for the desnt ioto physical nature was an
education for the artiste The world of the dream is a
world of metamorphosis. It is a place of productive
imagination, which differs from mimetic reproduc-
tion in that it gjves rise to something other. In this
senseit is grotesque. This wordgrotesquewascoined
in the Renaissance, a lime when the overgrownmins
of antiquity were sought as remains of a glorious
pasto It derives from the groUD or crypt, a cave or
placewheresomethingofvalue is hidden, concealed
or buried. Grotesques date back to around 80 AD,
and were at that time decorative features which
correspondtothe lowsatyric styleofdrama. Associ-
ated with the Humanists, who foUowed Vitruvius'
proportions but not his omamentation, deviant from
the classical conceptions of reality, the perfected
forms oftheancients which hadtheir bases in nature,
and the ideals ofmoral andphilosophical simplicity,
grotesques represented the irrational.
11S
Inthis sense,
the Hypnerotomachia' s omament is grotesque in
intention. Deriving inspiration from the rediscovery
of Pompean architecture and the lale Roman style
in painting and architecture, sucb as Nera's Golden
House (Domus Aurea), mysterious wall and celling
paintings having intricately framed geometrical ar-
rangementsofcompartments, depictingabeterogeny
ofstyleand subject, depictingboththecomic andthe
horrific, pastoral or satyrical scenes from the pagan
world, and fantastic inventions mixing fiora and
f a u n ~ underground rooOlS and cavems, as weU as a
46
lot offree-standingstatuary, trompe l'oeil andeJabo-
rately sculptured fountanS, grotesques and grottoes
became a signature of Renaissance architecture. A
complex understanding offonn, grotesque architec-
ture drew its iconography from the mythology de-
scribed by such celebrated Romans as Ovid in his
Metamorphoses, just as Colonna did. This tradition
of art and Iiterature poetically echoed a dynamic
living universe of fantasy and monstrosity. The gro-
tesque expresses perceptible structures in the pro-
cess ofchange
7
dynamic shapes in flux. things cress-
ing from one state ioto another. taking on shape
through activity, what arcbitects migbt cali pro-
gramme. It concems the encounter of the palpable
resistance oftime through movement and narrative.
Itconfronts theconespondencebetweena particular
formandmeaningbycontinuaUyshiftingandchang-
ing. The grotesque appears in architectural oma-
ment, used al a conjunction ofconditions or materi-
aistoaniculatethe human ingenuityoftheartificeof
joining. In both building and painting it raises an
issue critical to Roman architecture: primary enclo-
sure, the separationand integratiODofdiscrete levels
oforder.
KNOW THYSELF
So great is the power of the amatory faculty. So great its
sublimity.IM
Sublimity exists beyond a threshold, its root limen
meaniog limit, boundary or dweUing. Spirit' s work:
is in the numinous crossing between postulated ex-
tremes andthe transferofthe imageconveyed bythe
spirit in that crossing. Most important in the thresh-
old motif is its physiognomic aspect, based on the
reciprocityinvolvedinloveandinmimetic represen-
tation. The character of the hero undergoes a pro-
found sequence of changes, refiected in bis move-
ment through the architectonic environment with its
various trials or thresholds creatinga rhythmic delay
(
(
and acceleratioD, barrier and procession. This pas-
sage allows for thepurificationofhis spirit, 50that at
each transfonnation of the subject through tilDe
(from himself to bimself) the image of the ideas
perceptible in his imagination May become more
rarefied, through this Satumian contemplation ap-
proaching, although never aaiving al. their perfec-
tion. Proportionality is a means of observing conti-
nuity in the relationsbip between two aspects of the
same thing. A consistency of essence in representa-
tion estabshes a relation akin to that estabshed by
Love.
Wbenever a certain material is exposed ta the higher
beings, the waya minoris to your face anda wall ista the
eeho of your voice, il... acquires pusionare power,
exactlythewaya minorreflects animage fromyour face
and a wall represents an echo from your voice.
IQ
At Lycosura in Arcadia, the daugbter of Demeter
Melaina ('the black one' who was worshipped in a
cave) was presented in her temple, wbe, near the
exit a mirror bung on the rigbt wall.
la
This marvel-
10us mirror, wbere the viewercould see bimselfooly
faindy, revealedthe invisible, reflectingthegods and
divine qualities. Where the mask of the Medusa
already suggests a contiguity witb the divine, the
reflected presentation reveals othemess by de-
scribing the absence in presence. A purified initiate
may become a poet, easily able to attract divine
influences. Like a shaman, he is a living thresbold
between the divine and the cultural or social order of
man, able to reveal prophetic tnlth to bis people
tbrough poetry. Tmth in prophecy depends largely
on having good phantasms, as divine influx is re-
vealed in perceptible forro in the imagination. The
home of oracular tnlth is the cavem.
Prophecy Dows into the intellect, whenever God, as it
Wete, engraves there thesigns ofthe future.I-Those who
are oppssed by black bile lament perpetually; they
imagine dreams for themselves, which they fear in Ihe
present or dread in the future.
l1a
Thus, various images,
47
andoftenfalse ODeS arise fromthe varyingdispositionof
the body, whicb we obtain from our parents, from our
native land. and !romour manner of living.
11l
As the maxims for the Humanist supennan, Pico
citedthethreeaphorismsofApollo' s oracleatDelphi,
the centre of knowledge of the ancient world, and
also the enttance to the underworld. Nothing to
Excessprescribesmeasureandmlethroughthegolden
mean; Know Thyself 'invites and exhorts us to the
study of the whole nature ofwhich the nature ofman
is the connecting linkand the "mixed potion"; for he
who knows himself knows all things in himself;'!Tl
and Thou Art is an avowal of the divine presence.
These maxims are obquely represented in the three
monuments before the pyramid. The gratto and the
labyrinth into which it leads are the tbreshold to the
underworld, modeUed on that of ApoUo's oracle,
who is depictedinthepaintings Poliphiloencounters
within. Appropriately appearing undemeath the
mountain, the oracle is associated witb the ompha.
los, the world navel, a philosophical stone represent-
ing the source of wisdom. The liberal arts including
architecture were understood as a preparationfor the
initiation into the ancient mysteries, which Pico
describes as the interpretation of occult nature by
means of philosopby. This interpretation was cre-
ative activity in the pursuit of knowledge, porten-
tously alIied with ecstatic frenzies modeUed on Pla-
tonic divine furer, 'wbich lift us to sucb ecstasy that
ourintellectsandour very selvesare unitedto000.'11J
Once philosophy and dialectic harmonized reason
and passion, the spirit smitten by the frenzy of the
Muses would revel in bannony until Bacchus re-
vealed 'through bis mysteries, that is, the visible
signs ofnature, the invisible things ofGod,' and man
then became a lover of theology.1"
(
THE MOTBER-oF-PEARL CROTtO
Havingplacedmy right/oot, withdevoutveneration.
on the sacredthreshold. / saw inflight be/ore me, in
the darkness, a tiny white mouse. In the conjonction
of a Mercury symbol (quickness) with a symbol of
Apollo - who began 'as the demon of a mouse-
fratemity in pre-Aryan totemistic Europe; he gradu-
ally rose in divine tank ... until he became the patron
ofMusic, Poetryand the Ans. '175 - spirit is linkedwith
light. Solar Apollo' s name cornes from an Indo-
European root meaning to procreate or excite.
Filled with curiosity, without a thought 0/any other
thing, / entered by the luminous and open bay, and
discovered thLll the interior was no less rich than the
outside, examining those things worthy 0/ great
respectwhichpresentedthemselves tothe scrutinyof
my eyes. There, both to the right and to the left, the
el/enwalls werecladwithmarbleplaqueso/themost
handsome polish, in the central part ofwhich was
applied a wreath of brilliant green follage. excel-
lently sculpted from jasper. and in the space thus
circumscribed, on one side as on the other, was
placed a large circular slab ofjet-black stone, lm-
pervious to the bite of Iron. shining like a mi"or,
which, reflecting me in passing between the two,
filled me with a sudden terror al the appearance of
my own image, so that 1staned in panic..1'M It was a
maximin ancient Greece not to look al one's reflec-
tion in water; the Greeks regarded it as an omen of
death if a man dreamed of seeing himself so re-
tlected. Nevenheless / quickly tempered myself, for
clearly here was offered the understanding of the
history of the work of the Muses represented for
contemplation. And to either side. in the part below
the illustrious mi"or were long stone benches. The
surface. polished and free from dust, was worud
withmotherofpearl.
117
Likeothernympbs, tbeMuses
were worshipped in grottoes, usually as guardian
48
geo of fountains. The mother-of-pearl is a material
allusion to the ocean, a symbol for the unconscious
realm, as weUas representing the internai metamor-
pbosis of things, particularly wisdom, signffied by
pearls, which are sacred to Apollo' s sister Diana, the
Moon-goddess who presides over childbirth. The
henches and seats in the architecture are places of
repose and reflection. 6Lovers are said to sleep on
doorsteps,'na retlecting the resdess repose of the
thresbold. Here, physical movement May cease and
allow the subject to dwell contemplatively, and the
architecture to act through this contact as an amulet.
THE NATURAL POWER IN ITS MATERIAL
Ficino' s advice on how to make figures with the art
of images sounds suspiciously architectural; things
sbould be ready to receive heavenly powers and
action 6to the extent that they are made properly with
sucbtbingsrulingthemandsbapedforsucb tbings by
the carpenter' s roIer.' 119 Influence increases in pro-
portion to inhabitation; Ficino specifies that a heav-
enly gift passes througb the amulet straight to the
nearest person.
The utrologers tbought propitious images had a similar
power tbrougb which they change somewhat the nature
and habits ofsomeone who wears then For wbere the
power of the image .. is wanned up and penetrates the
fleshofsomeonelouchingi ~ al lcasl thenatural power in
its material .. slips into the veins and innards [the
sublime bodyl, carrying with it a Jovial property. The
spirit of man is then transformed inlo aJovial spirit with
this affect. that is, with love. For it is the power of love
to transfonn.
11
Among the delineated subjects is the lineage of
Europaensnared by Jupiter disguised as a bull, to the
kingdomofMinos, where Pasiphae and a white bull
given by Neptune procreate the Minotaur. shown
imprisoned in the labyrinth. This istoria was simi-
larly depicted on the gate of the gigantic temple
whicb Daedalus founded for Phoebus Apollo in
(
(
Euboea and where he consecrated bis wings, the
portal of Aeneas' descent into the underworld and
visit to Elysiu:n, lU and so invokes the spirit of the
legendary outlaw arehitect and his marvellous ma-
chines.
Art, as Poliphilo appreciates il, depends onthe trick-
ery of his senses; he is delighted by forgeries which
seem to him real, the way an istoria on a building
might he seen as a window to a possible world, or a
statue as a living heing. The artistry of this period
replaced the mediaeval conventions of representa-
tion with forms that were naturalistie in contrast.
Poliphilo is entranced with its artifice, contemplat-
ing the excellence ofthe work and the greal knowl-
edge o/the craftsman who hadsopeifeetly observed
ail the rules ofponraiture, painting, sculpture and
perspective.
lu
Art deceives the senses through an
imitation of nature. musion, from the Latin ward
ludo, to play, contitutes the basis of artistic appear-
ance. Funhermore, he had made the drapery ofthe
clothing so close to the natural, ,ha! il wasas though
one wouldhave been able to take holdo/it: inaiLand
throughout, he had so weil followed nature IMt, if
one did not take good care there, one would have
judged it to be real andnotfeigned. Which made me
sodelightedwithwonderandtransponedwithamaze-
ment, that 1hardly thought myselfpresent there. but
ail in ail, outside of myself.IM The ecstatic frenzy
wbieh he feels is a loosening of the ego-self and a
reconnection to the whole psyche, which includes
the uneonscious, and is no more limited than the
world soul.
To cause things hidden in the sbadow to appear. and to
take away the shadowfromthem. this is pennittedto the
intelligent philosopher by God through nature.... AIl
these things happent andtheeyes ofthecommonmando
not see them. but the eyes of the understanding
[intellectus] and ofthe imagination perive themwith
true and truest vision.
11S
49
There 1placed onefoot be/ore the nut. pertinently
uamining the fine method ofpainting to which he
hall applied himself in a manner refleetive 0/ the
figures disposed in theirjust places. how the lines of
the things made led right to the point of view, how
certain objects proceeded almost in. losing them-
selves andhow uncenain things arrivedbit by bit at
perfection, such as vision demands.
IM
THE DETAILS OF THE CAVE
The details ofthe cave ... will be found to be an offering
steeped in the wisdomof the ancients....
1n
A cave is a natural opening ioto the earth which
represents a passage between parallel worlds. The
symbol ofthe cave implies revelation by a source of
Iight. Plato' scave in The Republic portrays image as
the shadowofa thing; but in the Orphie tradition the
Iight signais the end of inteUectual contemplation
and the beginning of action.
Men of old were right to dedicate caves and groUoes ta
the uDvene., in whole or in part, to teaeh us to see the
eartb as asymbol of the matter from which the univene
is construeted; in fact. sorne of them simply identified
matter witb the earth. They represented the mataial
universe by caves because caves are generaUy naturaI
features of the earth, encloscd by a simple rock forma-
tion, hoUow inside but extending outwards inta the
boundlessearth. 1beuniverscisanatural constructionof
matter. andthestone and rockofthecave wesymbolic
of matter' s inert nature and resistance to fonn. and its
unboundedness ofmatter' s shapelessness. Matter is &Iso
fluid. and in itselfdevoid ofthe form that gives it visible
shape; and the wetness and bumidity ofcaves. and their
clarkand 'shadowy' appearance. as thepoet caUs il, were
takentohefitting symbolsofthernaterial characterofthe
universe.
la
The viscous cave, whose archetype engendered the
prominence of interiority celebrated by Roman ar-
chitecture,18 revisited as the grotto in the Renais-
sance, was a spacediscursive of the mysteries of le
in their various aspects. Acave eould he viewed as
the original natural architectonie space understood
as allegoricai, and therefore involved with inhabita-
(
(
tion over tme. Caves in classical mythology bad a
range of programmatic functions: as the source of a
spring (lympha) and thus abode of the nymphs; a
hiding place for treasure; lovemaking; raising chil-
dren; shelter; loci secreti; and a place where the
winds are held captive. As a metaphor for represen-
tation they distinguish a cosmetic sheD from its
dynamic contents. This symbolic complex arose
with the idea of original Saturnine tnlth as opposed
to absolute truth. and an interest in ail things boried
or sublime. What is internal ta a thing is analogous to
its soul or essence. An encyclopaedic or empirical
collection ofabjects or images within a space. like a
cabinet ofcuriosity. or a botanical gardent represent
the raw material of the imagination. the chaos pre-
cedingcreationofanideal image.1behero' sjoumey
ioto the grotesque realmis thus like an investigation
of his imaginative faculty.
THE GUARDIAN OF THE THRESHOLD
The WallofParadise. whic::h c::onc::eaIs Gadfromhuman
sight. is desc::ribed by Nic::holas ofCusa as c::onstituted of
die 'coinc::idenc::e ofopposites. its gatebeing guarded by
'thebighest spiritofreason. whobarstheway until he has
been overcome.'ltG
It is only when Poliphilo tries to tum back that he
fmds his path blocked by a dragon; triple-tongued.
lite the triple-bodied Pluto or the triple-goddess of
the underworld. it represents the frightening depths
of the unknown, the unconscious. It stands as a
guardian at the entrance to the zone of magnified
power. The scaly monster appearing at the threshold
to prevent his recourse is a manifestation ofMercury
as the prima materia. The HypnerotoflUlchia identi-
fies the physical and the mental realms in the al-
chemical process bynotdifferentiatingsymbolicaUy
between one and the other in the process of
reconfiguration.
'The last k i n ~ ... is a Dreamnatura!: this ariseth fromour
c::omplexions. when humours be too abundant in a
50
weigbL... IfMelancbolic::. 10damoffalling downfrom
highTurrcts. oftravellingindarIt solemnplaces. to lie in
caves oftheearth, 10 dreamofthe dcvil. ofblack furious
Beasts. to see any the like terrible aspects.19
1thrust myselfal random into these thick shadows.
holding my life to be lost, pitifully calling on the
immortal gods andfleeing by oblique paths, where 1
lost ail clarity. such that 1did not kIIow whether to
thinklwasinthelabyrinthoftheingeniousDaedalus:
there were so many twisting paths, passages, /anes,
intersections, entrances and crossings. 10 just miss
andlose the exit, thenalways rorepeatthefirst error,
and lose one 's way in tleeper darlcness.
l91
Becoming
further enmired througb repetitive error suggests the
untutored aet of representaton in which errors are
reproduced IikePlato' s shadows. Andto increasemy
greatfear, these darlccavems werefullofbats which
flew close around my ears; wherefore 1. who was
already terrijied, thought ofail that 1heard, smelled
or touched, that it was the cruel dragon. Andwhat's
more, my eyes fOuM themselves in no way accus
tomed to the darkness, in any case 1 could see
nothing: forwhich reason my arms hadtodo thejob
ofmyeyes.just Lilce the mail whogropes the waywith
his homs. who.jinding some obstacle, quickly with-
draws them.
ln
The eyes of the mind begin to see
clearly when the eyes of the body begin to fail. The
underground Iabyrinth is a symbol of the uncon-
scious which supports the conscious mind, and the
dreamwhicb reveals to himin shadowy obscurity its
massive and complex stnlcture. When Freud com-
pared the system of the unconscious to a great hall
adjoined by a narrowdIawing roomat the threshold
of which a watchman acts as a censor for the admis-
sion of various mental impulses to consciousness,'"
he was reproducing the myth of Hermes
psychopompos intemalized in man. The use ofbuilt
metaphor avows that architecture replicates the psy-
chic process and limitations of the architect in the

(
theme of primary enclosure dividing chaos from
cosmos. As above, so below. The weakness of the
Iigbt in the cave shows Poliphilo' s inner sense, bis
cognitive intellect inbibitedbyblackbile. Then. even
while 1 was in perplexity, far away 1 noticed a tiny
light: because of which there is no need to ask
whether 1 ran with great joy; for certainly shortly,
when 1 drew near to it 1 saw thllt il was an ever-
buming lamp, which hunginfront ofanallar, which
(as far as 1 could tell) was ./ive feet in height and
double that in width; and on top ofthis stood three
golden statues. So 1found myselffrustrated in my
intention and surprised with a persistent horror.
This light was hardly bright, but ail murky, because
ofthe viscous air. ln anycase, by it1harelynuJ1Ulged
toseethedispositionoflhesesublerraneanp/aces, 10
wil, the grealopenings, the shadowy and/athomles$
paths, with the vaults which held up great pil/ars of
four, six, andeightsquares, which1couldnotclearly
discem, because o/the weaJcness ofthe light. Never-
theless, they seemedto be weil made in the appropri-
ale proportion to holdup the excessive weight ofthe
greal and marvellous pyramid which was above.
IIS
A STRANGERINPARADISE
Plato concretized a division between the comple-
mentary opposites of a symbolic paradigm, which
the Greeks knew as mythos and logos. He defined
civic identity by the exclusion of the other: logos
mIes inside the walls ofthe ideal republic; outside its
waUs laythereabnofmythos. Thestrangeness present
within the selfwas extemalizedand recognized. The
bridge between the two domains needs to be sought
where the categories originated: in the buman body.
In the Timaeus, Plato relates the eradication of the
past, or the memory of mythos, of Athens, the ideal
city of logos, by the deluge which destroyed its
predecessor, the mythical city. Atlantis, submerged
Si
under water, and thus relegated to the unconscious,
must be rediscovered as a utopia by ajoumey which
transgresses the boundary from ego-consciousness
to retum to the dream world. With poetry, Plato
consigns mythology to the uDconscious by focusing
politics tbrough the rational individual participant.'
Nevenheless, only outside the limits ofthe ideal city
cao one come to &know thyself.' The villa garden
could represent the domain of mythe The mimetic
mode of poetic making had shifted from the flXed to
the mutable; trom the product to the process. In the
imitation of natural process the productions of man
could rival those ofNature, and Alberti first charged
the human architect with the realmof the garden. In
the fifteentb century a series of related manuscripts
describeda pilgrimwhodreams that a mirror appears
in bis roominwhich isreflected the imageofan ideal
city. I ~ If the landscape of Arcadia celebrates the
cyclical bounty of Nature, the omen of significance
as monstrous birth finds its equivalent in the emerg-
ing of utopias, as Thomas More in 1516 christened
this materializing of the celestial city, between
eutopia, a happypla, andatopia, Doplace. Witb the
rise of world-travel in the Renaissance emerged a
constant discovery of the new. Through ideas like
Filarete's proposai for a newcity-state ofSforzinda,
the pilgrimtraveller seeking the city ofGodcould be
identified with thedreamer seeking a better material
life. Gnostic myth sawman alienated as a stranger in
this world, and the symbolismof strangers is conso-
nant with the mythology ofthe wandering hero. The
stranger in utopia motif developed the theme of the
pilgrim-hero who travels to the &other world' where
he experiences difference as a process of reintegra-
tion, the recognition of the self in the other, and the
discovery that that recognition initiates a process of
change mirrored both in himself and the society
which he observes. This symbiotic activity is a
(
(
principal aspect of alchemy. The stranger bimself
becomes the philosophers' stone (and the prima
nuJteria) and tbrough alchemy's mystical philoso-
phy investigates the problem of creation itself; the
masculine and feminine elements ofthe selfbecome
self-fertilizing. Inthequatemal cosmology, theearth
was the nurse ofchange of the other tbree elements,
which recombined and metamorphosed within iL In
the body the corresponding humour was black bile.
In alchemy, this element appeared in the wode as the
nigredo, the initial stage requisite for creative work.
MarsilioFicino, foUowing theAristotle' s leadwhich
had filtered into medical writings, recognized the
necessary predominanceofthe melancholy humour,
which implied an unbalanced melancholic disposi-
tion, characterized by an excess of tension between
extremes, for the worlt of creative genius. Now the
two types of melancholy make sense: one disposed
towards the wisdom of the lapis, one towards the
non-sense of the prima materia. On bis descent into
the Aeneas encounters a divide in the
road, the left fork leading to Tartams, and the right
handpatbleadingviaPluto' s battlements toElysium,
a part of the underworld similar in landscape to that
travened by Poliphilo. Colonnamakes many literary
allusions to bath Elysium and Arcadia, creating a
palimpsest of qualities to describe bis setting. The
initial pastoral scene indicates man' s perfect integra-
tion \Vith his physical environment, at peace with
nature and his own nature. The Hypnerotomachia
has the extraordinary objective of reshaping a my-
thology of origins into a teleological project of Uto-
pian inclination. Through the observer' s cultivation
ofhimselfthe vemallandscape tranforms into oneof
constructed order. This reconsecration ofthe virtues
ofantiquity,arenewal ofold values and structures of
sacred history is a radical renovatio. At every point
in Hypnerotomachia the landscape erupts in cos-
S2
mogonic symbols. The darkforest, the world axis in
thecosmic mountanandobelisks, the labyrinths and
pottces, waters and fenility symbolism, culminat-
inginthecosmographie mandalaplanofthe islandof
Cythera. An order is evolved which has both percep-
tible fonn and narrative attributes. The Renaissance
formai garden emerges: nature as God had intended
it. The transformation ofthe landscape indicates the
cleansing of perception that aIIows rnathematical
order to be perceived as it exists in nature, which
appears as a progressive treatment ofnature as a raw
material tohefinished bythearchitect bya symPatby
ofphysis. Jungreconstruedlibidinal energyinbroader
tennsasauniversal eroticforce in whichmanpartici-
pates, that also spiritually situates hint in the world.
Free will is a quantumof this energy seduced to the
service of the individual conscious ego. The chang-
ing quality of this crescent energy is demonstrated
tbrough the fonus of vegetative species tbroughout
theHypMTotomachia, fromthe forest to weeds over-
growing mins, pastoral landscapes to the palace
gardens and the topiary of Cythera.
Men:urius, Pythagoras and Plato daim tbat a dissonant
soul, or a sad one, is belpc:d by strumming a lyre and by
constant singingand melodious playing.'". n:commend
the frequent sight of shining war, the sigbt ofgreen or
red colours, the use of gardens or woods, walks and
rivers. TakestroUs through beautiful meadows... Above
ail. rccommendeasyoccupations, diverseemployments
that are not a botber, and the constant companionship of
gracious men.III
The lands are no Republic and Poliphilo encounters
no labourers; bis education there is entirely of the
leisurely nature of play. Considering the moral em-
phasis on labour and industry inthe book, andyet the
absence of a social constniction, tbis is markedly
different from More's Utop;a of 1516. Play never-
tbeless necessitates libetion and and is a
method of disclosure. The second book of Ficino' s
De Vila Triplici is caUed "How to Prolong Your

(
Life." The perfection of an art requires a long prac-
by experience made prudent; the insight from
such longexperience leads ta a perfection ofknowl-
andofteehnique. Health and longevity is inthe
interest ofknowledge. 6Rules arenecessary, then, for
prolonging Iife, and for avoiding this weakening.'-
Rejuvenation of the body is difficult 6unless you
have tirst become a child again in the mind. There-
fore, at everyage, it is overwhelmingly importantfor
Iife that we retain something of our childhood, and
that we always pursue a variety of amusements. '101
This simple notion is actually a principal idea: for it
bespeaks the continuai rebirth of the perceiving
subject of which Merleau-Ponty writes; it captures
the fascination wbich Benjamin had for the child' s
creative approacb ta things; it is fundamental ta
alchemy where the lapis is often among the play-
things ofchildren, and it underpins the role ofplay in
representation. It implies the retum of the educated
mind ta unfettered natura! perception. Including
jokes, music and festivity, and satire,
as weil the theatte al the focal point ofCythera, play
is a key notion in the Hypnerotomtlchia, and central
to the representational process.
TBROUGR THE LOOKING GLASS
Semper festina tarde.
2ll2
Emerging fromthepyramid, tbrough a hole on its far
side which is an overgrown mountain, Poliphilo
crosses an old bridge which bas two henches. It is
gamished with two hieroglyphic slogans, the wood-
cuts demonstrating theu bilateral symmetry: PA-
TIENCE IS THE ORNAMENT, CUSTODIAN AND PROTEC-
TOR OF and ALWAYS HASTEN SLOWLY.2lD This
refers to the pmdence required by the architect.
If wc mmto Fulgentius trU!taforalis, in fact we find that
Prudentia is composed of thrce faculties - Memoria,
Intelligencia and Praevidentia, whose respective func-
tions are to conservethe past, toDOWthe present, andto
foresee the future.
106
S3
Alsoat rimes, thefantasy came to me that this was a
dreamoranillusion. Thus 1saidto myselfThis is no
dream! 1 am not sleeping; 1 saw and touched, my
memory of it is completely fresh. This is true and
certain: 1have notet! and remembering everything.
and will recite it in ils paniculars. one pan after
another, if there is any needfor it. That beast was
neither spurious nor simulatet! but full of natural
life.""'"
POLIPHILO COMES TO ms SENSES
Poliphilo is to find everywhere through bis journey
a benign power aiding bis quest. Hearing singing
voices Iike spring flowers,- Poliphilo is rescued
from bis solitude by five nymphs who wear Myrtle
whicb the ancient Greeks carried whenever
they set out ta found anewcolony. Sacred to Aphro-
dite, these sYmbolized purification. The nymphs
represent bis five their names and symbolic
objects distinguishing their roles.- Nymphs repre-
sent particular aspects of physical nature: Naiads
represent fresh water; Dryads, trees; Oreades, moun-
tains, and 50 on. Thus they appropriately represent
Poliphilo's natural faculties. He desires Polia to he
there to accomplish the number six, which themath-
ematicians consider perfect,2OI as she is evidendy his
inner sense. Poliphilo attributes ta the discovery of
bis senses bis escape fromdeath, and tells you
are the treasure ofail goodness and ofail worldly
joy.- Theytell himthat This place is the manorofall
pleasure, where you will become blissful; so let your
spirit rest, and comfort ]ourselfin a manl] way, for
you have anived in a region where joy and solace
abound, and such is its nature, that nothing Iras
change here.
lIo
This invariable region is a realm
where pure ideas are configured, and everything has
the phantasmic quality wbich tbose ideas must take
on in order to be present sensibly ta consciousness in
(
(
contemplativethought. Throughthis synthesis ofthe
logos withmythos, the nymphs and the othercharac-
ters namedfor theirattributes, as weil as thearchitec-
ture, are distinguished from mediaeval allegorical
figures personifying vrtues. This sustainedenviron-
ment is a clue to Poliphilo's own transfonnation: the
is in his mind which, becoming increas-
ingly enlightened, understands the symbolic world
inan increasingly purified way, 50that bya saturnine
penetration into the centre of his own being he
appears totravel outward. The principleofconscious
rationalityis thatthings pass intothe intellectthrough
the senses fmt; the unconscious psyche represents
itself to itself, as in dreams, using imagery drawn
fromits sensibleexperiences, metaphoricaUy incol-
lage. The repetitionofmotifs, foons and materials in
the architecture traces his continuous reconstruction
or representation of the world as bis henneneutic
filter is cleansed, as Mercurial spirit emerges from
Satum. Likewise tbrough contemplative philosophy
the soul is purified and and allows man
to cleave to the middle way between reason and
passion, for man is the measure of ail things. The
periodicity of the themes points further to a concep-
tion of history as a re-enacbnent of mythological
patterns, which, when combined with a sense ofreal
change possible, indicates a teleologyofmeaning. In
the architectural representation this reiteration of
motifs is discemible in the less elementaI qualities.
Pure mathematical fonDS and geometry, more heav-
eoly than the physical forms belowthem, have to do
with number, fig'.Jre, and Iight as rays.
Material qualitiesareshaedwithmanyspeciesofthings.
50 that when thcse are sghdy spccics arc not
tbemselves altogetber changed, the figures and numbcrs
of natura! parts, however, possess a property that is
inseparabletothe specics; namely, thoseheavenlythings
whicb have becn dcstined to be witb the species. They
have a special connection with idcas in the mind. the
quccn of the world.ua
S4
Proportions, like figures are constituted ofnumbers,
lines, andpoints, andalsohavemotion.1behannony
that exists through the proportions and numbers of
heavenly things affects the spirit, soul and body.
Accordingly, the nymphs add that ln this place are
ail things that can bring pleasure. It is the prom-
elUlde of the great gods, the desired repose and
assurance ofthe spirit.
212
Ourallianceis composedof
an accord so perfect, that between us is a truly
perpetuaI union, and a single will.
tU
Man's double
nature is one of constant strife in which the infernal
forces dragging him under oppose those drawing
himheavenward. The strategy ofhis search for truth
is to he found in the art of dialectic, which 'will
compose the disorders ofreason tombyanxiety and
uncertaintyamidthe conflictinghordesofwordsand
captious reasonings,' and in the practice of natural
philosophy wbich inreducingthedistraction ofcon-
f1icting opinions would 'compose this conflict ... in
suchamannerastomindus tbatnature,asHeraclitus
wrote, is generated by war and for this reason is
called by Homer, "strife."'214 Natural philosophy
serves as a further guidetowards theunearthly peace
oftheology in which 'ail souls will not ooly he at one
in that one mind which is above every mind, but, in
amanner whichpassesexpression, will reallyhe one,
in the Most poofound depths of being. This,' Pico
assens, after the Pythagoreans, the purpose ofail
philosophy.'215
THE EDUCATION OF THE ARCBlTECf
What this amounts to is a process similar to the
creative arts, but worked OD the artifex. This is the
process ofeducation: a leading out ofwhat is always
already tbe but not conscious, or Dot 'remem-
bered.' Longus' eootic pastoral Daphnis and Chloe
(c. lOOBc-ADSO) depicts the education of a boy and
girl withrespect to theart oflove. Love was also seen
( as an art by Ovid (43BC-AD17)., who wrote three
books on the subject.
1bere was a cave sacredto the Nymphs wbic:b consislcd
of a great r o c ~ hollow inside and rounded outside. The
images of the Nymphs themsclvcs wcre made of stODe.
1bcir fcet wcre barc. their arms were naked ta the
shoulder. and their hair hung down loose over their
necks. They had girdles round their waists andsmiles on
their faces; and tbeir whole attitude was suggestive of
dancing. l'be mouth ofthe cave was in the very midd1e
of the r o c ~ and from it water came gushing out and
flowed away in a stream.l,t
DaphnisandChloe incorporates the themeofmelan-
cholyascorrespondingtotheuneducatedstate., mean-
ing theunconnected state. and that oflove symboliz-
ing the process of education and reconnection. The
characters are educated in sympathy andrelations by
nature herself., as well as in dreams in which their
guardian spirits and gods appear. Dionysius is l-
ebrated in the garden withan altar ina temple whicb.,
similarto thebuildings inthe Hypnerotomachia., bas
paintings on the inside on subjects connected with
the young god., as weil as with Pan and the Satyrs.
The setting of the romance is pastoral because the
engagement witbeducative nature is instnunental in
development. The novel concludes with the revela-
tionoftbeirorigins., thehieros gamos., anda sacrifice
of their pastoral belongings., surely preceding the
alcbemieal projectio into independent life andsocial
philosophy. The 'child's play' that went before has
become aetivity in adult society. The relationship of
man to nature is no longer naturally eonstituted.,
because it is not present in consciousness., but must
be established deliberately through edueative re-
membrance. The metaphor of the fall of man de-
scribes this loss of relations; so does Plato's halved
people. Thesymbolismofevil reveals itselfinunful-
filled intentionality: disorientationinspace. material
stain, and burden are its expressions.
2l1
In tragedy.
fate is rootOO in the idea that guilt or original sin
ss
unleashes a chain of causality as the devi of its
fulfillment For the Renaissance., 'causality., means
the contiguity of spirit witbin the aninul mundi.,
whichworks througherotie attraction. InPoliphilo"s
case the symbolism of evil is extended in melan-
choly. He is a melancholic., and sa carries the poten-
tial for the sublimity of Satumian wisdom. Moral
values in the Hypnerotonu:Jchia affect practical wis-
dom; reaI humanist virtue beingethical. the capabil-
ity for sound judgement by an individual bears an
associated responsibility. Ethics derives from the
Greekworkethos., meaningcharaeter., that which for
Plato., withtropoi or ways ofbeing., theimitativepoet
must fust imitate in himself in order to represent
these in bis work. The vitruvian forest in whieh
Poliphilo found himself lost is darkened by trees sa
tighdy interwoven that there is no possibilityoflight
enleringfromabove. The ttees however are bursting
into blossom; this is not the bopeless enttance ta the
infemo but the ftrSt sign of recognition of the trans-
fonnations to come. For Dante., the torments of the
netherworld were physical. Hem., bath darkness and
illuminationproceedinadifferent way. Thebonds of
the forest, social mores., needslackeningforethics to
be illuminated, tbrough freeing the divine aspect of
human will. The stnlggle is phantasmic. psycbie.
There-openingofthe social contraet makes possible
Machiavellian etbies. and a newkind ofresponsibil-
ity sets upon the man of imagination.,judgement and
action: a responsibility that needs educating. The
Hypnerotomachia at alIlevels an education of the
architect; it is ta categorical architectural treatises
what ethics is to moral law. Priming the architect
with Fieino' s guides of the soul., judgement would
spring from the interior of the body and reconstitute
itself in built fonn. TItus Plato"s problem of the
imitative poet was avoided: by reception of divine
inspiration and guided by the synaesthetic psyche,
(
(
the arcbiteet although in the imitation of the prin-
ciplesofnature, was not imitatingimagesbUltbrough
mnemonic contemplation guided by Saturn, invent-
ing. For the Renaissance, architectural fonn was
astral magic, andthe architect wasthereforea magus.
The narrative thenoperates al anumberoflevels: the
story provides a mnemonic device for the architec-
tonic promenade through the works and gardens,
while drawing Poliphilo through a series of trials
through which different aspects of the creative body
andmindareopenedandstrengthened. Theprincipal
aim of this development is that of the advanced
cognition of self-consciousness, and the variety of
sense experience, as a key vocabulary for the doc-
trine of free will. Man the microcosm is also a
fragment ofthe larger wodd, a unified living organ-
ism. As such he is subject to its forces, Destiny or
Fortune being the trajeclory on which he finds him-
self. On the model of comedy, the transcendence of
will or desire over fate means that the conscious ego
of the individual gains control over those uncon-
scious forces ofwhichheisalsoapart, improvinghis
life through reason and wisdom, making the right
choices. To do so was to foUow the rules of nature,
not to eut against the grain. Once initiated into
sensible cognition and that of the intellect he wlll
proceed through the Socratic motto 'know thyself' ,
toknowledgeofthe world. The model underlyingthe
reciprocity of practice and theory, of action and
knowledge is alchemy. Between the sensible and
intellectual cognition is the translative power, spiri-
tualized as image and imagination.
TheHypnerotomtlchia, develops ingreaterdetail the
artifice of human relations in parallel with the art of
architecture, meaning that they are manifesting d-
ferent aspects of the same thing, the active orienta-
tion of oneself in the world. Three major figurative
S6
modesdefineandarticulatetherelatioDship between
art and nature, and the role of the work of art as a
reconciliation of man with his universe, providing a
manifesto for representational strategy. The dream
cOrresPOnds tothe spiritual realmofthe otherworld,
both immanent and transcendent, and makes refer-
ences to the traditional qualities and characteristics
ofIbis psychic choros through mYtht thus providing
amodel for humanartistry. Thealehemieal narrative
in this grotesque ~ unfolds the inverse cosmog-
onie process towardunity, revealing metamorphosis
(adeathandrebirth) as derivingfromthe loves ofthe
gods. Thecosmos corresponds to bath the microcos-
mic humanbody andthe sacred wode ofarchitecture
which also models the universe, and hence is subject
to natural magic in the same way, the descriptions of
the architecture makingclear its contiguity to living
bodies, and ils subjection to the laws of desire.
THE EDUCATION OF THE WILL
In this central episode
t
the nymphs lead Poliphilo to
the discovery of bis will through scenarios of the
potential intellect, theactiveinteUectandthememory.
His induction ioto sensible cognition is through
direct sensory experience
t
which by a ritualizing of
experience and self-consciousness makes the senses
opaque and brings sensuality to the surface, at the
same limecultivatingthe novice architect. The bath-
ing ritual educates the sense of touch; the banquet,
taste; the perfumes and incense, smell; the music of
the banquet and the dance, hearing; and ail the
marvels presented to bis eyes, sight. The second
phase occurs under the guidance of two nymphs,
representing reason and will not yet unified. to a
series of symbolic spectacles representing the vari-
ous possibilities of the cognitio naturalis
t
the vicis-
situdes of human Iife in the labyrinth; the wealth of
nature; andthe powerofthe works ofmanandnature
(
(
in gardens of glass and silk. Through cognitio
naturalis, Poliphilo arrives at knowledge of the na-
ture ofGadas unity and trinity, this conveyed by the
visit to the garden with the obelisk. FoUowing the
solar domain of Eleuterilida., who signifies freedom
of will, from the Aristotelian virtue eleutheriotes,
meaning both liberty and liberality, is that of lunar
Telosia, signifyinga potential for the intervention of
Cree will inthedestinyofman. Telosia' s name means
destiny, from telos. Her designs are obscure and it is
up to Poliphilo to rmd harmony with the divine will.
through understanding himself. This is illustratedby
his choice between threedoors, which symbolize the
threeprincipal directions oflife. After he baschosen,
bis guides d e ~ signifyingthe necessity for faith in
a dermite vocation whichis ineversible in thecourse
of life. The nanative up to this point expresses the
state of man from which the use of the cognitive
faculty arises. Only consciousness can dream.
THIS NATURE CAPABLE OF DREAMING
ITSELF
Anima in corplre dormit, somniat. delirat, acgrotat.zn
Qnlythings whichhavealreadypassedintobeingare
perceived in sensibility. Waking consciousness,
which inscribes the self in the sensible body., per-
ceives itselfas separatedfrom the world, 50 that love
is a model ofthe retumto unity. This uoity is already
present in the unconscious, and the forging ofchan-
nels between the IWO defines a relationship between
man and nature. Dream consciousness only appar-
entlydistinguishes subject and object; the dreamer is
puzzled by enigmas of bis own invention; dream-
objects (personifyingthe powers ofnature as gOOs
119
)
are subde, self-illuminating and metamorphic. A
dream is the world-e:reative passion of a god. In
Hinducosmology, thegodVishnudreams the world,
and those whomhe dreams into being are dreaming
a1so. A dreamfor a gocl. then, means a dream for a
manas weil. andthedreamofthe manhas something
of the cosmogonie about it.
Aristode remarked .. that lhe best interpreter ofdreams
was the man wbo could best grasp similarities; for
dream-picwres.like pielUres on water. are pulled out of
shape by movement, and the most successful interpreter
is the man who can deteet die ttuth ftom the misshapen
picture.
Z2lI
Artemidomsy in bis study of dream interpretation.
insisted that interpretation be based on observation
and experience; the doctrine of his art being identi-
fied with magic, on the principle of association -
what is recalledtothe mindbythedreamimages. The
conventions ofrepresentation tomon the question of
howsimilarityorresemblanceis constnled. The idea
ofremembering by association is conjoined with the
poetic authority of the dream image's significance:
the symbol 'experienced' as archetype, e.g., the
world mountain. One cannot ascribe to an archetype
a definite meaning, but it can be circumscribed by
demonsttating its various aspects and how it func-
tions witbin its psychic framework.
ZZl
What Jung
postulated as the a priori existence of archetypes in
the coUective uneonscious, the Renaissance knewas
spiritus mundi. Finding in the sensible world a com-
plexwhichresembles il, its tneaningis projected ioto
this circumstance. This hypothesis means that the
psyche is both physical in the sense of having a
dermite organization of patterns and relations, and
mental. A kind ofpsychic 'genetic idea' could pro-
duce bath the familiar biological fonn of the human
body and the archetypal cultural characteristics it
extends inmyth. Mythologies arethecommondreams
of a society; like individual dreams they share the
translation of abstraet order and relation (relevant to
the cycle of life and death and the complexities of
human relations) into perceptible, comprehensible
fonn. A dream is a personal myth contextualized to
57

(
an individual, just as the omamental cbaracteristics
ofa mytb, those particulars whichanimatethe arche-
type, are specific to a society. The architect' s role is
to 'remember' the archetype. Dreamand myth have
the same relationship ofmodel and cosmos that man
has to his world. The 'natural' translation from myth
to dream articulates the notion of proporticn as a
decisive factor: to speak of a man is not to speak of
his societydirectly. Therelationshipofthearchetype
to a particular case exists al bath levels, and is
directed by the faculty of language. Man is not only
a model ofthe larger world but a central constitutive
ponion of il, in his immediate physical being, a
representationofthe world and society, ofthedivine
forces al play inthe universe.1n dreaming the senses
are directed intemally toward this divine power. A
dreamis a communication from the unconscious to
the cODSCious self; fonning into woRls and images
the complexity of symbolic ideas and abstract rela-
tions. The dream thus articulates the premise of
representation as a phantasmic message encoded in
tropes from the self to a higher self. The Hennetic
ideaoftruth heing concealed in a world ofillusion is
central to the mystical thought of many religions; a
purification of the cognitive system is necessary in
order to be able to recognize the unity of ail things.
This process ofenlightenment cao take many fonns.
Order in the world is present at many levels, but for
the Renaissance, vision confmned an arder percep-
tible at the human scale, valorizing the mystical
significance of light. The Inda-European root div,
from whichdeus, divus, Zeus, ete. derive, means 'to
shine.' OrcIer appeared to the eyes as geometry, and
the rational constnlction of perspective made this
evident. For a world used to the hierarchical repre-
sentational conventions of the Middle Ages, per-
spective required a decoding eye which was equally
educated. Like anamorphosis which created a visual
58
chaos out ofwhich was revealed order, the construc-
tions andillusionsofperspectivallinesandplanes. as
set ioto architecture, required an orientation of the
observer's position. Theobserverthus takes acentra1
part in the geometrical construction. We cao get a
good idea of the sophisticated representational tech-
nique Colonna intended in the architecture, through
extant contemporary works like the perspective
intarsiaworkofthe Liberal Ans Studioloal theducal
palaces at Gubbio and Urbino. A close friend of
Alberti who had spent ample time at his court,
Federico da Montefeltro bad brought in the Sienese
Francesco di Giorgio Martini as bis architecte AI-
though bis marquetry is worked in wood wbile Col-
onna specifies stone. the stunning effect of facing a
wall from the appropriate standpoint expands the
complex fiat surface into a spatial depth which both
emerges from and recedes back from the picture
plane, containing objects and omaments whose gea-
metric stnlctures are glorified,. andan ingenious play
ofshadows and Iight generated by the skillful choice
ofthe materials. Colonna' s novelty is tocombine the
natural philosophyofstones, andtheistoriaofAlberti
with this technique, which originated in the Islamic
world and was introduced ioto Italy around the early
founeenthcentury. thus weil suitedto theapplication
of the geometrical shaPeS of perspective. Curiously,
Federicousedthe motta NONMAI, meaning never, like
the NEMoofJupiter inthe Hypnerotomachia. Further,
the text of the frieze encircling the Gubbio stodiolo
translates thus: ~ S e e how the etemal students of the
venerable mother, men exalted in learning and ge-
n i u ~ fall forward,. suppliandy with bared neck and
flexed knee, before the face of their parent. Their
reverendpiety prevails overjustice and none repents
for baving yielded to his foster mother.
(
(
THE KING IN ALCHEMY IS TBIRSTY AND
DRINKS WATER UNTIL HE DISSOLVES.=
Among the more confusing achievements of
Michelangelo's youth was bis consummate forgery ofa
Sleeping Cupid. which was exhibiled in Rome as a
genuine antique.zn
Between the IWo columns, within a square tableau,
was carveda beautiful sleepingnymph, stretchedout
on a drapery, a part of which seemed gathered up
underherhead. sothat it wouIdserve herasa pillow.
The otherpart, sheIuul drawn up to coverthatwhich
decorumdesires to /ceep hidden. Theconcealment of
the Venus' reproductive organs is, as with the burlal
ofthe female colossus, an indication ofthe invisibil-
ity ofthe forces at work within nature. She restedon
her righl side, holding her head beneath her cheek,
where it leaned on her hancL The other hand was
extendedalong her left hip, just to the middle ofthe
thigh. Fromthe nipples ofherbreasts, which Ioolced
lilce those of a maiden. issued, from the right, a
stream offresh water, andfrom the left, one ofhot
water, which fell into a great block of porphyry,
formedinto IWO basins, ata distancefromthe nymph
01about saleet. This is the alchemicalfons duplex.
lnfront ofthefountain on a rich pavement between
the Iwo basins, there was a small channel in which
the IWO waters mixed, pouringfrom the basins oppo-
site one another and mingling thus made a Unie
stream of temperate warmth, convenient for the
procreation 01 ail greenery.nA By the feet of this
nymph, there was a satyr as if unerly moved and
inflamedby love, standing up on his IWO goats'leet,
his sharp mouth, joined to his pug-nose; the10r1ced
beardhangingin IWo barbs, lilce a billy-goat. He had
IWo long and shaggy ears, the effigy of his lace
almost human, inany casederivingfromthe goatish.
With his left handhe took hoidofthe branches olthe
tree, and by his strength made them curve over the
sleeping nymph, to give her more shade; with the
S9
otherhandheheldtheendolacurtainattachedtothe
Lower branches of the tree, between the satyr and
which were sining IWo smalt satyric children, one 01
them holding a vase, andthe other with IWo serpents
entwined around his hands.
m
This drawing bears a
similarity to one in the manuscript of Filarete de-
scribingarchitectural origins, whereastandingAdam
bends a tree bougb over a reclining Eve. Resembling
the sleeping Ariadne approached by Dionysius, the
tableau is not a specifie classical reference but a
Venetian invention designating the tension in a cre-
ative potential. Poliphilo is now able to drink from
the fountain source, the spring of poetic inspiration,
where hecouldnotdrinkfromthe natural stream, and
so actively begins bis mercurial transition.
Wboever drinks from my mouth shall become as 1am
and 1myself will become he, and the hiddenthings shall
he revealed to him.
Z211
The carved scene is surmounted by a wreath bound
al top and bottomenclosing two birds drinking from
a vessel. The inscription reads: Ta RER WHO BRINGS
FORTH AIL THINGS. If the maiden were Diana, with
the satyr the fountain might figure a zodiacal align-
ment, for Ficino notes that When the Moon goes
under Aries, it is a good time to try baths and
showers;m and indeed the Moon-goddess presides
over childbirth. Poliphilo must be bathed before
being taken to the palace of Free Will, and this is
accomplished in the octagonal bath house which he
has not yet entered, to whicb the nymphs bring mm.
Thespiritmustalsobeproperlypreparedandcleansed,
in order to receive influences from the world spirit
through the rays of the stars. The tableau stimulates
Poliphilo to recall a story of verisimilitude in sculp-
ture.lnanycase, the slcillful craftsman hadmade her
so lovely, that aftenvartls hefound that several men
Md fallen in love with her; similarly, 1 could not
persuade myselfthat this nymph had been made by
(
(
the handofananist, but ratller, thal beinga natural
and living creature, she had been transfonned into
stone.
221
In the story recalling the power of a poetic
imagination which cao tum living things iota stone,
and stone ta life, Qvid's Metamorphoses has been
metamorphosed. Colonna demonstrates how magi-
cal sympathy is applied to the sculptures by a choice
of marble which already suggests the figure ta he
carved out by the natural texture and variegated
colouring of its 'tlesh.' The stone is apparently
destined toward snch ends but yet requires an intel-
lect to perceive ils potential andcraft ta consummate
its concept.
m
The sour s figure which gjves matterits
fonn in the natural sphere has anessential common-
ality with thechosen material. This 'art at the service
of nature' is divergent from Alberti, who sights a
parallel ideawith bis lineaments. but elsewherefinds
himself unaccountable to errer:
It is quite possible to project wholc forms in the mind
without any recourse to the material. bydesignating and
detennining a fixed orientation and conjunction for the
various lines and angles. Since that is the case. let
lineaments he the precise and correct outline, conceived
in the minci, made up of lines and angles, and perfected
in the leamed intellect and imagination. no
Ficino dermes nature as the power placed in the
sours faculty of procreation. Nature reclaims art as
its own, shownby the pyramid' s relapse iotohiIlside.
Art. assisted by Satum, naturally attracls bis dark
side of linear temporality and change as decay,
wheredecayinverts artifice. Theriverf10ws fromthe
fountain ioto sown fields, showing how art provides
a framework for nature, a frame wbich serves to
bridge the human condition with the natural, by a
sacrificial act. The world is like a body of distin-
guishable but interdependent organs; il has a single
nature with a natural sYmpathy of bodily parts. The
role of art is of assisting or fine-tuning tbis existing
'machine' or 'engine.'
60
1bereforetheWOrDofmagic are WOrDofnature. but art
is its handmaiden. For where anything is lacking in a
natural relationship, art supplies it through vapours,
numbers, figures andqualities at tbepropertimes. Just as
in agriculture. nature produces the crops, but an makes
the preparations.
DI
In the satyr who watches the sleeping nymph. Col-
onna begs the question of whether representation is
the imitation of a reaI object (for Poliphilo) or the
actualization ofphantasmic invention (forthe reader
who sees it as a part of his dream) by demanding its
intentions. To see him, you wouldhave believedthat
the sculptor hadmodelled him on a nalural satyr.
U2
The bath house, of which this fountain fonns a face,
is an octagonal stnJcture, more Iike the Florence
Baptistery than the Tower of the Winds, a1though in
Vitruvius, the passage describing the winds is con-
cemed with the geometrical construction of an octa-
gon from a circle. The pterigio (Ihat is to say the
pinnacle or lantem) was a point equally octagonal,
on which there was a roundorb: on the centreolthis
orbapivot, withawingtuming toail wnds. Then, on
top, another orb, smaller than the first by a third,
witha little naJcedchild, who hadhis right legplaced
firmlyon thal, andthe othersuspendedinthe air. The
backofhis headwas hollowthrough to the mouth, in
the form 01 a funnel; and there was soldered a
trumpet which he held with his left hand by the
mouthpiece, and with his righl towards tlle large
end: the wOOle mode olwellpolishedgildedcopper.
lt looked as though the child was blowing through
the hollowofthis trumpet. And since he was lightly
tumed by ail winds by means 01the wing below, the
wind always blew into the back of his head and
passedwithin the opening to the bodyo/the trumpet,
andmode it soundhighandclear:
m
Inthis device the
property of transfonning spirit ioto sound, which
was accidentai inthe colossus, is refinedand guided.

(
and combined with the idea of the rotating figure on
the obelisk. This mode of monstrosity, where dis-
crete motifs are recombined occurs throughout. On
theface responding opposite to thenymphservingas
a fountain was the entrance, through an opulent
portal made by the /rands ofthe same worknum who
hadcarvedthefountain, on which portal was written
this title in Greek letters: Al:AMIN90I,2l4 bath.
ln temples to Venus, Flora, Proserpine, Spring-Water,
and the Nymphs, the Corinthian order will he round to
have peculiar significance, because these are delicate
divinities and 50 its rather slender oullines, its flowers,
leavcs, andomamentaI volutes wiliiend propriety where
it is due.
D5
On the inside, this building was equally octagonal,
surrounded ail around by seats, in the form offour
steps, ofjasper and chalcedony of variant colours.
The IWo lower steps were covered in wann water up
to the edge ofthe third: thefourth was entirely out of
the water. At each ofthe eight corners there was a
roundCorinthian column ofjaspermixedwith every
kind ofcolour which nature knows how to paint, set
on thefourth step, which served them as a pedestal,
with their bases, capitals, architrave, friel.e, and
comice. The said frieze was carved in semi-relief
with naked children, romping through water with
tiny sea monsters, struggling childishly with efforts
appropriate to their age. and so weIl counteifeited
that they appeared to move. Above the frieze fol-
lowed the comice, from which, perpendicular to
each ofthe columns. emerged a twist ofoak leaves,
made ofgreen jasper, oveiflowing one on top ofthe
other, and joined with goid tresses, ail in relief,
climbing along the ribs ofthe vault, andassembling
aroundthe central key, in the mannerofa triumphal
wreath, inwhichplacetherewasa heavylion's head,
holding in his jaws a ring/rom which hung chains
attached to a beautifulvase with a great opening. of
some depth, which was held above the water about
61
IWOcubits: the lion, the chains andthe vase. ail solid
and all offine gold. The lion represents elemental
sulphur in alchemy, after the dissolution by mercury
causing the initial coagulation and subsequently the
new and noble fonn. The rest ofthe vault was made
of leaves unfurling and panes of crystal, being of
azure stone sprinkledwith tiny goldflecks.
UI
Not/ar
away there wasafissure in the earth, which continu-
ally spewed forth buming matter, with which the
nymphsfilled the shell vase, and on top ofit placed
certain aromatic gums and scented woods, from
which arose an exquisitefragrance more sweet than
the best nestlings of Cyprus. (Hollow balls in the
fonn of birds, filled with scent and sometimes cov-
ered in feathers, used to distribute perfume.) After
that. theyclosedthedoors whichweremadeofmetal,
shaped Li/ce leaves. as diaphanous as the vault. with
the gaps filled by crystal panes, which rendered a
multipharious brilliance ofdifferent colours giving
the baths this light.
231
The whole wall on the inside
was ofa stone ofa very black appearance, and so
polished that it gleamed like glass. ln each face
between the IWo columns. there was a square sur-
roundedby mouldings, in the mannero/a plain band
of scarlet jasper. having these bands three inches
wide: in each ofthese were set andfigureda beauti-
fui naked nymph, aIl different in countenance, of
galactite stone. as white as fine ivory, and standing
on a moulding which related to the bases of the
columns. Possibly a species ofemerald the colour of
milk, according to Pliny, galactite was valued by
magicians, and had the power to make magical
writings heard, to make ghosts appear and to retum
answers, as well promoting love and friendship. It is
named fromthe Greek galactinos, milky, and its use
gives the building an alchemical resonance with the
nymph' s breasts of the fountain. Oh howllookedat
these images so exquisitely carved. Certainly many,
(
many times my eyes were divertedfrom the real and
natural (nymphs) in orderto contemplate the coun-
terfeits (in stone). Whereas conventional Mediaeval
representation had merely used the image to refer
beyond itself to an idea, Renaissance naturalism
recreates an ideal from and in empirical reality,
bringing the modus operandi of sense perception to
extemal representation. Decorative work in marble
with inlays of coloured stones, mosaic, glass, and
gilding, was employed abundantly in Italian Ro-
manesque architecture from the twelfth to the thir-
teeoth century. The workers and the work were both
known as Cosmati. The paving of the bouDin, be-
neath the water, was a mosaic
J
assembled from
slenderfinestones, by whichwere expressedail sorts
and manners of fish. The water was temperately
warm, not by artificial heat, but only by nature; and
what is more, so clean andclear, that looldng into it,
you would have believed those fish to move and
spawn ail along the seats where they were so vividly
portrayed, namely carp, pilee, eels, tench, lampreys,
shadsJ perch, turbot, sole, rays, trout, salmon. mul-
let.flatfish, crayfishandinfiniteothers. whichseemed
to wriggle w;th the movement ofthe warer, as such
approaching the work ofnature. ln the space above
the daor. there was caT\1ed a dolphin in semi-relieJ,
of galactite stone, swimming in the sea, bearing a
young boyon his back, whofrolicleed with a lyre. On
theotherside, oppositetothedaor. overthefountain.
there was a dolphin similarly ridden by the god
Neptune. holdinga trident, orthree-prongedsceptre,
ofthe same galactite stone on the blackbackground
ofthe mural.
231
Poliphilo' s vision concems the life of
the sea, the opening of the unconscious psyche. A
man's affections are known by the phantasies he
produces, and on which he dweUs, without outside
stimuli. The inflections of phantasy deriving from
temperament arise in excessive dryness, humidity,
62
heat or c o l ~ here tempered with the warm fluidity
which constitutes life. Imbalances cause immoder-
ate tlux or fixity in the tlow of images in the mind,
and errors emerge from this acceleration of the
phantasmic array, or from the delay of excessive
desire, which favours one thing to the exclusion of
others. The disorders arisng from the temperament
ofthe body are to hecured physically by a reduction
to a proper equilibrium.
2J1
Reason is to be used to
counter the imagination' s unrestrained impulses tO-
ward vanity. Spirit and imagination are bath depen-
dent upon the health of the body, whose emotional
balance leaves its animate starnp on the creative
material of the intennediate realm between Becom-
ing and Being, the choros of Plato's Timaeus. Love
is the moving force emerging from its watery chaos.
THE MERCURY OF THE PHILOSOPHES
Just as all things proceed from the One alone by medita-
tion on One alone. 50 they also are born from this one
tbing by adaptatiOQ.2AO
Through Arabic texts the Renaissance inherited al-
chemy, a mystical science based on the transmuta-
tionofmatteras an analogueofspiritual purification.
A series of stages in the active transformation of
matter act as a paraUel to the inteUectual state of the
person engaged inthe work, creating an ideal madel
for the teeiprocity of theory as contemplation and
practice as action. The material aspect consists in the
process of evolving the philosophers' stone out of
base matter through a succession of particular steps,
the torturing of the material heing a mortificatio
analogous tothe passion ofChrist. It was understood
that the artifex reconciled himself and bis world in
the wor1e, so that the matter he worked on was
ultimately bimself. The developing idea of man's
ability to make changes in bis world aUowed the
artifex to see, as if in allegorical fonn, a recipmcity
between two levels of the process, rnaterial and
(
spiritual. Whateverone madeinthe worldaetedback
on the self. Il was thus able to embody duality in
unity. For the architeet this was a powerful idea
which introduced a magical dimension into the re-
ciprocal healthofthe selfandthecosmos
9
transfonn-
ing the part of the tragic hero. Alchemy involves a
separation of rnaterial
9
dissolving accidentai rela-
tionships into constituent elements, which are puri-
fied and then recombined in correct proportion with
orchestrated relationships between them. Inthe cor-
respondence ofthe processes ofchange in mind and
matter, a1legory was naturalizedincomparisontothe
decadent moral a11egory of the late Middle Ages.
Although the stages andnomenclatureofthe process
vary vasdy from author to author, here are
Calcinatio is signified by the death ofthe profane, a
loss of mterest in life and the manifest worlel, in
Poliphilo's bedchamber; putrefactio involves the
decay of the matter, and the separation of the de-
stroyed remains, in the ruins of the ancient monu-
the labyrinth ofthe foundations;
solutio as the dissolution of matter into flux, involv-
ing the immersion into water in the bath house;
cibatio is the nourishment ofthe work, inthe feast at
the court ofEleuterilida; separatio is the distinction
of the four elements in the triumphs of Jupiter;
conjunctio is the coincidence of opposites, uniting
the male principle ofconsciousness with the female
principleofthe unconscious, al the temple ofVenus;
augmentatio is the magjcal profusion of the sacred
. plant; sublimatio is the suffering resulting from the
mystic detaehment fromthe world and dedication to
spiritual striving at the Polyandrion; exaltatio is the
voyage to and exaltation of Cythera; coagulatio is
the inseparable binding of the fixed and volatile
principles at the fountain of Venus; projectio is the
projection ofthe symbolic matrix ontoextemal real-
ity in Polia's story.
63
The tbree Principles of things are produced out of the
four elements in the following manner: Nature, whose
power is in her obedience to the will of Ciod. ordained
from the very beginning, that the four elements should
incessantly aet on one another, SOt in obedience to her
tire beganto act on air, and produced sulphur, air
acted on water and produced mercury; warer. by its
action on earth, producedsalt. Earth alone, having noth
ingtoaet upon, did not produceanything, but becamethe
nurse, or womb, of these three Principles. Whoever
would be astudent ofthis sacred science must knowthe
marks wherebythesetbreePrinciplesareproducedoutoC
four, 50 they, in theirtum, must produce two9 a maleand
a female; and these two must produce an incorruptible
one, in which are exhibited the four elements in a highly
purified and digested condition.... In every natural corn
positionthesethree represent the body, thespirit. and the
hidden soul. Without these three Principles, the AItist
can do nOlbing, since even Nature is powerless without
them. ...It is from these, by an imitation of Nature, that
you must produce the Mercury of the Philosophes.
Je
The eanh which acts as a nurse ofthe other elements
is the grotesque underworld of the hero myths, the
location of Poliphilo' s dream. The prima materia is
world soul, world spirit, and quintessence. It is the
principle ofapossiblecreationor representation that
is not mimetic.
l'bey bavecomparedtheprinrtl trUJll!rlI toeverytbing, to
male and female, to the bcrmaphroditic monster, to
heaven and earth, to body and spirit, chaos,
and the confused mass [ma.rsa conflua]; it contains in
itself all coloun and potentially a1l meWs; there is
nolbing more wonderful inthe world, for il bcgets itself.
conceives itself and gives birtb ta itself.
1a
The key agent of change is the philosophical mer-
cury, which is a compositeoftwo substances9 vulgar
mercury and simple water.
When, thercfore, we speak of 'our vessel,' understand
'our water'; wbcn wc speak of fue, again undcrstand
water. and wben wc discoss the we mean notb
ing that is different or distinct from
The lapis philosophorum, which realizes wisdomas
thegoal ofthe work, isanotheraspect ofMercury and
theprimamateria; itcaDhe found anywherefromthe
dung heap to the playthings of children. It is not its
substanceperse but its physical being which is used
(
(
(
(
as a point of focus or meditation, for the inner
transfonnation, which is then restoredoutwardas the
projectio.
BLACK HUMOUR
The black bile ... has its seat in the spleen because, in its
sadness over thedelay in retumingto its heavenly home,
it rejoices inthe spleenas in hope. As 1think1have read.
the physicians declare thal laughter comes from the
spleen; from this proximity il seems to me very under-
standable that melancholics bath laugh and cry.us
'Laughterisagod whom we hold in the very greatest
esteem.'246 Inscribed above the frieze is LAUGHTER.1A1
Poliphilo feels troubled by his vileness among the
lovely nymphs. He is aroused but becomes nervous,
so they trick him ioto treading on a step which
triggers a 'water game' using the statue of a boy
whose face seems to he laughing: the /inle child ...
pissedright in the middle ofmyface, ajetofwaterso
cold and strong that 1 thought 1 was falling back-
wards; by which means, such a great and high
feminine laughter began to resonate through the
vault, that eventhinking myselfto he dead, 1began to
laugh with an open throat. Then, retuming /inle by
linle to myself, 1nOlicedthe trickofartifice, industri-
ously invented The laughter signifies the transcen-
dence of fear: the self-conscious ability to view
himselfobjectively. This water which designates bis
head is the alchemical urina pueroTUm, another
symbol of purification and rebirth. Modem comedy
is grounded in a critique of rigidity in moral fonn.
Ethical practice requires shunning rigidity; wisdom
makes useofthe past through memory without heing
mired in il, needing presence of mind and openness
to the opportunities and decisions of the moment.
This is a principle whichproduces bothMachiavelli' s
principles of statesmanship and Colonna's architec-
tural theory. The comic exists inthe tension hetween
matter and higber principles, in this case Poliphilo' s
wolfish desire overcoming his moral bearings; in
64
comedy, desire triumphs over destiny. This ironic
jokeboth destroys and reafmns, and 50 isconsistent
symbolically with Poliphilo' s baptisme The pissing
mannekin is a manifestation of Mercury as aqua
permanens, the fiery forro of the troe water, or
quicksilver. Many alchemical sources say that the
whole work and its substance are nothing but water,
which is appropriate to the humorous theory of the
body and the control of liquids in architecture.
They also call the simple water poison, quicksilver,
cambar. aqua pernuuzens. g u m ~ vinegar. urine, sea-
water, dragon and serpent.24'1
The simple water must he combined with 'our min-
eral,' either the prima materia or the lapis, ioto
philosophical water, tU/ua mercurialis. This requires
a combination of male and female elements, and
explains Colonna' s hennaphroditic architecture.
locari serio et studiosissime ludere.
250
Andabove the comice. did mount up (by an elegant
arching) an eight square spire, imitating lhat below.
Whichfrom comer to corner was eut through with a
marvellous worlananship ofa thousandsundryfash-
ions, andclosedagain with quarrels ofpure crystal,
which,fromfaroff,l1uul taken to be lead.ullbere is
a displacement of what things seem to he and what
they are;judgement improves in proportion to proxi-
mateengagement. One's perceptiondependsonbear-
ing. The senses are tricksters who instigate desire
through illusion, the prerequisite condition ofmean-
ing inrepresentation beinga suspension ofdisbelief.
The laughter folloWDg trickery is indicative of its
regenerative or propulsive powers.
251
Poliphilo is
triedagain: as Apuleius' deception inthe GoldenAss
is recited, the nymphs rob him with ointment. The
story counsels against the hazards of magic used by
thase who do not folly understand il, which cao alsa
trick you, as Apuleius is transformed into an ass, by
mbbing stolen ointment onto his body, rather than a
(
(
bird as he hadexpected. Only at the endofa series of
adventures is heretumed to bis human sbapeafterthe
Goddess, Isis or Nature, the female principle, ap-
pears to him with advice, after which restoration he
is initiated into her mysteries. Emerging /rom the
bath, this ointment seemedgreatly useful, as besides
its delicious odour, my limbs, wealcened and dis-
abled/rom the pain 1had suffered. were suddenly
renewed by it. [...] But right away 1Jelt completely
movedby a lascivious heat, so vehement that 1cou/d
not contain myself: The nymphs tease himand tempt
his camai appetite, by which these affected nymphs
laughed among themselves with pleasure.Finally
Taste plucks some herbs whose names echo the
dragonandthe nymphs: Heraclea nymphea, a rootof
Aron, andAmella, whichwere growingquiteclose to
one another and graciously offered me some 1 re-
fused the nympheaanddraconculofor theirstrength
andtookthe Amella which1put in mymouthandate.
Right away, the fire of lust was extinguished and 1
resumed my previous disposition. UJ
THE PALACE OF FREE WILL
Fortune belps those who dare.
2S6
They arrive at a garden witha fountain in the middle:
the three Graces with water spurting trom tbeir
breasts, in the recurrent theme of statues which
channel air or water, fluids which pass through the
body Iike the humours. The whole area around the
fountain waspavedwithsquaresofmarbleofdiverse
coloursandshapes.ln the middle o/eachsquarewas
placed a roundpiece a/jasper ofa different colour.
The corners andangles o/the squares outside ofthe
circles were configured Uke foUage. Between the
squares, andaroundail thepaving, there werebands
or borders serving to separate them, madefromfine
mosaics. lt was a brilliant green foliage, accompa-
nied by many flowers, in yellows, turquoises, reds,
6S
andpurples, composedofnarrowcubicstones,joined
with such art, that it looked liJce a paintedtableau.
us
On the approach to the court of Queen Eleuterilida
the ambiguous status of things is revealed by the
cypress trees, which servedas columns;236 ratherthan
being the natural model for artifice, their tronks
metamorphose directIy through the imagination.
Similarly, ln the middle ofthe first side there was a
great portal. towards which the path was Ieading, in
a vaultJormedby the trees themselves, inflectedand
curved as necessary, above which in other conve-
nient places were made a rowo/windows ofsimilar
material.
m
The cypress in classical antiquity was a
symbol and attribute of Chronos and Asclepius, as
weB as many goddesses. It was associated with
ancient cuIts of the underworld
7
and as an evergreen
symbolized longevity. Here, only the leaves and
flowers create the visible surface; the stnlcturing
wood is not seen, a metaphor for the phantasmic
image.
What the Orcek cali p1ronlasQi, we cali visiOfleS, imagi-
native visions through wbich the images ofabsent things
are represented in the soul in such a way that we seemta
discem them with our eyes and to have them present
before us.
2SI
The ability to conceptually perfonn a refinement of
natural material, perceiving in it the poteotial for
amelioratioo, is the task of the imagination, the
subject of a short tract published by Aldus Manutins
in 1500. On the /1fUlgination was written by Gio-
vanni PicodeUaMirandola' s oephewGianfrancesco.
The younger Pico based his writing largely 00
AristotIe' s De Anima combined with Neoplatonic
influences. Fromanessentially Christian viewpoint,
he explained the intennediary role of the imagina-
tion, which he equated with phantasia.
23t
As a trans-
lator ofrepresentation, imaginationderives fromthe
senses and precedes the intellect. Sensation is a
potential whose activity is provoked by present sen-
(
(
sibleobjects toapprehendandretaintheirlkenesses.
The imagination receives impressions of objects
fromthe senses, retains themand renders themmore
pure, thenfumishes themto theactive intellect. ''Ibis
intellect in tom brightens these impressions by its
own light, and draws off from them the intelligible
ones, which it then places in the potential intellecL,_
This is then later informedandperfectedbymeans of
these intelligible images. Imagination, bowever,
works when the sensible object wbich provided the
stimulus is absent, and even without this 'original'
cao still produce images, only present but also
past and future, and even such as cannot he brought
to light by nature.'26. The imagination operates ooly
in conceivingand fashioning sensible and particular
images, wbich stand in metaphorical coroUary to
those of the intellect whicb are intelligibl.e and uni-
versal.-Theformationofauniversalprincipleoutof
the sensible instance aceounts for Ficino' s proposed
model of the universe, as weil as the architectural
works ofthe Hypnerotomachl and its landscape, ail
in search of a essential mean of natural principles
wbicb could receive expression as the perceptible
image of an idea.
The soul employs theimaginativefacu1ty forconceiving
the likenesses of sensible objects only, and for placing
them before the intellect It employs reason for investi-
gating these lkenesses, and also for examining mose
things which are removed from bodiIy existence. It
employsintellect forcontemplatingthe intelligibletbngs
that are absolutely not only from matter, but
even from every likeness of matter.2Q
The entrance into the palace relates its three door-
keepers to the transforming acts of the spirit on the
sensations. The symbolismof doorkeepers concurs
with Freud's paradigm of the conscious mind's ac-
cess to the whole psyche, and Kafka's parable UBe-
fore the Law" in The Trial, about the freedomof the
modem individul which bears on the subject' s ac-
cess to history. As Freud puts il, time does not exist
66
intheunconscious, sothat through the spiritusmundi
ail tbings past are made available to the present,
depth perspectivally brought to the surface. Before
this door was hung a cunain woven ofsilk and goId
thread andthere were portrayedtwo lovelyfigures.
one with ail the instruments suitablefor lbour; the
other, intently contemplating the heavens.- These
figures of sense and reflection are the first two
guardians whichPoliphilowill encounterat thegrotto
of Queen Telosia. The name of the tirst doorkeeper
is Cinosia, whose name from the Greek x,uary, dog,
denotes motion in the sense of conducting the sense
perceptions to the intellect (which is the work of the
spirit). The dog as psychopomp includes the Egyp-
tian Anubis and the three-headedCerbems.Asecond
curtain of noble art and composition, more lovely
tlumthefint, diverse withailsorts ofcolours, andail
lcinds ofsigns,forms. plants. andbeasts, ofthefinest
second doorkeeper is Indalomena,
meaning fiction or illusion, in the sense of image,
fonn or appearance, denoting phantasia; who looked
marvellously curious. The next space holds a third
curtain exceptionally woven with great excellence.
withdiscordand reason marvellouslyconjoinedand
portraying many cords, links, hooks, and other in
struments for grappling. drawing together and at
taching: guarding this was a most graceful welcom
ing matron, calledMnemosyne who let us in straight
away.- Memory is the mother ofthe Muses. Images
are held in the memory until used for creative pur-
pose, giving tise to inspiration and imagination. The
association with linking and joining is borne out by
the fact that the monster serves as a symbol for
memory. After these admonitions, she sent me into
the palace. where 1 saw the most singular things.
more divine than transitory. amongst others a mar
vellous device which arose in a large court. qwte
ample and spacious. in front of a great mass ofa
(
(
mansion, peifectly squared in every direction, con
taining eight squares in lengthandasmanyin width.
Each square was threefeet across, made in theform
ofa checkerboard, differing in colour, one ofjasper
as red as coral, and the other ofgreen jasper splat-
tered with Unie drops like blood. The border ofthe
pavement was a beautifulfrieze offoUage in mosaic,
having a good foot in width, composed of small
precious stones, that is jaspers. emeralds, agates.
chalcedonies. amber, crystal, jet and others, aIL of
one size and eut, so smoothly connected that the
jointscouldnotbediscemed. The workwassoplane,
poIished and unified that if anyone had thrown a
spherical baIlontoil. itwouldhavebeeninperpetuaI
motion.2IT The jrieze was again enclosed and sur
rounded by another border ofa width ofthree feet,
configured with beautiful interlacing of the same
stones and workmanship. Along the walls, around
the whole place, lhere were seats ofyellow and red
sandalwood, covered with green velvet, andpillows
full ofa soft material. Lilce goose down orconon. The
velvet was anached to the sides of the bench with
finishing nails of pure gald, over an edge Lilce a
ribbon ofhammered slver.-
THE DESCENT OF THE SOUL
[In each of the Angels and Souls is an image] of each
sphere. the sun. the moon, the other stars, the elements,
stones. plants. and each of the animais. In the Angels.
these pictures are called by the Platonists Archetypes or
ldeas; in the Souls they are called Reasons or Concepts;
in the Matter of the World they are called Forms or
lmages.-
Ficino' s particularassimilation ofthe spirit, whicb is
the instroment of knowledge, to the Neoplatonic
astral body, cbaracterizedbyits acquisitionofaetheric
'gifts' during its descent into the earthly body, is
poignant forunderstanding the precarious balanceof
melancboly in the process of representation and
reproduction. According to Macrobius' commen-
67
tary on Scipio's Dream. in ber fall from heaven into
matter the soul glides down through the beavenly
spberes, becomingcladina gift fromeach, andlearns
also to produce the particularmotions corresponding
to that planeL In the highest sphere of Saturn, she
develops the faculty of reasoned thought and under-
standing, logistilcon(reason) andtheoretilcon(specu-
lation); in that of Jupiter, the power to act called
pralctiJcon (action); in Mars, a fervour of spirit,
thymikon; in that of the SUD, the capacity for feeling
and imagining, aisthetikon (perception) and
phantastiJcon (imagination, making visible); in Ve-
nus, the emotion of desire, epithumetilcon; in Mer-
cury the expression and interpretation of sensible
experience, called henneneutilcon (interpretation);
and from the Moon, phytilcon (coming ioto heing),
the powerofplantingandnourishingorganic bodies.
This Neo-platonic development of the series links
theetbical andphysical, fromtheGnostic roots ofthe
fall of the sou1.
Imagination is the star in man. the celestial or
supercelestial body.2'lO
During the descent ofa soul onder the influence ofa
certain planet, the soul conceives a corresponding
pattern, the soul imprints this pattern on its astral
body, and then the soul imprints a tbird image on a
similarly disposed eartbly seed or material. The
beauty of the fonn produced is measured by how
closely it corresponds to its idea. Just as love 'occu-
pies the middle ground between fonnlessness and
fonn,'2lt the intennediary position between matter
and intellect is also the locus of imagination.
Tbe Platonists affirm that the soul descends. imprinted
witb ideas. into the body. yet they admit that the soul
forgets these ideas, and as a result, for reminiscence
requires the belp of sense and phantasy.m
Encyclopaedic or museological representation has
this reminiscence as its purpose, like cabinets of
curiosities whichderivedfromgrottoes becausethese
(
(
symbolized access to the totality ofpossible wisdom
by giving the spirit an extended expressive vocabu-
lary. The walls ofthe palace were covered with goM
foil and ornamented with sculptures corresponding
to such a precious material, divided into seven pan-
els by pillars and mouldings ofa dainty proportion.
ln the middle of each of these panels there was a
roundelortriumphal wreath, anelegantlycomposed
fruitful abundance ofglowing precious stones, ac-
cording to the colours, qualities and resemblances
necessary. Within those circularspaces, inencaustic
work, the seven Pfanets were peifectly and beauti-
fully pictured, each with their propeny and nature.
The remainder ofthe panel, outside ofthe roundel,
was enrichedwith leaves offine sill/er, polishedand
overlapping the ple of gold. Such was the wall
surface ofthe first side. Thal ofthe left side was ail
similar, with the panels and chaplets of greenery,
just Like the previous in number, OrtUJnJent and
workmanship, except that in these sevencircles were
the seven triumphs of those who are ruled by the
seven planets, and inclined to their constellation,
made in the Sanie mannerandmtlterial. On the right
side 1 saw in the circles, the seven Harmonies or
concordances of those seven planets, and the en-
trance ofthe souf into the body, with the reception of
the qualities infused by the celestial spheres, with
incredible representations [historiatoJofthe celes-
tial operations. The fourth wall was Li/ce the others,
except that the door occupiedthe central space, and
the other six spaces had the same measure, propor-
tion andcorrespondence. The circ1ets containedthe
influences andoperations originating in the inciiM-
tion ofthe planets, expressedby Iovely nymphs, with
inscriptions, titles, and signs of their effects. The
seventh circle was placedin the centre ofthefrontis-
piece ofthe doorway, straight across from the Sun,
which was higher than the other six on the opposite
68
wall, because of the queen's throne, which was
elevatedhigherthan the others. lndeed, all the parts
corresponding to one another were equal orsimilar
in number, position, and material.
V3
The doorway
itselfbecomes a representation for the middleplanet,
the Sun, making the threshold signify light, percep-
tion and imagination. The four walls in seven divi-
sions make up the twenty-eight days of the lunar
month, Diana' s feminine rhythm.
These pillars were ofthe fines! oriental lapis iazuli,
of brilliant hue, and sprinkled with tiny sparks of
gold: the fronts or faces of which, between IWO
mouldings, were carved with candelabras, gro-
tesques, leaves, arabesques, comucopiae, vases,
maslcs, satyrs, monners, balusters andotherbeaUfi-
fui inventionsanddevices, otasingle carvingsoeven
that it seemed to he in full relief.nt Azure or lapis
lazuli is a granular crystaUine aggregate principally
composedofdeep blue lazurite or blue haynite with
inclusions of pyrite or mica
m
Right heneath each
pillar, there stood an antique vase, over three feet
high, some ofagate, others ofjasper, some ofam-
ethyst, granite or amber, of diverse colours and
inventions, full andfashionedwith handles carvedin
the figures of serpents, lizards and other lOl/ely
fantasies.
116
Now howdoes man imitate nature? He does it by prac-
tising the arts and crafts. for. according to the Aristote-
lian definition. 'lVll (teebne) means 'acting as nature
aets.'m
The intervention of poesis in techne, to produce
divine arts is the quality of divine intervention in
nature, from which the myths of metamorphosis are
drawn. In this imitation of nature by art, by the
Aristotelianprincipleofdeght tbrough knowledge,
art has tamed or subordinated nature. Indeed the
leaves were ofsplendidScythian emeralds,. theflow-
ers of sapphires, beryls, rubies, diamonds, topaz.,
and other precious stones, daintily ordered and
(
placedaccording to their colours. This is an unPar-
alleled anifice ... such that 1 could not imagine by
what art andinvention this work had been executed.
uncertain to determine whether it had been nailed,
soldered or mounted by insertion, which are the
three methods of assemblage used in goldsmithry.
Ali three seemedimpossible in such a large canopy,
combined with connections and inter/acings so di-
verse)" The queen, who wears an egg-shaped dia-
mond set in gold. and an crimson velvet corset
embroidered with all kinds of flora and fauna, is
seated under the image of Apollo; Poliphilo sits
under Mercury (whose influence notoriously dimin-
ishes under Scorpio, who mies the genitals).
Ifany manwishattimes10changethedropofmastic, and
by pressing il tocause aclear tear to issue fromit.let him
takecare, and he will secin a fixed lime. underthe gentle
pressure of the fire, a like substance issue from the
philosophie matter; for as soon as its violet daJtness is
excitedfor thesecondlime, il will slirupfromilas ilwere
a drop or f10wer or Dame or pearl, or other likeness ofa
pn:cious stone. which will be diversified until il runs OUl
in veryclear whiteness, which thereafter will be capable
ofc10thing itself with the hanour ofbeauteous rubies, or
ethereal stones, whieh are the true fire of the soul and
Iigbl of the philosophers.nt
TBESIGNDnCANCEOFCOLOURS
A1chemy proceeds through a series of four stages
identified by colour or tincture, in a reversed cos-
mogonie process through which the diversity of
things is demonstrated to become whole and one.
The art of making pigments for painting had an
affmity with alchemy; pigments were distinguished
as naturai andartificial. Cennini writes ofa redcalled
dragonsblood, the practice ofgrinding pigment with
urine, and making verdigris from copper and VD-
egar. The fmt stage is the nigredo or melanoss,
characterized by blackness, and symbolizing chaos
or gross matter, either present from the start as a
quality of the prima materia or massa confusa, or
69
else produced by the separation of the elements by
solutio, separatio. divisio, or putrefactio. H there is
an initial separation of the elements then a union of
opposites represented by male and female takes
place: this is the coniugium. coniunctio, coitus. It is
followed by the death of the unified p r o d u c ~ called
mortifieatio, ClIlcinatio, putrefactioanda correspond-
ing nigredo. From this. the washing, ablutio or
baptisma, leads to the next stage, the whitening, or
else the anima released at death is reunited with the
dead body and incurs its resurrection, or the many
colours or omnes colores of the cauda pavonis or
peacock' s tailleadtothe onewhite colour(light) that
contains all colours. The second stage is the albedo
orleulcosis, which is white. This is the fust maingoal
of the process, also called the tinctura alba, terra
alba/Dilata, lapis albus: the silveror mooncondition
which must yet he elevated to the sun state. This is
followed by a yellow stage, called citrin;tas or zan-
thos;s, forsaken by laler practitioners, wbich is the
transition to the red stage. Sulphur is yeUow in its
naturaI state, and mercury or cinnabar, red. The final
stage, rubedo or ;osis, is red and signais the comple-
tion of the work. The red and the white are also the
king andqueen, sulphur and mercury, who celebrate
their chymical wedding at this point. This is the
hieros gamos, the conjunction of opposites. In the
four stages of the material MaY he recognized a
replica of the four physical humours determining
character. Dy alchemicallaw Poliphilo's imagina-
tion is identical to bis rnaterial surroundings, to
which he has a seemingly more objectified relation-
ship. The task is to examine the a1chemical traces in
the architectural programme.
TBEBANQUET
The seven-course banquet presented in the court
demonstrates not ooly the processing of magical
(
(
medicines by the body, but also a reprisai of sacrifi-
cial omament, suggested by the ox-skulls on the
frieze, because in bath cases effective consumption
relies on the residue of divine presence in the food.
The number of courses implies an ingestion of the
seven planetary gods who are depicted on the walls
of the hall. Poliphilo is captivated by the perpetuai
fountains, wheeledin for the feast, andendeavours ta
guess how the mechanism works, rationalizing his
perceptual experience in his imagination. He simi-
lady analyzes the foods served into their component
ingredients. For the first course, the whole sening
wasofpuregold, Like the Queen's table, andwe were
served a preserve cordial, made (as far as 1 could
apprehend) of unicom's hom, IWO sandalwoods,
with pearls dissolved in spirits, manna, pine nuts,
musk and gold in rosewater, preciously composed
andassembledtogether, with sugar andstarch: and
to each of us IWo parts Was given without drink:
which is a food to preserve one from ail poison.
deliver from fever or melancholic humour, and to
conserve healthandyouth.-The body itselfis estai>-
lished as an internai tbreshold where food and wine
pass through the mouth, that important place of
kisses and speech, to be transfonned ioto energy for
life. 'But who will deny that the appetite is a kind of
love?'ui For 'neither foods nor wines suffice to
please the guests unless hunger and thirst allure them
to eat.'2IZ Particular foods are important to maintain
the balance of the humours, especially to combat
melancholy. Ficino recommends to the scholar eat-
ing habits which rectify the problems of black bile
and indigestion through particular aromatic foods
and herbs. He mentions that 'the daily use of fennel
protects vision and sharpens it'm and advises one to
'take a compound of ginger mixed with a little
incense, whichis greatforthesensesandformemory,
especially when you add sorne of these: sweet
70
anacardum, sweet chebulam, vinegar, caper, amber
and musk.' The body can easily he weakened by a
deficiency or excess of the humour which nourishes
natural heat. One should consume slowly this nour-
ishinghumour(which Ficinocalls theoil ofMinerva,
likely olive oil). It is important to eat food from
healthy, temperate regions. In the banquet scene of
the Hypnerotomachia, the spiritual influenceofspe-
cific foods and spices is utilized
9
as weil as the
rnaterials of the vessels from which they are served,
each used to attract particular planetary influences,
for 6 souls enjoy the same feasts.
9
216
Evident in the
Humanist writings, the physical health ofthe body is
a primary factor in the play of love and melancholy,
for they are pbenomena which spring
phantasmaticallyfromthe senses' impressions ofthe
corporeal world, and are present in the corporeality
of the body itself. Impure understanding is lite the
metabolicresult oflove, indigestion, anincompletion
of the creative process, for which reason Satum
notoriously vexes the stomach.
1be entire attention of a lover' s sou! is devotcd to
continuous thought about the bcloved. And to this ail the
force of the natural complexion is direc:ted. For this
reasonthefoodinthe stomachis Dot digestedperfectly.as
THE SEEDS OF A POMEGRANATE
The mouth ofthis /ast vase surroundeda rich moun-
tain orheap ofprecious stones, ail uncut and unpol-
ished, gathered aIl in a pile andpressed up against
each other, cTUdely, with neither artistry nor order:
because of which the mountain seemed rough and
difficult to ascend, ail the same producing a bril-
liance of many strange colours. At the point and
swnmit ofthis emergeda pomegranatetree, ofwhich
the trunk and branches were of gold, the leaves of
emerald, and the fruit ofa natural size, the skin of
which was unbumishedgold, andthe seeds oforien-
tal rubies, ail ofthe size ofa bean. The POmegranate
(
(
represents the fertile food of the underworld in the
Persepbone.myth; the tree was sacredto Adonis and
Satum.- Themembraneorsldnseparatingthegrains
was adapted thus from silver. The noble artisan of
this masterpiece had garnished it, in certain places,
with split and haIf-open pomegranates, tlu! seeds of
which seemednot yet to have reaclu!d maturity, and
these were made from large oriental pearls. An
invention certainLy superbandthwputtingnatureto
shame.
m
The living world is reponed by a language
of more perfect matter (gemstones and metals). The
representation of the jewelled plant is bath 6natura1
size' and 6difficulttoascend,' an intentional ambigu-
ity implyingthat Poliphilo has projectedbimselfinto
il, viewing it as a model al a small scale of an
inhabitable site. The mass of the form is not ideal as
a geometric whole, it intates carefullythe accidents
of misgrowth found in nature, but the individual
components are idealized versions ofthe pans ofthe
naturaI Madel. based mainly on similarity of colour
(goldcorresponds ta the productionofthe redsbades
in glass-making). This articulates the production of
composite figures, or monsters, from images, wbere
images are the refinement of natural objects. On the
other hand, pure geometries are displayed.
1 would have nothing on the walls or the floor of the
temple tbat didnot bave somequalityofpbilosophy. (...]
It is recorded that the threshold of the temple of Dclian
Apollowas inscribedwith verses instruetingmenhowto
prepare herbai remedies against poison of every kind.
Butinouropinionanyadvicetohepastedshouldinsttuct
us on how to make ourselves more just. modest and
frugal. andtoequipourseIves witheveryvirtueandmake
ourselves more acceptable lo the gods above; there
should be maxims 5uch as. uBehave as you would wish
toappear." and, uLoveifyouwouldbe loved."andsoon.
1 5trongly approve of paneming the pavement with
musical andgeometric lines andshapes. 50 that the mind
may receive stimuli from every 5ide.-
Butamangthemostexcellentworks there wasafloor
made of divisions in circles, squares, ovals, tri-
71
angles. hemgons, and ail other noble forms, sepa-
raledbya bandorborderedgedbyIWOmouldingsor
partitions Lilce chains ofrosebuds, the corners ofthe
divisions embraced by acanthus leaves, ... the inte-
riorfiUed with arabesque follage in Low relief. The
reliefwasgilded, the backgroundofazurefromAcre,
so fine that one could daim it was unique and
unequaLLed.- The floor is clean and glowing like the
glass of a crystal mirror. lleave to you to tell ofthe
beautiful orchards, gardens, meadows, willow-
groves, fountains andstreams. enclosedandflowing
between white marble banks, bordered by perpetu-
aily verdant flowering plants, nourished by sweet
winds andcalm weather. undera temperate sky, in a
heaLthy and pleasant region, noisy with birdsong,
abundantwithallterrestrialgootlness, andtlu! slopes
coveredwith trees so appropriately arranged t/rat it
seemed that tMy hall been planted in a line, andail
expresslyaimedat the intention ofgivingpleasure to
the viewer.
1fO
Here the ideabehind perspectivepaint-
ing is expressed, that a representation exists for a
particular, Le., humant point of view. and tbat even
naturallandscapeis hereconstruedas picturesque. in
the sense that would later be fulftlled, a1beit with a
different set ofconcems about nature, bythe English
landscape garden. As a result of the point of view,
mimesis can not be objective, and 50, projective
translations through the human bodies conceiving
the design and viewing the effect must be operative.
Poliphilo's pleasure undoubtedly results from his
own production ofthe whole phantasmagoria which
increasingly matches bis desires as he gains control
over the pbantasmic process and gives voice to bis
imagination. 1found myself marvelling, such t1uzt 1
no longer thought to be myselj, having lost con-
sciousness at the place where 1arrived. 1 certainLy
felt a greal pleasure, but 1 could not satiate myself
with gazing, and thought ceaselessly on howandby
(
(
wlult Luek1hadcome to thisplace.
BI
The phantasmic
image cannot be retained by the eye or the spirit
however, and generates desire for actual engage-
ment.
A GAME OF CHESS
Most adventures in this literary genredescribe a war
or toumament; the Hypnerotomachia substitutes for
these military trappings the game of chessm which
retums the theme ofstrife to its origins in playand as
a mode of exchange, in the a1chemical sense of
engagement between two parties, with ethical re-
spect for theunknown other. Theredandgreenofthe
floor are thecolours ofMars andVenus. Thisempha-
sizes tbat love is the strife which Poliphilo encoun-
ters in bis dream, furthered inthedescriptionofMars
at the fountain of Venus in the central theatre of
Cythera. The identity of combat and lovemaking is
established in Apuleius' language used to describe
his amour with Fotis.
2Il
Three rounds are played (in
bath senses of the word) by arrays of nymphs who
dance to a music whose tempo increases in each
subsequent game toward a Phrygianexcitement, the
mies of their geometric movements corresponding
totheiromamental costumes, a lunacsidecladinfine
silver cloth, and a solar side in gold. The analogy of
the exchange in eros and death is explicit: When one
[player] was taken and seized, she lcissed her who
was taking her, then departedfrom the dance.
lfM
The
mors osculi, death ina kiss, is theparadigmaticbattle
of dialectical philosophy; silver wins the first two
games and gold the final. The eight by eight magic
squareis sacredtoHennes, andthequadraturaofthe
battleground chessboard is a mnemonic device for
the proportional ground plane of perspectival con-
struction.
72
THE WEALTHOF NATURE
Who couldeverconceiveoftheopulenceoftheanire,
the refinement of the omamentation, the superb.
perfect beauty, flawless, covered in jeweIs. the su-
preme wisdol71, the Aemilian eloquence, the more
than royal munificence, the splendid disposition of
the architecture, the resolute symmetry ofthis build-
ing, perlect andabsolute, the nobility ofthe marble
anistry. the orderly arrangement ofthe coIumns. the
perfection ofthe statues, the decoration ofthe walls,
the varietyofstones, the regal vestibule, the immense
peristyle. the artful pavements; who wouid beIieve
the existence ofsuch Luxurious work, omamentedat
such great cost. covered with such precious Iulng-
mgs. From the high and spacious interior atria, to
the ambitious triclinia with theirsuperbcouches, the
c ~ r s . the baths, the libraries, thepicture galler-
ies, richly and nuJjestically decorated. and distrib-
uted according to their use.2'f5
After his education on the programmatic organiza-
tion and ornament of portais, bridges, and baths
concludes here with private buildings, Queen Eleu-
terilida sends Poliphilo on to her sister. Queen Telo-
sia Strengthened by bis sojoumat the PalaceofFree
Will where he bas acquired grace and goodness. he
goes, having received from the Queen two guides,
Logistica and Thelemia.
29lI
This said. she drewfrom
herfinger a fine gold ring, in which was set a stone
called anchite which she gave me, offering these
worth: 'Talee this gem which 1give yoU, and wear it
in memory of my generosity towards you.'211 The
ring' s stone is anti-melancholic, and its name means
perplexity.
As for me. iftbis ringbas anyoftbis power. ilis myguess
tbal il is Dot the sbape but the materials wbicbdo iLThey
are made insuch a wayand al sucba lime that theyobtain
the heavenly gifts.-
Describing Queen Telosia she says, One cannot
know her nor understand her by her face. for il is
(
(
mutable, andsubject to change, nowsoft, nowstem
suddenly pleasant, and then terrible. lt is SM who
ends and completes aIL things.%fIJ My dear sister
Telosia inhabits a troubled and hidden place. The
door and windows of her house are closed at aU
times, andin no way allowpeople to know her. AIso,
it is not permissible or allowablefor corporeal eyes
to see such a sovereign affair. See why the result of
her actions ;s, at ail times, uncertain. She changes
andtransfomas herselfintomanytrulystrangeforms:
then manifests herselfjust when wants her,
and when one least expects her there. This is a
waming against simple equation of appearance and
essence. Poliphilo is now pushed to the resource of
his own melancholyt setting doubt ioto a critical
conjecture over and against a deception by hope.
This doubt generated in desire is an Orphie motif
demonstrated again in bis departure from the pala
proper: the backward glance, as someone who could
not satisfy himselftosee tms triumphant dwelling, so
sumptuous that it was impossibLe to believe that it
was a building ofhuman hands, but that nature had
made il for ostentation, and to demonstrate her
artifice throughanexcellentmasterpiece,filledwith
beauty, grace, richness, certainty, blessing, happi-
ness and perpetuaI duration. For which 1 halted
voIuntariIy a good bit, but it suited me to follow my
guides. In passing on my way, 1tumed to look back,
and saw wrinen on the frieze above the gate an
inscription saying thw: THEWEALTHOF NATURE.JOO
The artifice of nature: in tbis paradox is summarized
the Renaissance approach to an architecture which
imitates the natural world. The palace, however, does
not demonstrate an subjugation of raw nature, but a
disclosure ofits latent orders whichcaohetranslated
ioto visible art. ln departure 1 retraced with myeyes
the whole domain in order to /ceep it in
LogisticateUshimthat he has fourthings moretosee.
lCIl
73
THE FACULTIES OF THE SOUL
For Colonna, history is a natural image subordinate
but indispensible to the poetic truth of myth. Foons
or images are given as historical examples from the
perceptible world to demoostrate archetypal ideas
given life in matter. Although incomparable to the
perfectionofthedivine intelligence, the real world is
a metaphor ofthe wisdomofGod. Sapientia, or true
wisdomexisted in Gad through his treasure house of
Ideas; this wisdom could he recalled to man ooly
through the images of those Ideas in phantasmic
language. To achieve this wisdom, Ficino stipulates
three guides for the soul: an ardent and stable will,
acumen of the mind, and a tenacious memory. For
Poliphilo tbese are the nymphs Thelemia, Logistica
and Polia. The mediaeval pilgrimage of the soul
towards God was restated as the education ioto
divine wisdom, allowing one to approach higher
states ofeODsciousness andsoofself-consciousness.
By means of this credo Humanismcould pennit the
individual ego more responsibility and the restricted
hereticalluxury of freedom of the will. In this way,
Poliphilo' s passage io the Hypnerotomachia differs
from the mediaeval joumeys, and approaches the
Utopian thought developed in the Renaissance.
Matter is tbus formed through which is
sarily that of the alchemiSl This illusion might weil he
the vera imaginatio possessed of 'informing' power.-
The soul dwells in the life-spirit of the pure blood. It
mies the mind, which io tom roles the body, but the
greater part of its fonction is outside of the body, in
projection. Within the soul was an orderly Humanist
hierarchy of three parts. The imaginatio.. the lowest
ofthethreefaculties was attuned to Mars andtheSun
by its closeness to the nature and movement of the
spirit with whicb it communicated. Its province was
that of things visible in space, and thus covered the
mechanical arts, includingarchitecture and painting.
(
The ratio., the power of rational thought operated
through a kind of imitation ofJupiter"s moderation.,
and concemed the power of the conscious will over
reality or destiny. Mens.,- the sphere closest tending
to the divine ideas, and Most separated from percep-
tible and imaginable things, had to do with intuitive
and speculative contemplation, transcendent of dis-
cursive reason it tended more towards ideas than to
perceptions and imaginations., and was guided by
Satum, a Jupiter to those souls who inhabit the
sublime spheres. The rays of the celestial bodies
conferred their astral qualities on the world spirit.,
which transmitted these to the buman spirit. Because
of its central location, this spirit could transmit these
influences to both body and soui. Only the lower
faculties of the soul were subjected to the stars., the
mind being basically free. The soul could imagine
tbings outsideofnature, greater than the physical can
conceive: secret divine wisdom. Whereas what God
imagines takes place in reality, what the human soul
imagines happens in the mind. In psychological
terms, it actualizes and thenextemalizes thecontents
of the unconscious. which are not in the
sense ofgivenempirical perceptions, but archetypal.
These things are in that intennediate realm
where matter is given shape by the emotion or
motion of the soult and they are recognized by the
psyche, as archetypes. Visions ofthese werealliedto
the alchemical work, and dreams became the literary
convention of the medium of revelation.
ALCHEMICAL MELANCBOLY
The oneiric labyrintb has no comers, it has notbing but
inOectioDS and those profound inOcctions wbichengage
the dreameras ifil wethe matterdreaming.lt tberefore
must bel onceagain., that the psycbologist who wishes to
understand the dream sbould realize the inversion of
subjcct andobject: it is notbecausethe passageis narrow
mat thedreamer is CODStrained- it is becausethedreamer
is distressed that he sees the path contraet.JlIS
74
Alchemical theory interprets and contextualizes its
procedures through association and analogy. Still,
there are no recipes, for the melancholic trials of
experiment and dcciphennent of the solitary artifex
are necessary to attune him ta its meaning. An art
modeUed on alchemical principles is one whose
purpose is to reconnect man to his cosmos. Through
the symbolismofalchemyadivine process ofchange
is made palpable to human understanding. Transmu-
tation is experienced as torment and suffering., per-
plexityanddisorientation., speechlessness., self-doubt.,
deathandtransfiguration., symptoms associated with
melancholia. It is thedramaofthe action and passion
ofa man drawn ioto the cycle ofdeath and rebirth of
the gods, a drama which gives significance to the
suffering which is a confrontation with pure being.
Protective barricades erected against savage nature.,
external or internai. are dissolved away and the soul
is laidbare. Throughthis art., a mancouldliberate the
guardian ofthe spirits from bis shadowy dwelling in
matter, but it was a dangerous task in which many
perished.
( leamed from the tbeologians and lamblichus tbat evil
daemons often take on the illusions of images and de-
ceiveus.-
Adepts aredriven madby lead., poisonedby mercury,
beset by Antimimos, the demon of error; the devil
causes impatience, doubt and despair during the
workanddeceives the worker with illusions. For this
reason the Hypnerotomachia valorizes labour as a
difficult task.
Whether we are dealing with the slain image in the
magicalconceptionofevil as pollution. orwitbdeviation
images ofthecrookcd path, oftransgression, ofwander-
ingorerror, inthe moreetbical conceptionofsin. or with
the weight image of a burden in the more interiorized
experience ofguilt - in ail these cases the symbol ofevil
is constituted by starting !rom something which has a
first-Ievel meaningand is borrowed from the experience
of nature ofcontact, of man's orientation in space.-
(
(
Neoplatonism alcbemically reduced the categorical
diversity of the magical universe to unity, a retum to
the one, making of Aristotelian analysis a tool in the
acquisition of knowledge. The new polymorphous
image of the natural world evident in botanical
gardens and curiosity cabinets meant that to investi-
gate nature through conventional categories limited
knowledge; nature had to he understood through
itself and its own principles. Experience was ac-
quiredthroughdirect observationofmaterial reality,
as sensory perception precedes intellect. The object
had therefore to enter the subject, as a man enters a
grotto for contemplation.
THE GARDEN OF GLASS
ln Sicily. some make their statues of salt: Solinus is our
authorityonths. Plinymentions mat glass was alsoused.
Certainly, whether for their natural materials or for tbeir
ingenuity. objects of such rarit)' deserve great admira-
tion.-
Poliphilo is led to the omamental garden on the left
side ofthe palace. Around which, aIL along the walls
there were compartmentalizedgardens, in the shape
of cylinders, in which were planted boxwood and
cypress mixed, to wit, between IWo boxwood, a
cypress, the trunks andbranches offine gold, but the
leaves were ofglass so properly countetfeited tlrat
onewouldtake themto benatural. The boxwoodrose
in round crowns one pace in height, and the cypress
to a point doubling that measure. There were herbs
and flowers similarly made of glass, of diverse
colours, forlnS and species, all resembling the natu-
ral. The flooring ofthe gardens was, for enclosure,
su"ounded by panes of glass, gilded and painted
from within with many marvellous and curious his-
tories.- Box trees are evergreens which along with
cypresses adomed the cemeteries of classica1 antiq-
uity, and were sacred to the divinites of the under-
worldand toCybele, thegreat mother. The wood was
7S
usedto make small boxesandstatues ofthegods. The
garden was enclosed by swollen-bellied columns
made/rom glass in the form ofjasper, encircled by
herbs called bindweed or twining, with its white
flowers like linle be/Is, ail in reliefofthe same glass,
coloured according to nature. He also finds varie-
gatedherbs andflowers ofglass having the lustre of
jewellery: for there was nothing natural there, and
neverthe/ess it gave off a sweet scent proper and
suitable for the nature of the plant which it repre-
sented, because ofthe composition with which it had
been rubbed.
3lO
Glass, when boited with sulphur. coalesces into the
consistency of stone.)l1
One of the intennediate goals of the alchemical
process is the vitrum aureaum or vitrum malleabile.
Glass is a man-madestone, so the artifice is doubled.
The artist is demonstrating his virtuosity while na-
ture demonstrates hers. These indoor spaces are
another versionofthe grotto, like atria, intennediate
between garden and room. This garden lacks ooly
natural physis; the senses are fully satisfied.
THE TOWER AND THE LABYRINTB
Fromthe top of a tower, Poliphilo is able to visually
appreciate fluid space as form, initiating a lesson on
henneneutics. Logisticateaehes himthat language is
a hinge for the interpretation of ideas, not only in the
inscribed mottoes on the architecture. Logistica had
me climb a high tower [specula] there, with spiral-
Ling stairs, andshowedme a garden ofgreat circuit
inthe shapeofa labyrinth, made inthe round, butone
couldnotjoumey through it, because ail the courses
were covered in water, and would have to be navi-
gated on barges or Unie boats.
J12
His second view
froma tower is a visual acceleratiooandacoUapse of
time, demonstrating the effect ofperspectival vision
and representation on temporality and space. The
(
(
Iabyrinth is a familiar allegoryfor the lifeofman, and
he is duly counselled that someone, once /raving
entered there can never tum bocJc. Like a classical
labyrinth it has seven courses, along which ten tow-
ers erupt, including one in the middle, holding an
invisible dragon who swallows travellers. The en-
trance is througb the fmt tower which bas the in-
scription: THE GLORY OF THE WORLD 15 UI RAIN-
DROPS IN A STORM. In this dwelling stands an old bed
inscribed THESPION which means prophetic, sacred,
inspired by a god; Colonna plays on Thespian, relat-
ing to tragedy ordrama, after Thespis, the founder of
Greek tragedy. The role of divine revelation is in an
illumination ofdestiny, for the betteremployment of
the will, demonstrating divination to be a mode of
contemplative thought. This bed is filled with fatal
touns, whichshegivestothase enteringinthere, one
to each, without regardfor quaUty or condition. but
thus by chance and the destiny arising there, they
then begin to navigate through the labyrinth, and
find the ways bordered with roses and fruit-trees.
When the, have passed the vicinity ofthefirst seven
circuits, andhave come to thefirst tower. theyfind a
great number ofmaidens who demand to see their
touns, for they are experts at knowing their proper-
ties: and after having seen them, they receive and
acceptfor guests he who has a token according and
suitable to his nature: and embrace, follow and
accompany himthrough the other circuits in diverse
occupations and exercises according to their incli-
nation.
JI
) The labyrinth as the archetypal building,
used here to pit the doctrine of destiny against free
will, implicatesarchitectureinthatquestion. Progress
is ooly possibleifthe subjective will is inaccord with
destiny. The fifth tower says: THEBUSSFUL HOLO TO
THE MIDDLE WAY. The central tower is inscribed in
Attic letters, THE WOLF OF THE GODS [the earth] IS
MERcn.ESS. Those who reach there are melancholic
76
andregretfulforil hadseemedfull ofdelight andyet
was subjeet 10 unhappy necessity.JIA To counter ne-
cessity, the Iiterate hitehbiker should know the third
book of De Vila Triplici, titled "On Making Your
Life Agree With the Heavens." As Ficino pragmati-
cally notes, there would be no use in man' s knowl-
edge of the heavens if it did not contribute to bis life
and happiness. Happiness follows in accordance
with heavenly hannony, as ~ h e a v e n favours things it
has itself begun.' Ils Purpose is created by nature, as
evinced in astrology; it is invented only in the sense
of discovery, and 100 out through education:
What you do from your tender years on, what you ta1k
about. mould. fit. dream. imitate, whar youlryveryoften.
what youcaodoeasily. whar you arc most ofail good at.
what you love beyond ail else, what you would be
unwilling to leave.
J
'
Ethical freedom is a strategy for psychic and social
health by invitating a reSPOnse to one' s divine inner
nature in a sympathetic play through imitation. A
man, for example, has twin guardian demons, one
from birth, and one from bis profession:
Wboever. tberefore. scrutinizes bis mind. lhrough the
lrindofdiscussions we havejust described, will find bis
ownnatural work. andwill find likewisebisownstarand
daemon [natural geniusl, andfollowingtheir beginnings
he will thrive and live happiJy.m
Likewise, following the pastoral ideal, one should
seek an appropriate place to dwell and to cultivate,
not build houses in unhealthy places. Dress, as cos-
metic magic, propels these influences also, for 'do
not doctors, after ail, forbid you to wear the skin of
foxes, but approve the skin of lambs?J11 Certain
clothes, and other works of art, receive a certain
quality from a star.']19
THE GARDEN OF SILK AND PEARLS
Thelemia leads himto the garden on the right side of
the palace, where he sees many common plants ofail
species, so vividly expressed, that nature wouldhave
(
(
taken themforherown.J The wall ofthisgarden was
made ... aIL ofan assemblage ofpearls, ofequal size
andvalue. above which hadbeen extendeda stalkof
ivy, ofwhich the leaves were sille, the branches and
Linle roving tendrils affine gold, andthe corymbs or
grapes ofitsfruit. ofprecious stones: andail around
at an equal distance there was a wall of square
pillars. with their capitals, architrave, frieze and
comice ofthe same meral. establishedonlyfor orna-
ment.
nl
Stories of love and of the hunt are embroi-
dered00 the silkin threadofgold and silver. Silkand
pearls are the miraculous art of the opus of
spiders and oysters. This is art created by nature
applied to nature. Along with the verisimilitude of
the gardens tonatural the roleofomament as
an end in itself identifies fonn and idea. There are
redandwhite, ail ofsille. so closely approach-
ing the natural, that one would have judged the
imitations more beautiful than the real ever were.2
The base was paved with a soUd round piece of
yellow jasper. composed of many intermingling
colours, but bringing themaii togetherinone.so
bright andshiny. that there one could see the whole
garden properly emulated as ifin a great mirror.
nJ
This takes the fonn of an anamorphic in
which the exterior is reflected onto the interior and
creating an appearance of order. It also corresponds
ta the notion of transfonning superficial arder iota
the vertical, conesponding to the tower, as specula,
the place of vision, and the labyrinth, demonstra-
tively the place ofblindness. Thelemiaplays her lyre
with Apollinian hannony, and sings a poetic bis-
tory.JM Logistica bas explained to Thelemia that sbe
needs to interpret for Poliphilo what he cannat con-
ceive of himself, Reason heing an illumination of
perception. For your curious Poliphilo. it is not
enough to look: it is still necessary that 1explain lhat
which his sense cannot penetrate, in order that
77
through my enlightening interpretat;on, he might
understand.
DS
Logistica tells Poliphilo, JOU must
knowthatobjective thingsarea benerdistraetionfor
the intellect thanfor the senses. That is why we are
going into this otherplace, in the aimofsatisfying
both those modes ofperception.J"NI
The Renaissance reassessment of representation
looked to the Greek traditioo. For Aristotle, aIl hu-
man techne was an imitation of physis.. nature and
this actofmimesisengenderedknowledge. ForPlato,
the activity ofmaking images hadcertain modes: the
eidolon (whence idol) based on idea or essence; the
eikon, an iconic copy which reproduces the actual
proportions of its model; and phantasmata, a simu-
lation of the Madel for the benefil of the observing
subject, wbich sacrifices exact proportions and rela-
tions in favour of creating a perfect illusion in the
eyes of the viewer. For Plato, the problem of the
poets was in the making of works which tricked the
observer through semblance and occasioned false
knowledge, therefore not troe representations but
demonstrations.The distinction made between these
modes of representation is that of the world of
appearances, Becoming, in contrast to the world of
ideas.. Seing. For Plato, subject matter, not tech-
nique, was responsible for the impression made by
an image. Thecraftiest ofpoets hadthemetamorphic
ability to embody any or aU things of the visible
world, io order to show them in bis work. The
Renaissance takes from this idea of poctic imitation
the notion that an emotion must he imitated by the
PQCt himselfinorder to make il present for the other.
The power ofpoetry is such that emotions pass from
the work into the soul of the beholder, and this is
formative ofcharacter, in fact, an education. This is
the idea behind the istoria. ForPlato, poctic doctrine
was pejoratively but shadows and reflections. Col-
( oona glorifies bis smoke and mirrors as a part of the
transfonnation of the subject This divergence from
the Greeks demonstrates the imponance given over
by the Humanists to the phenomenal material world.
The Aristotelian emphasis on technique and the four
merged with the Platonic concems to give
the Homanist representation the desired synthesis of
mind and matter. Mimesis was not mockery or trick-
ery, but an assimilation of the selfto the othemess of
Being in order to undergo a change in the self.
Invention could take place only through the learning
body. For Plato, as for Vitmvius, there was no point
in images wbich had no reference in reality; tbings
could not he seen as images until they had a referent
in reality. In nature itself, things sirnulate other
things and dissimulate their own natures. Renais-
sance mimesis was notjust animitationofnature, but
an imitation of the techniques of naturaI imitation.
Butterflies with large owlish eyes on tbeir wings,
animaIs whose skins cbange colour to ecbo the
landscape palette, vegetables whicb resemble geni-
tais, berbs which share their names witb mythical
beings, were omament's natural model. Implicit in
this mimicry is a kind of monstrosity, a duplicitous
conjonction ofnatures, even an implication of meta-
morphosis. Thisrepresentational monstrosity is iden-
tical to the association of topics in the memory arts.
In nature, mimicry is seen as the constn1ction of
metaphysical relations. In man, it also acts to con-
stnlct supematural relations, and is the occasion of
knowledge. Architectural representation takes dif-
ferent fonns: the bullt work itself is the embodied
knowledge of its world and its architeet; beside that
are works wbich describe, but are not tbemselves,
architecture, amongst which range images, treatises
and models. The Renaissance leaned toward the
Platonic phantasmata as a mode which privileged
the observer, but the design process respects a uoity
78
ofthe essential idea and the iconic proportions of an
inteUectual Madel.
THE GARDEN OF 100 NYMPHS
Coral andchalcedonylikewiseworkagainst the illusions
of black bile. J:r7
The third garden is surrounded by brick completely
covered in naturaI ivy, io a centripetal arrangement.
Around the ioner areostyle circumferen cise one
hundred arched niches, each with an altar of por-
phyry on which stands a divine figure of a nymph in
ail in various poses anddress, faciogthecentre,
where an obelisk rises. On a cubic pedestal oftrans-
parent chalcedony, a translucent species of quartz,
stands a round plinth of vermillon jasper, holding a
triangular prismof the blackest stone, whose angles
are inscribed by the round plinth. Bach of its three
faces yields an image ofdivine representation, hav-
ing feet standing on the round plinth, and each
holding a comucopia. On each square face of the
pedestal read Greekletters Conningparts ofthe word
meaning incomprehensible. On the
cylindrical part, 1admired three hieroglyphic char-
acters placedperpendicularly under thefeet ofeach
figure: a sun, the prowofa ship, and a flaming lamp.
On the projection of each corner of the triangle,
above the images, there was an Egyptian. monster,
made ofgold in the fonn ofa sphinx, resting on its
four legs. Oneofthese hadthefaceofaman. another
half-man and half-beast, and the third entirely bes-
tiaL.. They hadthe bodies oflions andwere lying on
the;rstomachs. Ontheirbaclcbones restedapyramid
ofgold, massive andtriangular, with a height eqUilI
tofivediameters ofthe base, andrisingtoapoint. On
each ofthe threefaces was cut acircle, above which
was a Greekletter. On thefirst was an 0, the second
an n, and the third an N.m These signify past
(origin), present and future (end). Logistica furtber
(
(
adds that it is not possible to see IWO sides of the
obelisk at once and al a glance, ooly the one before
you.
The sphinxes. which are carved on the temples of the
wamed that the mystic doctrines he kept
mVlOlatefromtheprofanemultitudebymeansofriddIes.
JI9
The key to this sacred knowledge lay in the character
ofthose pursuing it; only those able to fmd their way
through contemplation of the labyrinth ofcodes and
riddles were suited to the revelation itself. Orpheus,
on whomrites of initiation were based, 'so wove the
mysteries of his doctrines into the fahric of myths,
and so wrapped them about in veils of poetry, that
one reading his hymns might weIl believe that there
was nothing in thembut fables and commonplaces.'
The labourand industry lay in 'drawingout the secret
meanings of the occult philosophy from the deIiber-
ate tangles of riddles and the recesses of fable in
which they were hidden.'no The text is deliberately
conceived as a puzzle. Interpretation was necessary
for understanding the divine, for ambiguity was the
foundation oforacular prononciation: tnlth is single
yet appears multiple. The artifex must engage him-
self with the text in the process of interpretation in
order for it to act upon him with the reciprocity of
alchemyand magic. The correspondence between
theory and praetice is achieved through the living
body being imbued with theory. Practice does not
require roles for the invention of a building mass,
these are latent in the soul of the architect, whtch
avoids an impossible exercise in the translation of
proportion and the irrationality of inspiration. The
regeneration between the world of appearances and
that ofessence is Iike the body' s miraculous conver-
sion of food ioto vital energy.
Logistica tumed to me and said: ln these three
figures, square, round and triangular. consists the
celestial harmony. Be advised. Poliphilo, that these
79
ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, which haveperpetuai
affinityandconjunetiontogether, signifyandsay, 'in
the divine nd infinite trinity. a single essence. ' The
squarefigure is dedicated to the divinity, because it
is producedfromunity, andin ail herparts is unique
andalw. The roundfigure is without beginningand
end, andsuch is God. Aroundthe circumference and
roundnessarecontainedthese three hieroglyphs, the
characteristics of which are anributed to divine
nature. The sun by ifS beautiful light creates, pre-
serves and illuminates ail things. The prow of the
shipsignifiesthe wise govemmentofthe universal by
infinite wisdom. The third, which is a vasefull offire.
gives us to understand a distribution of love and
charity which is impaned to us by divine grace.
nl
Under the figure of the sun is the word AMHrHT01:
meaning unsayable; under the prow,
inseparable; and under the figure of the rue,
AAlAPEYNHI, inscmtable. Knowthat thefirst stone is
entirely Icnown only to itself, and as much it may be
diaphanous ortransparent to the human race, we do
not have a whole andclear notion ofit. In any case,
he who is endowed with ingenuity Tises to the next
figure up andconsiders ils colouring. Always exam-
ining further, he arrives at the third of which the
colour is dark. and which is ringed with three gotd
images. Finally, raising himself even higher, he
exnines the pyramidalfigure, tapering up towards
the summit. There. as leamed as one might be, no
furthernotion eanbeacquired: one cancertainlysee
tha! the thing exists. but what it is, is unknown,
remaining uncertainanddeficient.2 Ofthese sacred
displayswhichLogisticamadeforme. tainfromthe
secrets ofdivine nature, 1 had more pleasure in my
heart that in everything which1hadseen up till then:
andinfaet set myselftocontemplation ofthis obelisk
of such tremendous mystery, upright, solit!, and
equal. composed of incorruptible maner, lasting

etemally, resting in the centre of this field. The

representationofnaturaIobjects (nonnallysubject to
temporal change) in incormptible matter is now
divetted toward the representation of natural prin-
ciples in it; the implication that the principles them-
selves are everpresent and etemal heing corollary to
nature's invariant reproduction. With this explana-
tion, something interesting happens in the field of
representation: We bave moved through a series of
evidence showing pictorial stories from mythology
inthe istoria, single words and mottoes inscribed on
the buildings, hieroglyphs which synthesize the sig-
nificance ofword and picture and now, architectural
fonn becomes, ifnot a languageperse, at least a type
of communication of the divine principles. The ar-
cbiteet, as an interpreter of nature, as man is for the
Humanists, is one who communicates with the di-
vine. Hencetheemphasis onbis melancholiccharac-
ter; the relationship of founding to divination rites,
and rites ofinitiation; theconstructionofperspective
drawings; and bis alliance with Mercury, the mes-
senger of the gods. The construction of perspective
drawingas itexists today situatesthevanishingpoint
of the pyramid of vision at infinity; in the Renais-
sance, this point was situatedat theeye.1bisretained
the picture in the sight of the Divine, contiguous to
mediaeval intentions in theory. Humanist man, hav-
ing assumed the situation of God, notably as the
supreme arcbitect, must necessarily adopt this privi-
leged point of view. The two episodes involving the
ascent oftowers demonstrate this concept ofencom-
passing vision. However, the picture plane, in order
not to he infmitely large, must exist at some point
intennediate between the eye and the horizon of
vision, pecu1iar to the intennediary position of man.
Thepicture planebecomes a thresholdwhicbmirrors
the geometrical Des of construction and vision in
front ofit andbehind.1nitsconstruction, whereas the
80
vanishing point is at the eye, the reflected point of
viewis always apparentlyat infinity; and ifthis were
indeed the case, the artifex, like the mediaeval God,
would consistently appear at the centre of each
drawing, an objective view of the self being pro-
duced by this method. To avoid this, a phenomenal
erasure of the architeet' s body is necessary. This
erasure is accomplished by an 6 exchange of view-
point' with an imaginary other. Symbolically, the
body conceals itself in a cloak of invisibility, or like
Perseus, with the helmet ofHades. Another name for
the philosophers' stone is the lapis invisibilitatis.
Anonymity is a kind of camouflage achieved by the
skillful imitation of nature, the individual blending
back ioto archetyPe to elude the inevitable bubris of
the privileged position. This participation in the
arcbetype was the aim of the Mysteries of Eleusis.
For this reason, Poliphilo is now told the story ofthe
Queen's diamond, carved with the image of Jupiter
with the gjants, representing the vanity of pride,
wbich he has vanquished. In his left hand Jupiter
bolds a buming flame, and in bis right, a comucopia
filled with all worldly goodness, the choice between
wbich signifies the judgement of free will. The
initiate of the Eleusian mysteries similarly holds a
f1ame in bis left band and a sheaf ofcorn in bis right.
In Hindu myth, the Dame held in the left hand of
Sbiva, lord of the cosmic dance, hums away the veil
of illusion from the world. This illusion consists of
the appearance of multiplicity. The artifex plays the
role ofa medium, who through his work provides the
link between the world and society. This is a subtle
limit for the artist or architect, lest he fall ioto the
traps of worldly pride and the desire for fame and
glory, or of hubris in the competition with divine
powers, nor must he lose sight of the vanity of
worldly things by placing an unwarranted impor-
tance on himself or the object, for the work should

(
stand on its OWO. This philosophy of anonymous
authority is consistent with the mysterious origins of
the monuments. The fragile vanity ofhuman fantasy
must cleave to the middle way between passion and
action, without which the invention of the artifex
cannot he brought to fruition and establish a change
in the world, by a refinement of the natural world
through images. Poliphilo is now sufficiently pre-
pared to have his initial enigmas explained to him.
Logistica explains the symbolism of the elephant
with the two sepulchres. The body ofthe beast is the
idleness wbicb must he relinquisbed in wode, in
order to attain the desired treasure, therefore, only to
'take from the head.' In interpreting the meaning of
the bridge, a further stageofrepresentation is entered
into: that ofthe symbolismofmaterials. The particu-
Iar property characteristic of a material element
gives its meaning in representation.
The deeper 'layers' of the psyche lose their individual
wqueness as they retrcat farther and farther into dark-
DeSS. 'Lower down,' that is to say as they approach the
autonomous functional systems, they become increas-
ingly collective until they are universalized and extin-
guished in the body's materiality, i.e., in chemical sub-
stances. 1bebody's carbon is simply carbon. Rence, "at
boUom' the psyche is simply 'world.' Inthis sense1hold
Ker6nyi to he rigbt when he says that in the symbol the
world itselfis speaking. The more archaic and 'deeper,'
that is the more physiological the symbol is, the more
collective and universal. the more material it is. The
more abstraet, differentiated and specifie it is, and the
more its nature approximates to conscious uniqueness
and individuality, the more it sloughs off its universal
character. Having finaUy attained full consciousDCSs, it
runs the riskofbecominga mereallegorywbichnowbere
oversteps the bounds of conscious comprehension, and
is then exposed to ail sorts of rationalistc and therefore
inadequate explanation.
JJJ
For example. a wood that does not bend, or is
impervious to r1re. does not simply denote stability
or permanence, it demonstrates the quality through
its heing. Porphyry, not wilhoul mystery, has such a
property lhat ifil is placed in a fumace in order to
make lime, not only can il not cook, bUI it keeps other
81
stones, which are near 10 il, from weakening in the
fire. Ophite, also, is always cold, and can never he
heated in any way.- Ophite refers to a group of
minerais including serpentine marble, porphyry and
talc. According to Pliny, it is an anti-rnelancholic
stone, valued by the Egyptians, which soothes and
heals bath frenzy and lethargy, accordingly appro-
priate to the motto, Festina tarde.
THE BRIDGE OF TOREE ARCHES
Speakng of a bridge conjures another. A threshold
between the two dominions, the emblems of the
bridge, divining the forking path, read HAppy ARE
THOSE WHO HOLDTO THE MIDDLE WAY, given by two
tiny angels inside a circular fonn holding onto its
centre point, and MODERATE LlGHTNESS SY SET-
n.ING, AND INERTIA DY ARISING, given by wings and
a turtle.
Not aU the things that are repscntcd in figures must be
tbought to mean something. For many things are added
for me sake of order and connection, on account of the
pans that do mean something.'U
The set of things to be remembered in a theatre of
memory are bridged by juxtaposition with a narra-
tive structure, each moment recalling the next. A
suitable narrative is procured, then the means of
connecting the events, things or ideas ioto that stnlc-
lUre. The 'deception' is in associating things from
two orders or languages, creating monsters for
memory. Nevertheless, this is as accurate a descrip-
tion as possible of the phenomenal world's relation
to the world ofideas through thecreationanddecod-
ing of symbols by the psyche, a language it has
createdinordertospeakwithitself, acosmogonicact
ofplay for self-confinnationor avowal. This isbased
on the world of nature being a similar projection of
the mind of God. Il is an act of play because this
active creation of memory is essentially hound to
time. The method by which dreams are constnlcted
(
is very much the same, and shares with masterful
storytelling the ability to create contiguity from
fragments, related ooly by inspiration and not by
logic. The workofreason is tocreate the illusion(not
in the sense ofdeception, but in the sense of shining
out, or appearance) of connection and transition, so
that in works like Ovid' s Metamorphoses, the power
of fiction is used to reveal one story from another in
place of a concatenated liste In this sense, fiction is
superior to our idea of history, for it already has
forged the links which make it a tnle daughter of
memory, whereas progressive history, like physics,
plays on a rnaterial causality which as Toistoy dem-
onstratedisat bottomsimplyundiffentiated 'world.'
Even assuming the phenomenal world to be illusory,
it is most remarkable for its recurrent and consistent
perceptible patterns oforder. The purpose offiction,
Iike mytb, is to reveal that order; tbat of contempo-
rary history is to bury it beneath a causal and deter-
minist materialism; given the cboice between a tran-
scendental determinism and an immanent one, we
inheritedthe latter. Poliphilo, a10ng withtheHuman-
ists, made the ooly choice which leaves the will tmly
free. The Renaissance manis thechildofcivilization
rebom. What were the links that fiction forged?
Symbolism, certainly. The tropes of rbetoric, evi-
dently, especially Metaphore And the idea of the
underworld, or more precisely, of a communication
between this world and an other, parallel world.
FinaIly, perceptible order is not possible without
time. Inotherwords, everythingtodo withanhinges
on the notion of metamorphosis. The loves of the
gods are willful, not rational. It is with this thought
that we examine the name ofthe door througb wbich
Poliphilo passes.
AMOR FAT!: THE THREE PORTALS
equals of opposites, evolved by a ODesalDe power of
nature or ofspirit, as the sole condition and means of its
82
himundher manifestation and polarised for reunioD by
the sympbysis of their antipathies. Distincdy different
were their duasdcstinies.
1Jt
The two queens MaY he seen as natura naturata and
natura naturans. Together they represent the god-
dess inadouble a s p e c ~ lite DemeterandPersephone
in the Eleusinian Mysteries. The actions involved in
the Mysteries werecalledUav, leadingto thete/os
or goal. Telosia's domain in a grotto suggests that
Destiny is a domain of changeable fortune, which
has already been expressed by Eleuterilida' s de-
scription ofTelosia's Protean nature. It is a retum to
origins: in time. by the antiquity of the architectural
signs, and in place, because the grotto is the birth-
place ofnature. When we hadcrossedthe bridge, we
walkedin the variegatedshade offruit trees echoing
with the song oftinybirds, andwe arrivedat a place
of rocles and stones whence rose tall and steep
mountains, near a precipitous cliff, impractieahle
and rough, devastated, full of brinling boulden,
reaching toward the sky, abysmal, ba"en. with no
vegetation at ail right up to the pi1UUlcle, and sur-
roundedcompletelybyothermountains. It was there
that were excavated the three doors: artless,
unornamented, erudely earved into the living rock:
ancient work, of an antiquity past ail Icnowledge,
exposedina site ofgreatsavagery. Aboveeaeho/the
doors, 1 noticed, in characters Ionie, Roman, He-
brewandArabic, the titles whieh Queen Eleuterilida
had told me in advanee, andpredicted that 1 would
encounter. Above the door at the nght was engraved
this word: eEOlA(Gloria Dei), onthato/the right:
KODfIA (Gloria Mundi), and finally, over the
middleone: EPO'In'J1lOl<)t (MaterAmoris).mThefour
languages expressing the nature of each choice rep-
resent the great civilizations of the ancient world.
Theodoxia andcosmodoxiaare respectivelytheideal
and empirical manners of knowledge. As Polizzi

..
the wording mater amoris corresponds to
Ficino' SUI 4what passions lovers oweto the motherof
love.'
Love is self-perfecting. attraets Mind. and results in
Beauty.u,
The daemonic companions of the planet Venus are
ail 'called that is fromtheGreekword
which means love.'- Venus bas a double
nature: fmtly, the power of the soul to understand
superiorthings, by imitatingthecontemplationofthe
Angelic and secondly tocreate inferiortbings,
anabillty peculiar to the producing a striving to
reproduce beauty in the matter of the world. -Henee
a tbree-fold love arises.... For we are bornor brought
up inclined and disposed toward the contemplative,
active or voluptuous life. fi we are disposed to ... the
voluptuous Iife, we descend immediately from sigbt
tothedesireto touch. Thedesireforcontemplation
becomes the desire for embrace. The impetus for
cultural production is explained as analogous to the
erotic impulse, to render images or phantasms m-
mortal; 'in order to lep our possessions penna-
nently, by wbatevermeans, wetry toreproducetbose
which pass away. Reproduction is effected tbrough
procreation. Hence the instinct for procreation is
innate in ail tbings. ' M2 Thepurposeofthe love ofmen
is the 4desire for procreation with a beautiful object
in order to make etemal life available to mortal
things. ')1) Once we were there, the ladies, my com-
panions, interpretedknowledgeahly the remarkable
inscriptions, thentheyknockedonthe resonantmetal
doors which were ail infectedwith agreen rust, they
opened without hesitation.*
ln the alchemical vicw rust, lite verdigris, is the meta1' s
sickness. But at the same lime this leprosy is the vera
primamateTl, the basis for the preparationofthe philo-
sophical gold.'"
This viriditas which appears fust on the elephant,
and then on the three portais of Queen Telosia,
83
intimates the error or imperfection of life
ll
and the
incomprehensibleforce oftheunconscious (thesll-
eton in the closet), seen from the point ofviewofthe
conscious ego. Colonna's word rubigine is one used
byOvid, a mst ofinactivityoroblivion. Thearchitec-
ture displaying this blight masks a metamorphosis
within. This enttance is into the recovery of powers
left untapped.
Our philosopherst stone is something midway between
perfected and unperfected bodies; and what Nature her-
self initiates is by an carried to perfection. If you set to
work on that state of Mercurius where Nature has left
imperfection. you will arriveat its perfectionand rejoice.
Whatis perfectdoes not alter, but isdesttoyed. However,
what is imperfect does indeed alter. Hence the destruc-
lion of the one is the generation of the otber.*
The three doors are rolten with age, without artistry
oromament. Theyopenoneafteranotherontoworlds
existingsimultaneouslyinthesame space. Theexist-
ence of three possible worlds in coincident space
corresponds to the choices that Cree will makes with
respect to destiny. Free will toms to desire in its
definition and operates like love; it is the ability to
recognize something in oneself and one' 5 imagina-
tion, and then seek that thing out in the world of
action. This hinges on one' s skill in interpretation:
what one is able to perceive and represent ofoneself
to oneself in the phantasia, then becomes the aimof
the will. Il is for this reason that the art ofinterpreta-
tion is educated. Behind each door are found the
appropriate personified 4lives, and tbeir attendant
qualities.
There are thrce kinds of scenes.... Tragic scenes are
detineated with columns. pedirnents. statues and other
abjects suiled to kings; comic scenes exhibit private
dwellings ...; satyric scenes are decorated with trees.
cavems, mountains, and other mstic objects delineated
in landscape style.J41
In the first, a place Poliphilo describes as melan-
chollc, an elderly woman ofcelibate aspect emerges
from a primitive mud hut from a low, narrow door
(
(
overwhichis writtenPYLURANIA(thegateofbeaven),
and points to the sky. In the second, a place looking
laborious and bard, a warrior matron namedEuclelia
(fame and glory), with an angry countenance meets
him, brandishing a sword held up tbrough a ClOwn
and palmbranch. On this threshold, the last trial, the
persuasion of reason is impotent, and Thelemia in
her role as will drives Polipbilo to choose the middle
way, tbat of erototropos. The choice of the middle
way is significant in itself, but erototrophos derives
from the concatenation of Eros with trophos, that
which nurtuIes, or tropos, a method or way of life.
This trial is a re-enactment oftheJudgement ofParis,
who had to choose between the three goddesses
Juno, Athena and Aphrodite, each of whom in tum
promises mm a divine gift if he should choose to
present herwith thegoldenapple. Paris chose Venus,
whohadpromisedhimHelen(oneoftheclivinetwins
of the eggs born to Leda and Zeus). Book IVofThe
Odyssey describes Helen as having been granted
magical powers of Egyptian medicinal berbs, doc-
toring wine with a drug that banished aU painful
memories.
Thechoices presented are particular to Poliphilo: the
first two doors realize the extremes offered to the
chameter under Satum: as the highest planet, suited
ooly to the contemplative rejection of the material
world; or, by virtue ofits cold and dryearthly nature,
suited onIy to hard agriculturallabour. Dy choosing
love he chooses the phantasmatic magic which helps
him rnediate the teons of the dilemma by bringing
Iight into saturnine darkness. The three doors also
represent the triune aspect and triple realm of the
goddess of fate, Hecate. Choices given by the same
poteotial, each reveals a plenary world beyond il.
The three faces ofthe goddess echo the tbree golden
statues in the cavemous labyrinth under the pyramid
which like this event's location is the grotto, the
84
Renaissance symbol for this intennediary reaIm of
the spirit, the choros between heing and becoming,
between nature and art. It is an architectural foon,
because architecture is the art ofexperieoce through
inhabitation, without which a symbol loses its po-
tency for engagement of the subject. In each of the
three worlds presented there, the landscape reflects
the same mood as its inhabitants, correlated by their
names. Logistica tries to dissuade him from the
middle door by reasoning that the beauty of this
world is illusory, vain, deceptive, and wams him
against the tortures of love and the inevitability of
death. As reason, sheunveils only thedarksideofthe
Goddess, her hypnotic. destnlctive powers, teUing
him: the beauty of this lady is feigned, faise and
artijicial; and if JOU could see the back of her
shoulders JOU would beforced to vomit; you would
Icnowthebetrayal, andsmellcarrionstinJcingbeyond
measure.- She wams himthat the ladies will disap-
pear, that voluptuousness passes away. Inanger, she
breaks the lyre. betrayinghis abandonmentofApollo
for Dionysius. Dut Thelemia encourages him to
proceed; through this door he will fmd the happiness
which he most desires, and of which your heart
dreams incessantly. The middle door promises noth-
ing that is not already present in a human enjoyment
oflife, whereas the others invite a speculativesuffer-
ing based on the hope of a better future. The spirit of
reason gives way to the impulsiveness of passion,
choosing love over knowledge.
To each man shall bis own free actions bring bath bis
suffering and his good fortune.Mt
THE TORMENT OF UNLIMITED REFLECI'ION
And look according ta nature. by which the bodies are
regenerated inthe bowels ofthe earth. And imagine this
with the ttue and not with the fanrastic imagination.1!ll
Anditis roundineveryplaceandatanytimeandinevery
circumstance. when the search lies heavy on the
searcher.
JS1
(
Alchemy assumes that a kind of divine or magical
powercapableoftransformingbrote matterdweUs in
the human mind, necessitating true inteUigence for
understanding. Thealchemical wodeparallels amoral
and inteUectual transfonnation of man.
ln ttuth the form. which is the inteUect of man. is the
beginning. middle and end of the procedure: and this
fonn is madec1ear by the saffroncolour, which indicates
that manis the greater and principal fonn in the spagyric
opus.!
The product to be extracted from matter in alchemy
was known as the cogitatio. Cogitatio is a Latinword
for thinking, having two senses: of reflective, medi-
tative tbought, and intention or purposeful design.
Theartifex must accomplish in himselfthat which he
expects frommatter,forthings areperfectedby their
like. He must therefore participate; his mindmust he
inharmonywiththe work.
U1
Representation becomes
more a matter of Platonic participation than imita-
tion. Representationisthe basis oftheory. Thepsyche
of the a1chemist sympathetically identifies with the
arcane substance (spirit imprisooed in matter). The
uterine vessei of transformation govemed by the
material Venus Genetrix also becomes the contem-
plative brain guided by the remote and aetherial
Satum. A1though Mercury is the important instigator
of the alchemical process, the connection of the
alchemist ta the material is a monster of love and
melancholy. A certain psychological condition is
tbus indispensable for the discovery of the miracu-
lous stone.
Tate the old black spirit and destroy and torture with it
the bodies. unlil they are changed.SSt
The alchemists' Most important discoveries arose
from their meditations on their own psychic pro-
cesses, which they recognized through projection in
the material in their archetypal fotm, and 'dazzled
their minds withunlimited possibilities.' Thecoinci-
dence ofemotional states with stages ofthe alchemi-
as
cal process focuses on the despair of the artifex
during tbis p e r i ~ and a number of identifications
are made with melancholy specifically. This is oot
surprising, for the relationship of the worker to the
work is the model of love.
We also were plungcd into slUpor for a long time and
were hidden onder the cloak of despair. But when wc
came backto ourselves andtonnented our thoughts with
the carment of unlimitcd retlection. we beheld the s u ~
stances. [lt was nessary for us] to discoverthe solution
through ourselves.
J55
Torture is inflicted on the materials, in arder to
torment the arcane substance which is spiritual and
bence must he beset with the most subtle spiritual
things akin to il, sucb as fiery nature. This substance
is the soul, and thus it is theartificers themseives who
often could not stand the torture. The metapbor of
desire is used to instigate this torture: while love is
concemed with a specific goal, desire' s aim is to
reproduce itself as desire, the cyclical movement of
which is privileged ovec the object of love, and
resuits in melancholy.H6 The "Consilium coniugii"
equates the nigredo with melancholia.'m And 'Lead
signifies the vexations and aggravations with which
Gadafflicts us andtroubles our senses. ')51 This meth-
odology is clearly analogons to the architectural
workofdesigninga material abject; not least ofall in
the clues by which lead (plumbum, in Latin) is
indicated in plumbing, the controlled circulation of
fluids in and around buildings. The arcane substance
oflead, which was govemedby Satum, was identical
to the state of melancholy, and signified in architec-
ture by the plumb-line whose heaviness draws it
towards the earth' s centre, and indicates of the troe
vertical, or axis mundi.
[1beblackbile] obliges thoughl to penetrate andexplore
the centre of its objects. because the black bile is itself
mnto the centre ofthe earth. Likewise il raises thought
ta the comprehension of the highest, because il corre-
sponds to the highest of the planets. "'
( Petrus Bonus asserts that 'these things were known
to us before the experiment. as a consequence of
long, intense and scrupulous meditation.' As Virgil
to Dante, theory is a guide and is not substituted for
the enlightenment gained through suffering in prac-
tice. The symbolism, because it links the metaphysi-
cal with the physical, must pass through the whole
organism: bodilysense, spirit, soul.Theprocedureof
creative remaking the material object is also a pro-
cess of healing for the body and soul.
For Hermes saith. 'From thee shall ail obscurity tlee
away,' he saith not 'from the metals.' By obscurity
naught else is to be understood save the darkness of
disease. and sickness of body and mind."JeO
The phantasm or image is a subde body, between
spiritual andphysical. The necessityfor the artifex to
bave a sound constitution is integral to bis participa-
tion in the experience.. the transfonnations of the
alchemical process being neither in the realm of
matter norofmind, but inan intennediate realm. For
Jung the psyche was finally 'a hall bodily, half
spiritual substance, an anima media natura, as the
alchemists cali il, an bennaphroditic heing capable
of uniting the opposites, but who is Bever complete
in the individual unless related to anotherindividual.
The unlated human being lacles wholeness, for he
canacbieve wholeness oolythrough the soul, andthe
soul cannot exist without its other side, which is
always found in a "You.tu]61
MATERAMORIS OR EROTOTROPOS
The name of Lady Philtronia wbo greets bimmeans
love-potion, or poison of love. Poison in German is
Jas Gift, and troPes a mercurial excbange, like the
phantasms of lovers. Like the medicines which Fi-
cino prefers to magic amulets, it brings an extemal
quality to bear directly though the body. One of the
attendants of Cupid"s triumph is named Toxodore
(gift of poison). In the description of the four tri-
86
umphs, goldiscalledthepoisonofvirtue, areference
likely intendedhere. Wisdomis no guardian against
the duplicity ofthings, for reason has no power over
love. Metamorphosis bas two faces. and the other
side of eros is deatb. Lady Philtronia is fumished
with a Iascivious and inconstant gaze; ber nympbs
also have sharp eyes 50 strong that they would have
pierced a chest of steel and seduced the elderly
Sacrales. The ladies' words have the power to con-
vert things to their opposites, as language becomes
irony. Poliphilo is inflamed with a bumingdesire for
the voluptuous landscape and the dames of un-
equalledbeau!'j who were thoroughly complete with
thefull perfectionofnature. Nevertheless, the wbole
company abmpdy vanishes leaving himstupefied. 1
found myself all alone, weary, tormented, and in
suchastate that1couldnotjudgeforcenainwhether
or not 1 was sleeping. In any case, after a time 1
recognized andperceivedthat truly my lovely com-
pany hadabandonedme; andunable 10 know when,
MW, or where they had gone, thus, as if 1 were
stlJnled inlo awalningfrom a dream. Through the
frame ofa pergolahe sees some youths and maidens,
one of whomleaves the group and approaches him,
a f1aming torch inber hand. She resembles Polla, but
her unfamilar clothing and suaoundings put bim in
doubt. The attention to detail in the clothing of the
nymph suggests a parallel to the ornamentation of a
building which Poliphilo treats similarly, calling up
therelationshipbetweencosmosandomament. While
we nonnally understand the concept of site in a
physical way, a work also has a situation in a com-
plex hierarchical symbolic universe. Interpretation
is a re-sitingofa work. It projects arange ofrelations
between the work, its world of origin, and those
people who encounter it through time. In the act of
interpretation we are seeking ta ferry meaning trom
one realm to another. Omament is a modulation of
(
(
the surfaceofa workinordertoexpress thesymbolic
programme unified witb and bence indivisible from
the functional programme, made explicit in the pal-
ace. It places the work in relation to the world in
which it exists through symbolic correspondences
rather than physical connections. Through the verbal
similarity between cosmos, the universe, and cos-
metic, the applied surface, we may observe that the
complex of motions and symbolic influences in the
world are reflected or invoked tbrough the mask
which is the surface of the work, the microcosmos.
The minute examination with which the nymph is
portrayed suggests that the descriptive act is akin to
love, and that description is a tbeoretical participa-
tion in ber being. In ancient Greece the theoros was
a silent participant sent to a neighbooring state ta
observe sacred festivals. Cenainly the vision ofthis
nymphengenderedagreatdiscordbetweenmysenses
and my desire.- Alas! the rays of her lovely eyes
passedTight through my heanlike IWo dans thrown
byCupidinafitofpassion.1knew weil inmysel/that
this dissention could not cease without losing the
pleasure ofwatching this lovely nymph, which was
impossible.- Supreme Jupiter, here is the imprinted
vestige ofyour divine image, remaining in this most
noble creature. [...l ln contemplating her, 1 lost
sense, spirit, understanding and Icnowledge com
pletely, andknewnootherthing to do thanpresent to
her my hean completely open. My accurate and
vigilant memory overexcited my penetratedheart ...
she who hall long consumed my tender years by her
hot, first, powerfullove.*
It also bappcns that those who have beentrappedby love
altemately sigb and rejoice. They sigh because tbey are
losing themselves, because they are desttoying them
selves, because they are naining themselves. [...] They
are also altemately hot and eold....
MS
As Musaeus says,
the whole cause and origin of this illness is certainly the
eye.-
87
Eyes are the natural channel ofcommunicationto the
soul.
s
Il is for this reason that Perseus, in killing the
Gorgon, uses the mirrortoavoidneither hergaze, nor
the sight of her, but eye-contact. The interdepen-
dence betweenloveandtheconditionofmelancholic
sufferingbegins withtheappreciationofvisual beauty
and ends in tears. Poliphilo' s internai struggle is due
to his not this nymph as Polia, as
distinct from identifying her appearance, which he
has done. Thus lfoundmyselflroubledandconfused
with a diversity ofthoughts, so much lhat my heart
was irresolutely moved by applying itself too will-
ingly to such secret imaginations, ready and wUlmg
to heap live cools orbuming logs onto the powerful
flames oflove, towards whichlsufferedinsuchsweet
pleasures, that torment was a recreation to me. The
gaze ofthis nymph did to me thus what thunderbolts
do to oaIcs and other trees which they split, rupture
andsplinter, so much that 1did not tiare to raise my
gaze to contemplale her eyes: fot when her light
encountered mine, for a long lime afterwards, aIL
things looked double to me, and 1 was dauled, Like
tOOse whofixedly andwith the nakedeye gaze at the
sun's sphere.- Becausethe sourceoflight, as well as
love and beauty, is God or the sun, the eye cao look
at this Iight ooly reflected in objects. The assimila-
tion of the methodology of representation to the
senses (as an imitation of the divinity of naturaI
process in human anifice) is evident in that eyes
... are Iikeglass windows' suggestingbothperspec-
tival construction and the camera lucida. There is
some Iight, though small, in the eyes and the brain.
The ray sent out by the eyes draws with it a spiritual
vapour, the thin part of the blood. A mirror, on
accounl ofits hardness, is known to stop this spirit on
the surface.
The part ofthe soul which he caUs the dark faney and the
memory (like the minor) is struek by a certain image
(
(
(like a ray) ofbeauty itself (taking the place of the sun),
taken in lhrough the eyes; in such a way mat it maltes
another image for itself (a splendour, as it were, of the
first image) by which the force ofdesire .. is kindled and
loves.
no
This love entered into my heart, like the wooden
horse into Troy, to wit, full andcrowded with hidden
enemies, which it bumed and tumed to ash. He is
almost lost in a blinding desire, laments my disor-
derly desire, and fears his own presumption. The
sensation of splitting and the duplication of vision is
the initial recognition that he exists in two parts, of
which she is the other, which must be reconciled. A
lover is captivated by the image of his beloved, and
the phaotasmof the beloved takes complete posses-
sionofthelover' s souI. Love is a voluntarydeath; the
lover is a soul dead in his OWD body and living inthe
body of aoother. An unrequited lover no longer has
an independent being of bis own; however, wOOn
love becomes reciprocal, the soul of eacb occupies
the body of the other. The 'two become one in such
a way that each ofthe two, instead ofbeingooly one,
becomes two, and, as if he were doubled, he ... now
has two lives.'m In place of a single death there is a
double surrection. 'The soul of the lover becomes
a mirror in which the image of the beloved is re-
flected'm and the beloved cao recognize himself in
his lover. '1 have myself through you.... 1 approach
myself in no other way than through you as an
intennediary.'l7J By comparing the paradigm of di-
vine love with that of courtly or Platonic love, it
appears that these are aIl Neoplatonic metaphors for
knowledge. Knowledge ofthe selfderives fromlove
(and hence mimesis) of the other, outside of the self;
and, fromknowledgeofthe selfcornes knowledge of
the world. 'When ancient physicians observed these
things, they said that love was a passion very close to
the disease of melancholy. Sacrates, who Aristotle
judgeda melancholic, confessedthathewas the most
inclined to the art of love of all men. 'n.
88
Sacrales acknowledges that he tacts self-knowledge; he
encounters a strangeness in bimself, an 'un.knowable'.
resistanttotherational methodsofphilosophy.Thewalls
of the philosopher' 5 body do not contain the kind of
purity we might expect; they house a possibly mythical
unknown, whichSocrates nowrecognizcs as a necessary
pan of bis being. For Plato, this recognition is love,l"
The region Polipbilo bas entered belongs to those
who have died in the service of Venus. Venus'
different planetaryphases wereidentifiedinSumerian
and Babylonian astrology as aspects of the cosmic
female, changing fromvirgin to harlot, fromconsort
of the moon to the hag of hell. The nymph tells him:
true love has no regardfor external things. In this is
a hint that attraction by appearances must he conse-
crated by something deeper, a ritual of recognition.
The gardens of sille and glass were repsentations
appealing to the sensible faculties. In this domain,
representation will he retumed to its origins in the
sympathy of essence. In respect of this, he sees
people dressed in ail kinds ofdifferent costumes and
disguises, antique clothing, religious garb, and that
of the hunt.
THE FOUR TRIUMPHS
The vision abat foUows the binh of the hero is described
,,' as a 'swann of people,' We know mat this image
symbolizes a secret, or ramer, the unconscous.
Jfa
Art strives, as far as possible, to imitate or follow
natural things: but it is neither industriousness nor
understanding, which, without their help and inspi-
ration, could achieve nothing there. For which rea-
son one shouId not doubt, but holdfor certain, that
ail incredible and unusual work isfreely feasible to
the divine disposition. But it does not succeed in
copying, ortorenderdillineoperationsaccomplished
without work, the breath of the genius, and the
intellect.
m
The religious matrix which representa-
tionrevealedwas a self-consciousness throughwhich
to understand the divine forces at work internally.

(
'The human sou! desires to understand what the
divine things are by looking at those things whichare
related to itself.'m Through love the world recog-
nizes itself in itself, for 'the world is composed of
parts ofthe four elements, mled by a single soui. [...]
The little body of each living thing is a piece of the
world body,'''' whose whole is more perfect than a
smaU human body, which, although it is a micro-
cosm, is ooly a part of the larger world. Architecture
is the tertiumnon data bridging the human body and
the universe; physically, we know, but also meta-
physically.
A triumph is normally associated with the conquests
ofwar, not love. \Var, as a cultural symbol, signifies
the transformative insemination of one culture or
language byanother. The fourtriumphs represeDt the
metamorphoses associated with the loves of Jupiter
and his appearance in fonns symbolic of the four
elements, along withthe monsttous progeny ofthose
unions, the binhs of heroes. Jupiter inseminates
nature with the trickery ofCupid andMercury. Carte
da trionfi referred to the deck of tarot cards, both an
encyclopaedia of Hermetic wisdom and agame,
which roseiotoprominenceinthe northofltalyinthe
mid-fifteenth century, consisting oftwenty-two ma-
jor arcana and fty-six minor arcana divided into
four suits corresponding to the quatemity: wheels or
goldcoins, chalices, swords, and sceptres orbudding
wands. Together the triumphs compose the elemen-
tal universe, elements isolated and in the process of
purification. According to Ficino, Jupiter, who mies
the natural spirit, has the temperament Most suited to
man, having 'intermediate' effects and powers.
The spirit. to theextent that it brings the body to life, and
motion. and propagation. is thougbt to be Iovial. Vene-
real. and SolaroTotheextent that il attends the soul inthe
senses and the imagination. il is thougbt to be Solar and
Mercurial. and it is Mercurial whenever it is 50 mobile.
50 easily changeable. 50 fonnable.
JIO
89
Each chariot andentourage is composedofarchitec-
tonie omamentation, symbolic materials and beings
associated with each element in the manner of Datu-
rai magic, but the symbolic influences ofthe materi-
ais, derived from Pliny and Marbode, are more
intemalized than referring backto specific gods. The
need in artistry ta choose appropriate rnaterials is
consistent with the idea that souls barn under the
same star recognize corresponding images in each
other. A less perfect soul reforms its ownimage inthe
image ofthe more perfect one, a principle which can
he seen in the magical power of masks, as images
refme natural abjects. The lover sees his beloved in
an image already reformed by the lover' s soul, in the
likeness of its own innate idea.
G01Wllo: 1would with such perfection govem. sir.
To excel the golden age.
JaI
The triumphs are embellished on either flank with
the istoriaeofeacb myth, placing inexplicitjuxtapo-
sition a symbolic condition of material experience
and an expandedtemporal narrative of mythe Ineach
of these also, gald appears as motive force indiffer-
ent aspects, uncommon gold heing one of the names
of the alchemical goal. Alchemy reverses creation
through lime because the gold at the end of it is the
golden age of Saturne
EARTH: MELANcaOLIC
His horns were ... 50 beautifully made. that you would
swear they were the wode ofan artist. more polishedand
shining than any jewel.
The first triumph celebrates the rape of Europa, who
is seated on a white bull,xz on a chariot bearing two
vases ofArabic topaz, drawnby sixcentaurs. Topaz,
used here for its power of appeasing angry waves, is
a transparent tosemi-translucent gemminerai, inthis
case, the colour of gold. The above description of
Europa' s bull in the quotation from Ovid demon-
strates the power of art used in seduction. The off-

spring of this union was Minos, king of Crete. The

first ofthefour marvellous anddivine triumphs had
four rapidwheelsofjineststone, thegreenestScythian
emerald, shining with sparks ofcolour, and the rest
of diamont/, which is resistant to fire, iron, and
emery, and which cannot be broken except with the
very hot blood of a gOal, which is useful to magi-
cians." The hub was offine gold, andalso the rimof
the wheel, becausethis metalcannat beconsumedby
fire, norby rust, but it is the poison ofvinue, andthe
mortal venom ofpeace.* The wheel is symbolic of
the process of circulation, circulatio, the ascending
and descending, and the rotation ofthe universe as a
model for the work, thus the cyclical nature of the
year in transformation. The articulation of the hub
shows the idea of the centre arising in the uncon-
scious mind. The two other tableaux of the chariot
introduce the power which Cupid yields over even
Jupiter, who bears a tablet inscribed NEMO, meaning
n<K>ne, answering the impliedquestion quis evadet?
(who cao escape him?). It is undoubtedly this ubiq-
uitous aspect oflove which is ripe for transfonnation
into the theory of universal gravitation.
Inthe grotto beneath the pyramid, was a depiction of
the rape of Europa, which same theme this fust
triumph depicts in allegory, re-presents it through
analogia in time and narrative, and because of this
invokes Sahlm, or Chronos. In order to accrue his
henefits or gifts of scholarsbip and wisdom, the
maleficent Saturnine influence must he balanced by
natural philosopby, hence the use ofmagical materi-
ais ineverypart ofthe triumph plays a deliberate role.
Following that fust gratto was the labyrinth in which
Poliphilo wished for Ariadne' s thread. Imagine the
hemTheseus with the clewofthread given to himby
Ariadne to navigate the labyrinth. As he enters the
labyrinth, the threaduDwinds until finally when he is
90
at the centre il is entirely a length - linear, narrative
tme. To retrace bis steps he bas to wind up the
temporal, mythological structure of the clew back
ioto a symbolic uoity. The means by which a symbol
is explained or unwound in parallel narratives is
createdbythesympatheticproportions betweenthese
various levels.
WATER: PHLEGMATIC
This chariot, drawn by six elephants draped in gold,
shows Leda and the Swan, seated on down pillows.
The pmgeny of this union is two eggs, from the one
containing Helen and Clytemnestra issues a flame,
signifying discord, and from the other containing
Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri, two stars: concord.
As 1have noted, these twins symbolize synaesthesia
in the memory arts, linking what is present with
somethingabsent.- The chariot' s attendant maidens
have different musical instruments, all tuned to the
same piteh, signifying an accord in will. The wheels
areofblackagate veined with white, havingplates of
oriental sapphire. lterating Poliphilo's own lale ex-
perience, the tableaux show in an Arcadian setting
the judgement ofParis who selects Venus over Juno
andMinervatoawardthegoldenapple introducedby
Eris (Discordia or strife, sister of Eros), when the
goddess ofloveandbeautypromises Paris theworld' s
most beautiful mortal, Helen. The three goddesses
are an incarnation of the three fates, and apples
symbolize the price of knowledge as evil. This rep-
resentation maps the allegory of judgement onto its
dramatic enactment by Poliphilo, and specifies its
architectural framework.
AIR : SANGUINE
The third chariot shows Dana and the shower of
Gold; Ovidcalls itfertile goldand the appropriation
ofthis image byalchemy isevident. It is drawn by six
( unicoms sacredtoDiana, ThetableauxsbowMinerva
giving the mirror-sbield to her boother Perseus, the
child of this In another picture, Jupiter tells
Cupid, Vou ARE SWEET AND BITIERTO ME. The third
chariot had wheels of Ethiopian chrysolite. spar-
Iding with goldflecks: which is ofsuch a nature, that
ifyoupierce it through, andthreaditwith the hairof
anass, it dispels evil spirits; andhas great powerfor
him who holds it in the left hand." Chrysolite is an
anti-melancholy stone: fromtheGreekchrysos(gold)
and lithos (stone). In appearance it ranges from
colourless 10 yeUow to yellow-green. A stone pre-
ventative of fever and madness ... Hset in gold, it is
a preservative against noctumal terrors,' and
bound around with gold and carried in the left hand
drives away nigbt-bags and preserves from melan-
choly, illusions and witches.' The plates which
covered part ofthe wheels. were mching in green
heliotrope, set in cypress wood; which by the power
ofthe stars, renders invisible he who carries it, and
able to divine things to come, especially when it is
strewn with blood-coloureddrops.- Heliotrope is a
dark-green chalcedony containing spots or patehes
ofredjasper, occasionally with yeUowspots. On the
plaf/orm of the chariot there was a seat of green
jasper, which, encasedinsilver, isconsideredtohelp
women in childbirth. MO Perseus, rescuing the lovely
Andromeda, was menaced by a monster, whereupon
he flew into the air:
His shadow was cast on the surface of the sea. and the
monster attacked tbat shadow in a fury.Jll
Whereas the first twochariots depict brute insemina-
tions, andso pertain to the lower faculties, the 'living
gold' generates a cluster of representational strate-
gies which translates a motif from a natural thing to
its Madel: indication by a shadow on water, the
mirrorreflectionofPerseus' shield, andtheMedusa' s
gaze which toms living things to stone statues.
91
FIRE: COOLERIC
The fourth chariot honours Semele, mother of
Bacchus. Semele was incinerated after she asked the
fiery Jove to appear before her in his troe form; their
unformedchild, Bacchus, was rescued and sewn into
Jupiter's thigh; after his second birth was given by
Mercury to the nymphs of Nysa who nursed him in
a cave. The fourth chariot Was ail in ail Like the
others, except tha! the wheels werc :f Arcadian
asbestos, thus called because once set ablaze. can
neverhe extinguished The plate whichcoveredthem
was of carbuncle which glows in the darlc.
Je
Car-
buncledescribes anyconvex surfacedredstone, mby
and especially red gamet, which ranges from red to
purple and clark red. These gems, symbolizing pas-
sionate love and vitality, are antipathetic to melan-
cholia and bad dreams, and glow in the dark, the
name deriving from the Latin carbo, coal. Pliny
notes that there are and 'female' stones. The
next carbuncle is a redegg hanging over the fountain
of Venus. The chariot is drawn by six tigers, reined
with vines. In the middle of the chariot on a stand of
Persian aetite is a vase of Ethiopian hyacinth (an
orange-redsapphire), variegatedwithemeraldveins,
and other precious stones. Aetite is eagle stone, a
fertility stone found in male and female pairs in
eagles' nests, without which the eagles cannot pro-
duce young; also used as an amulet for pregnant
wornen. Blue asbestos is a fibrous minerai which
silicifies iota azure quartz and tiger' seye. It is Most
likely the latter whichconstitutes the wheels. It is not
hard to imagine the fiery appearance of sucb a
vehicle. As good were the borders ofthe friezes. ln
that ofthe waterspout in the lower moulding, were
anached half-rings across each side. gnawed at by
IWo Linle dragons, which were madefrom the emer-
ald vein [of the stone] andhaving theirfour legs on
the cover.
YU
The amethyst grapes on a backgroundof
c
hyacinth were so round and so polished that one
would have believed that they were made in the
round for it seemed that the leaves were separated
from them by the thickness ofa thumb: and as such
were so vividly counteifeitetL tlrat they properly
resembled the natural.- In this vessel is the golden
vine, loaded with grapes of oriental amethyst and
abundunt with foliage ofgreenish Persian Silenite
which is not subject to the moon's influence [moti},
andpleases Cupid, for as weIl, it keeps anyone who
carries it on him in good health. The name of this
stone anticipates Silenus on bis ass. lt served as a
treIlis andparasolfor the whole chariot, which had
at each corner a chandelier mountedon a tripod of
coral, which issingularlyprofitabletolahourers,for
it lceeps away thunderbolts, lightning, stonns, toma-
dos and other harmful winds. The pillar of one
lantem was made of Portuguese thunderstone of
celestial hue, propitious to tempests. andbelovedof
the goddess Diana. lt was slulped like a baluster,
assembledwithLittlebaublesandotherornamentsof
fine gold, inwire work. The otherofDionysianstone,
black with vermilion drops, which had the scent of
burning incense. The third offine medea, ofa dark
coloursprinkledwithgold, like the tasteofthenectar
of the gods. The last of precious black nephrite
coloured, aIlmixedwith whiteandgreen, andsacred
to the godBacchus. These were twofeet high, andon
top ofeach was a flat plate, where a tongue offire
bumed continually, which could never be extin-
guished.)95 Bacchus or Dionysius is the principle of
the twice-bom, the immanent principle of divinity
which already exists within the fnrit of the vine, the
revealed tnltb. Similarly, the uncommon gold of
alchemy is immanent in aU things, and revealed by
the alchemical work in the psyche. The necessity for
the appropriate time, place, and frame of mind for
this moment of recognition or revelation is given in
92
the identification of Polia only in the Temple of
Venus Physizoa. Architecture is demonstrated to he
one of those cosmogonic play forms, which act as
catalysts for mystical enlightenment. The carving
displays two special characteristics: ofiugenious use
ofexisting traits in the material in order to create an
exquisite work which seems to infuse spirit into the
material through the artistry, and the simulation of
depthina planarrepresentation. The vase bas a frieze
carved with two istoriae: one ofJupiter on a sapphire
altar holding a chrysolite sword and a thunderbolt of
ruby, facing seven singing nymphs clad in white in
increasing stages of transformation into green trees
with azure flowers, ail curtseying toward Jupiter.
Theotherdepicts Bacchus, crownedwithtwosnakes,
oneblackandonewhite,lyingunder a trellis covered
in vines, surrounded by playing children. And as
small as the figures were, so perfectly they were
made in their proper proponion and measure.-
Tiresius, in the woods, was cbanged ioto a woman
after striking a pair of intertwined snakes with his
staff, and later was changed backioto a manthesame
way. the snakes therefore denoting the essentiaI
coexistence of the masculine and the feminine. The
staffand the two snakes compose the hermaphrodite
Mercury's caduceus. Another tableau shows Jupiter
at a divine tribunal, who laughing tells Cupid, who is
there with Venus and Psyche who holds a lamp:
ENDURE A SPARK, YOU WHO DURN THE HEAVENS AS
MUCH AS ALL THINGS. In the legend, Psyche was so
beautiful that she was acclaimed the incarnation of
Venus and worshipped in ber stead, which angered
the goddess. This is the resistance of the ideal to
materiality, in two aspects of the same archetype.
Orderedby bis mother to destroy her, the god of love
married her himself and kept her in a magical realm.
Prompted by ber two sisters who claimed she had
marrieda s e r p e n ~ sheburnedCupidwhenshe looked

forbidden at her unseen husband in the light ofan oil

lamp as he slept.
197
With this l i g h ~ personal love
replaced ideal, as the imaginary became flesh. The
child oftheir union was Voluptas, sensuallove. This
sensuality is rampant amongthe Bacchantes; around
the chariot mythical and monstrous creatures are
calling to Bacchus in voices confused and mal
formed. Most of those following this triumph were
nalced, andothers wore the slins ofdeer andfawns,
their hair loose and scattered over their shoulders.
There were those who sounded tambourines and
played pipes, celebrating and solemnising the sa
credbacchanalian orgies.- Afterthem came the old
man Silenus, mountedon hisass, anda he-goat with
bristling hair which was being driven in the proces
sion in order to he sacrificed.- Silenus is the son of
Pan, that god of the woods and fields whose music
and panic haunted Poliphilo' s dream.
A MEmOD IN THE MADNESS
Eacb of us finds the world of death fiued to himself.al
Just as there is no uniquecreative process, there is no
single way of alchemy. It is empirical rather than
ideal; morea frame ofmind, adevotion, acritical and
reflective practice. However, in its general prin-
ciples and in the particular symbolic images used
there is a degree of consistency. Its recognizable
images recur with variations in alI mythological
traditions, anddramatize the identity ofpsychic self-
consciousness with consciousness of the cosmos in
which the psyche bas its place. Thus divine knowl-
edge is revealed indreams. Man does not invent the
arts; he does not begin themex nihilo. Alchemy is a
translation into metaphors of the unconscious pro-
cesses which are ever-present but inscrotable; their
picturing is a bringing-forth, a making conscious of
the underlying reproductive stnlcture ofthe cosmos.
If art re-establishes the connection of man to bis
93
world, then the alchemical figures are art speakingof
art, a dream within a dream.
[Ask.] Though this he madness. yet then: is method
in't
4111
Because of its methodical variance, alchemy is not
fIXed to one allegorical sequence. Alchemists ofthe
mediaeval period advised that no single manuscript
wascompleteinitself, andsuggestedthatonlythrough
cross-referencingmany texts wouldthe tlUthemerge.
As the images of the wode were evidently based on
dream revelations, this stipulated the discovery of
troth through comparing the divine wisdomgranted
to aU artificers. A Museumof projections. Although
the process is presented in a linear fashion, at the
same lime these images really constellate around a
symbol, representing different aspects of it at once.
As Logjsticadescribed the obeliskal the focus ofthe
last garden: fou should also notice that il is mpos.
sible to see IWo sides of the lriangular pyramid
entirely inoneinstantandala single glance, butonly
as many as one, andthat one which is before you. by
whichis understoodthe Present.- Specificallyinthe
Hypnerotomachia, the various scenarios are aspects
of a retuming symbolic matrix, which disintegrates
and reintegrates periodically. Alchemy is a psycbic
montageoftheexternalcosmos inwhich nolbingcan
he created without destroying something else. An
external creative act is preceded by a crime symbol-
ized as a kind of ritual suicide, for example, the
killingofthe selfthrough one' s double. Foundations
must he consecrated with blood; in city building
especially, with one's own blood, as with Cain and
Abel, Romulus and Remus. This symbolizes trans-
gression, or a crossing over limits, the principle of
hermeneutics. By necessity then it is associated with
both the destn1ctive power of Time and the doubt of
melancholy. The a1chemical process. transmutes
material substance through an infusion of mercurial
(
spirit; it is cyclical andrenews the worldbyaprocess
involving desttucturing into elements, purification
and reconstruction unto unity. Alchemy models
metamorphosis, but in the alchemical process the
creation sequence is reversed:
What generally comes fmt within the nigredo are wild
animais -lions. dragons. bears. wolves. and 50 on; the
animal kingdom. farst medomeslicated and then usually
me wild animal kingdom. Alter chat there are generally
similes of plant life. the making of the philosophers'
stone beingcompared to plantingatree wimgolden fruit
and watering it; mere is the whole process ofgrowing a
tree within the reton and within the human being. The
final goal is a metal or stone symbol. a crystal. or a
mineral.- Last of all in the sequence are the mandala
forms. the philosophers' stone.
TIME IS TO THE SOUL AS THE EVE IS TO
VlSION.-
o !rUe golden age, during which Vinue was allied
with Fonune...-
In the syncretism of Humanist philosophy, melan-
choly had become assimilated with the burden, de-
viationorstainofguilt causedbyoriginal sin, thefall
ofman. As weil, it was connected symbolically with
the motifofTimeoriginatedby thefall ofLucerand
the rebel angels. Time personified as Satumwas not
only the planetary nder of melancholy but of its
corresponding element: the earth. Satumwas a1so a
deity of fertility and the harvest, and il was to the
golden age of Satum, before the age of Olympian
Zeus or Jupiter, wbich the Renaissance harkened.
Saturn's hegemonic unity had been ovetthrown by
Jupiter, whocastratedbis father andinstateddivision
andmeasure in timeandspace. Venus was bornfrom
Satum's reproductive organs wbich fell ioto the sea.
Oneorderdisplacedby anotber, the cycleofcreation
anddestruction incyclical myth became a trajectory
of linear change. The Jovial conscious mind is the
origin and creator of lime, which is in it, and creates
temporal boundaries between the seasons and night
and day. Essential differences come from Gad, but
94
conceptual differences arise in the human intellect:
invention is the material and sensible realization of
the concept. In metamorphosis, essence remains
constant, but theconceptual categoriesofthought are
human-generated and exist in measured time and
space. Understanding is always analogical, so sym-
bolism acts like an axis mundi, or ladder, up and
down which one might move in order to simate
oneself in a convenient metaphor for the apprehen-
sion of knowledge. This place where Poliphilo finds
himself is before time, before agriculture, indicating
that having passed back in mythical history through
the age ofJupiter, tbis is the golden reign of Satum,
preceding the divisions of time and space, where
there is never any unhappiness or malady, mourn-
ing, worry, melancholy, anger or displeasure. The
companyisfelicitous withyoungnYmphs andyouths.
The nymphs carry buming torches, which it was
marvellously good to see. A good number olthem
were wearing capes, chasubles, and religious orna-
ments. Otllers bore lances or cenain trophies or
antique spoils- in this place of etemal spring, more
lovely than any painting, where everything grows
without human labour.
This goldenageoftheGreeks bas its Latincounterpartin
the age of Satum, who gets bis name from sat, sown
(fields].lnthisageofgold. the poets assureus faithfully.
the poets consorted on earth with the heroes. (...] Thus
from Satum (whose Oreek name Chronos means lime)
new principles are derived for chronology or the theory
oftimes.11
SATURN AND MELANCBOLY
'Satum is a great stranger to the common life of
man.'-Thecontemplativeminddistances itselffrom
feelings and imaginings, 'calls itself away in affect,
intention and in life,' and in its separateness and
solimde exposes itself to Saturne Plato describes the
necessity for keeping proportion, wbich is akin to
goodness and beauty, in the equilibrium between

(
mind and body: one should avoid exercising either
the mind or the body a1one, and so preserve an equal
and healthy balance between them. The study of
philosophy in particular leads to a separationofmind
and body through the preoccupation with incorpo-
reaI things. The scholar' s mind joins itself to a
bodiIess tnlth, and separates from the body.
for these people never retums except as a half-soul
and a melancholy one.'-Melancholy is this solitude
of the ego-self, its wililimited by the unconscious
reaIm. Free will per se only exists in the sphere of
conscious deliberation; whatever is part of the un:..
conscious stands in potentia over and against the
freedom of the will. When destiny triumphs, the
result is tragedy; when desire does, the result is
comedy. It relies onirony - meaning created through
absurdity. Saturnine melancholy unites worldly
things, thernaterial realm, sufferingandenmirement,
with prophecy, illumination, overviewand the high-
est intellectual capacity for reason and speculation,
which are divorced from the physical. It embraced
the paradox ofthe human condition, the coexistence
ofhubris and self-doubt.1n the Middle Ages, by way
of Arabic philosophy, melancholy no longer mani-
fested itselfas a disease so much as a certain mental
and physical constitution. By the eighteenthcentury,
Kant attributed to the melancholic character the
stamp of the sublime, interpreting its traits as the
expression of a higher moral consciousness. But the
Renaissance embraced the melancholic as the natu-
rai expression of creative temperament, the influ-
ence of Satum becoming increasingly promnent in
the character of the artiste Vasari cites numerous
examples inThe Uves olthe Painters, Sculptors and
Architects of ISSO, sucb as the radical Piero di
Cosimo. The canons of astronomy, alcbemy and
magic contain hints oftheconnectionbetweenarchi-
tecture and melancholy. Abil of ninth cen-
9S
tory Baghdad, who was the principal source for
mediaeval astronomy, wrote that presides
over ... works of construction,' Alcabitius adding to
his compass and permanent things ... magi-
cians ... black clothing.' Accrding to Diodoros
Siculus, Saturnwas the inventorofagriculture andof
the building of cities.
xpovol; ... is called 'K'tmv which brings the
concept of him close to that of the old and wise (ounder
of a city.4lO
When the Hypnerotomachia was written, the lines of
human-generated change in the world were heing
sketched. Diverging from Vitnlvius, writings of the
quattrocento described Methodologies for making
which might 'seduce Fortune' by strategies which
used architecture toestablisha relation ofthinkingto
nature. As Gad might be understood by examination
of bis works in Nature, man might understand him-
self by examination of bis own artifacts. In order to
do that, it was necessary to establish what aspect of
man was represented in and what the represen-
tational method. Conventions alteredat their roots as
the model viewpoint declined from mat of God to
that of man who partook of material nature. Natural
magic is simply the employment of general cosmic
laws to effect appropriate results under these condi-
tions. Man owes to his freedom the ability to draw
influences to order his own reason and imagination.
The stars and planets were seen not as causal but
symbolic affects, through which the structure of
divine unity became visible. These were cosmologi-
cal principles which organized the emanations of
God ioto the material world, and renascence. Bach
planet organized a branch of Gad' s nature, and aIl
therefore had good qualities. Satum, as the bighest
planet was the most exalted of the pantheon; as
Kronos he was the first of the gods. For Plotinus, he
symbolizedthe intellect, nous, thepurest andhighest
(
(
power of thought, whereas the soul was symbolized
byZeus.
lnOrphism, Kronos - bis bonds sometimes interpretedas
a cosmological principle of unit} - passed for the arcbi-
tect of the world. who. as the rather of ail. while stiO in
Tartarus. ttansmitted to his son the basic principles ofthe
universe.
11
Satum endows those born onder him with the great-
est opposites in potential; people set apart (for whom
freedom of the will becomes very important).4U A
potential maleficence in Satum lies in the perversity
or incapacity of the recipient eanhly vessel. Those
born under the sign of Satum need to tune their
natures so as to receive the benefits ofhis intellectual
broadcast. His favourable characteristics, according
to the Arabic tradition, included a 'talent for geom-
etry and architecture, knowledge of hidden things,
and above aU, udeep reflection."'41J Melancholics
were better suited to inspiration than men of other
complexions because this complexion withdraws
men furthest from bodily pleasures and worldly
turmoil. As Chronos he cbaracterized the 'fatal de-
struction of all earthly things, combined with the
rescue of truth and the preservation of fame. '414 The
relationship ofhistory to PQCtic tnltb was constituted
by the imagination which fashioned arder and mean-
ing from the prima materia of memory, like a
bricolage from spoils of war. From the concrete
ascended the abstracto
And ail those will fall into melancholy who overexert
themselves in reading philosophical books. or books on
medicine and logic. or books which permit a view
(theory) of ail tbings.
415
Therecognitionofone' s individual intellectual weak-
Bess ledto melancholicdistress, theconscious mind' s
initial recognition that it is only a vain fragment of
the whole, largely unconscious, psyche. The retum
occurs with the recreation of the self as a represen-
tative fragment, a model. This recreated selfis a poet
or hero.
96
POETS AND BEROES
Calisto, the daughter of Lycaon of Arcadia is a
celebrant, as weil as Antiope the motherofAmphion
the musician, who moved stones with the sound of
his lyre. Among the others are P h y l i ~ a daughter of
Satum, Alcmene with her real and false husbands
(Jupiter in the guise of Amphitryon), Euridice, wife
of Orpbeus, and Ceres with her chariot drawn by
dragons. An assembly of maidens is led by the tbree
Graces./ was greatlyamazed, seeingsomanypeople
assemhled around these sacred triumphs. and did
not knowwho they couldbe. never having seen them
be/ore.
416
These are the unconscious contents of his
psyche, the motives of his soul, made present so that
he may become aware of them. Polia teUs Poliphilo
that no-one bom on earth cao corne here witbout
baving their torch illumioated by ardent love and
dficult labour, and she offers to extinguish hers in
the sacred temple for bis love. Andin truth, such was
my ease, tlrat the soul which moves me was on the
pointo/abandoningmybodyandretiringintohers.
417
The array of poets who are here designated
metonymically through their own persona! muses
Thesefirst are the niRe muses andApollo. who goes
be/ore: Calliope, muse of epic poetry, Clio of his-
tory, Euterpeoflyric poetry, Melpomene oftragedy,
Terpsichore ofchoral dancing, Erato oferoric poetry
and mime, Polyhymnia of sacred poetry, Urania of
astronomy, and Thaleia of Comedy. They are fol-
lowed by Virgil' s mistress who is laurel-crowned,
and among others, Homer, Horace, Sappho: each
witb, and represented in the text by, their compan-
ions. Metonymy, working througb the association
hetween things, is at the founclation of the memory
arts. Like love, it supposes that things juxtaposed
partake ofeach other's natures. A series ofthings to
he remembered is connected with a known series,
and in this way an 'allegorical' structure like the
(
(
Hypnerotomachia reads as a theatre of memory,
which makes use of the synaesthetic faculty of the
mind-body complexe To remember each monument
through the story which holds them in place is to
recall the historical examples which Colonna pro-
vides as imperfect comparisons, as well as the geom-
etry, material and omament of each worlc, which
constitute the theoretical demoostration ofthe archi-
tectural education. In each case, the universal is
investigated through the particular example, and
further defmed through the arena of subsidiary ex-
amples, the historical buildings. This notion which
allows contemplationto generate fonn fromanunat-
tainable ideal (based in Neoplatonismand negative
theology) through the approximation of empirical
categorical examples (the Aristotelian triumph of
matter over fonn), gives birth to the modem institu-
tion of the Museum. For this reason, the modem
labyrinth is the institutionofthe MUseumwhicb, Iike
this treatise, is a pageant of manifest memory made
collective. It is significant in this connection that
early curiosity cabinets drew their cbaracteristics
from grotto architecture, and that in fact both con-
cretized this palemic tension as a metaphor for the
creative imagination. For this reason, and taking
cues from the caves of classical antiquity, the grotto
mergedthe natural andthe artificial in its appearance
andemergedas the quintessential architectural sym-
bol for the Renaissance, the confrontation of matter
and idea in forme The gestures oflovers, {were} 10
their mistresses more delicious and agreeable than
the tears which he caused 10 flow ever were 10 lhe
cruel andpitiless Cupid, more so certainly than the
fresh streams and the aubade dew 10 the crescent
fields. and than the desiredform to maner.
411
THE FOUNTAIN OFNARCISSUS
Death comes and goes through mirrors.
419
97
Magic is important in relation to thinking, for il is
througheroticmagicthatthings imaginedarebrought
into the world. Sympathetic magic is based on simi-
larity and contiguity. Effcet resembles its cause, like
produces like: the metaphoric principle based on
imitation. Things which have been in contact with
each othercontinue to to act oneach other even after
distance has been established: the metonymic prin-
ciple based on contagion. The overwhelming attrac-
tion of things for their Iikeness can also be an iden-
tification ofothemess in the self, an essential condi-
tion which needs and is centred on this othemess, a
need fulfilled in sensory perception and phantasy,
and resulting, when successful, in the recirculation
of erotic energy in the world. Like a spark which
starts a tire, desire incurs a reproduction of desre.
Theimage ofNarcissus treats ofthediscemment and
status of reality and reflection, for as in every scene
there is sorne shiny or polished surface in which ail
things are reflected Iike a mirror, as weil as the
danger proximate to the reflectiveactivity leading to
wisdom, wbich is easily tumed to vanity, fnlstrated
desire, or melancholy. Narcissus mistakes image for
reality; the distinction heing made is of reality's
contiguity ofessential mental imagery incontrast to
perptual imagery generated through the senses
alone. Only the flower he bas become remains real.
The complex symbolism associated with mirrors
binds reflcction todivinatory vision, as in the temple
at Lycosura, and Guillaumede Deguileville' s dream
voyage, wbere the heavenlycity appears in the round
rnirror in the corner of the pilgrim's bedroom. A
miaorrepresents theconfrontationwiththeselfas an
other, and the acceptance of the self. A mirror has a
magicallink to the le force, which is why mirrors
are draped after a death, to release the sou1. The
reflecting surface of water and other materials acted
as aids to divinationas they madepresent the parallel
(
(
universe, the creation seen as a reflection of God' s
wisdom. The practical derivation of perspective by
Bnmelleschi in early 15th century Florence through
the use of mirrors is significant; also, the Venetian
manufacture of glass and mirrors. The mirror is the
quintessential symbol of self-knowledge, and may
represent vanity, truth or prudence.
1bcdeath of Narcissus is a hyperbolic scparation of the
sc1ffromthe world, andas suchis noless thana paradigm
for ... modem invention. Invention is also inseparable
From imitation. in the sense chat the fate of Narcissus
reflects the impossible status of the new within the old.
Not lo repeat and imitate is an empty invention of
death.
420
We look a path as splendid as could he desired
exrending along severai very cool fountains which
made rivulels as clearas humishedsilver, hordered
with flowers and greenery. There the imprudent
Narcissus admired himself, the heautiful and
floribund son ofthe nymph Liriope, whofell in love
withhisown reflection.
G1
There, wherethe waterwas
calmer, and less swift, you would have seen their
whole shape, asperfectlyexpressedas in the glass of
a min'or.m My eyes (surely) look in such a greal
sweetness only in contemplation, that my heart,
participating in these delights, was on the point of
leaving me to go in this happiness to demand its
share in these blessings oflove. And ifthe imagina-
tion hall been able to cause that effect, 1 would
(undoubtedly) have remained at that time without a
soul. Other limes, / thought it was enchantment, ...
for / knew weil that corporeal eyes can see nothing
beyond humanity, and that a mortal body, earthly,
heavy, vile, and dark, could not be in a place where
immortals were established. Poliphilo recalls the
magic ointments of Ciree, the herbs of Medea, the
dangerous songs of the sirens, and the infernal mur-
muring of Pamphil among athers. These things /
thought to myself; ail at once after having left ail
98
these reveries and coming to remembrance of the
marvellous things, that hadbeen seen andperceived
by me up to this moment, 1 knew lhat they were no
illusions, nor magic tricks, but true things, imper-
fectly understood by my senses, which made me
retum to the contemplation of the beauty of my
guide.

Poliphilo experiences a pure contentment with the

timeless contemplative domain where all is present.
The myth of Narcissus is a relevant waming for the
hem who, experiencing the imminent wholeness of
the psyche is 'in danger ofsuccumbing to the fate of
Theseus and Peirithous who descended into Hades
and grew fast to the rocks of the underworld, which
is to say that the conscious mind, advancing into the
unknown regions of the psyche, is overpowered by
the archaic forces ofthe unconscious: a repetition of
the cosmic embrace of Nous and Physis.'G Indeed,
Poliphilo declares an absence of fear, for indeed he
experiences no further external agents which might
threaten him. In arriving al bis own wholeness bis
desire for Polia becomes more piquant than ever. /
have great pleasure in my sadness, and/ am in pain
withoutgrieving.
425
His perplexity inapproachingber
means that their relationsbip has Dot yet properly
beenreconstituted, andindeedthearchitectoniefonns
of the triumphs recendy encountered have been in
motion and UnflXed./found myselfmore astounded
than Sosie, when he encountered the god Mercury
who had taken his own form, so much that he was
unable tojudge whetherhewas himselforanother.Ql
Here the relationship to the other is compared to
one' s relation to thecreatedworkofthe imagination:
in the story of Pygmalion, from wbom Adonis is
descended, who feU in love witb bis OWD creation, a
female statue, 'So cleverlydidhisartconceal ilsart,'
when Venus, taking pity on him, brought her to life.
(
The metamorphosis ofstoneand tleshinthe sleeping
nymph of the fountain is recontextualized in mytb,
and recalls the humble origins of man in Gnostic
thoughLThe limitations ofthe Humanist will are still
mired in the traditional understanding of hubris.
likewise, Echo wouldneverhave been changedinto
the conclusion of a voice, if she had told matters
honorably. For Ihis reason, as muchas the gods are
inclined to mercy, according 10 their own nature,
such conlempt and presumpluous audacity cou/d
provolce them inlo a cruel vengeance..u This dis-
course made meforget aIL myfoolish enterprises, as
if 1found myself in a great peace...J reflected on
myselfin this divine beauty, content andsalisfied10
have ofil only the benefit ofthe vision.
Ga
Poliphilo
becomes aware tbat bis perception operates tbrough
the phantasmofthe nymph: Ifoundmysel/more lost
than as ifwithin a greal labyrinth.. andas weil, lhat
1couldnot recognize in what part ofthe world1was,
ifnot through the eyes oflhis lady whoheIdme.
G
The
imagination has the power ofcreating images which
are real, and not insubstantial as in the phanlasia. It
evokes images according to nature, as genuine ide-
ation, through grasping 'inner facts' and portraying
themas a work in images true to their nature.
And take cafe that thy door he weUand finnly closed. so
that he who is within cannot escape. and Ood willing
thou wilt rcach the goal. Nature performeth her opera-
tions gradually; and indced 1 would have thee do the
same: let thy imagination be guided wholly by nature.
And observe according to nature. through whom the
substances regenerate themselves in the bowels of the
earth. And imagine Ibis with truc and not with fantastic
imagination.430
THE AeI' OF IMAGINING
From this and in this way. marvellous applications are
made.o
l
AIchemy is the cycle of matter from the grass to the
rme, from lead to gold, fromtheprima maleriato the
philosophers' stone. The involvementofthe material
world in the process of gnosis, or achievement of
spiritual knowledge in the quest for unity with the
tnJe deity was reflected in the Renaissance adoption
of the cave of the philosopher-hennit as a place for
meditation orcontemplation. Drawing on such icons
as SL Jerome who is portrayed bath as the ascetic
reflecting in his cave and the natural philosopher in
his museological study. reflective thought was assa-
ciated with the melancholic humour. The vita
contemp/ativa or the ideal world merges with the
unconscious world ofthe dreamin the metarnorphic
space of the grotto.
The inuJginatio. or the &Ct of imagining. was Ibus a
physical activity thal could he fitted into the cycle of
rnaterial changes. that brought these about and was
brought about by them in tum. In this way the alchemist
related himself not only to the unconscious but din:ctly
to the very substance which he hoped to ttansform
tbrough the power of the imagination.G2
The renewed role of the contemplative life is related
to the function of sensory information imprinted on
the sou1 by phantasiabeing reconfigured or digested
tbrough imagination and reserved in the memory. In
tbis sense the writing of history as a sequence of
significant past events in a coherent narrative whole
was not entirelydistinct fromthe fictive capabilityof
the imagination.
...memora heing the Latin tenu for phantasia. or imagi
nation...
w
Phantasia is the key to Renaissance cognition. It
comes from the Greek equivalent of the Latin
imaginatio, the organ of Mediation through which
sense impressions are received. The 'inner sense' of
phantasia is the hennetic mechanism which allows
body and soul to communicate, and forges the corre-
spondence between a species in the physical world
and an idea inthe intellect. The soul has access to the
. world tbrough the senses, but sense impressions
must he converted to phantasms tbrough the spirit in
order to heapprehended. The subtlepart ofthe blood.
99
c
calledspirit orpneuma, which is consubstantial with
the stars, cames synaesthetic impressions ta the
inner or common sense. The senses transfer impres-
sions of the extemal world, via the sidereal spirit or
phantasia, to the inner sense in the brain. Phantasms
form on the polished and ref1ective surface of the
spirit. 'Imagination translates the language of the
senses ioto fantastic language sa that reason may
grasp and understand phantasms. The data of imagi-
nation and reason are deposited in the memory.' 4"
Because the soul had sovereignty over the body, this
phantasmic sequence or grammar had primacy over
language.
4U
The organic mechanismwhichtranslates
the flow between reality and intellect remains the
enigma which govems the principle ofproportion or
analogy.
Imagination. however. is nothing but thespringing up of
reminisceeS, and ingenuityorinvention is nothing but
the worldng over of what is remembered.4H
The problem is explicidy reproduced in the under-
standing of representation as the extemalization of
memory, which because ofthe activity of reason is a
critical reproduction. Thus recognition is possibile
through everyday things - the making-present of
memory has ta concide with phantasmic figuration.
The spirit is a mirror of physical reality in which the
soul cao museon the images ofbodies, and, fromthis
empirical multiplicity ofimpressions, refine, recom-
bine, and project. The enigmatic psyche is able ta
render images layered in space and time, superim-
posing or comparing a diversity of impressions in
one locus. In this way, memory is closely related ta
the faculty of poetic speech, for its ability to con-
dense several images into one.4)7
With mason. then, did thetheological poets call Memory
the motheroftheMuses; that is, oftheansofhumanity.431
The maker, however, must he a bodhisattva rather
than abuddha, cboosing to retumto his own worldof
things in order ta create. The approach to the tactile
realm of beauty is through the vita voluptuaria, the
choice which Poliphilo makes after he bas been
guided by reason and imagination to the three doors
of Queen Telosia.
VERTUMNUS AND POMONA
They continue toward the edge of the valley where
the land is enclosed by bills, walking amongst rows
of trees ofedible fruits and nuts, which were neither
thick nor obscure. but planted in equaI distances in
lines. ail distributed to convenient piace andaspect.
greatly delectable to the eyes. and tuming green as
in spring. (...) From there we entered a piace made
into square parquets. separated by quite wide paths
and walkways. which intersected with well-ordered
crossroads. The parquets were enclosedbyjuniper.
boxwood and mynle. dense and compacted in the
manner01a walL There within was an area, planted
withail /dnds olflowers.
ut
Inthe unification process,
the distinction between chaos and cosmos is becom-
ing Jess conventional; the attendants of the gods
become increasingly rostic and grotesque. Repeat-
ing the pattern of the chess-board, the extended
landscape is taking on the organizational character-
istic of the Renaissance garden: visible geometry.
Consider. too. that he is young. tbat nature has givenhim
a handsome appearanc:e. and that he can readily adopt
any and every shape: you cao arder him to become all
thngs in turB, and he will change into whatever you
command.-
Disguised, Vertumnus described himself thus ta
P o m o n ~ in a bid for ber love, and proceeded to tell
her a story of a cold-heaned girl, very similar to the
story of Poliphilo and Polia recounted in Book ll.
The man died and the wornan, on seeing him dead
from a high window, transfonned ioto stone, ber
statue heing kept inthe temple ofVenus Prospiciens,
the goddess who looks out. Here, Vertumnus, wear-
ing a garland of roses, is identified with blossoms,
100
c
(
Pomona is crowned with fmit. Their chariot has an
entourage of rustic folk dressed in animal skins,
leaves and flowers. A nymph carries a device with
agricultural instmments attached lo il; another a
tablet reading: 1 GIVE AND PRESENT TO THOSE WHO
SERVEME, PERFEcrBODn.y HEALTH, RRMANDSTABLE
VIGOUR Of THEIR PERSONS, PURE AND CHASTE DE-
UGIITS INBANQUETS, WITH BUSSFULTRANQunJTYOF
SPIRIT.MI Thecorrelationofspiritual andbodilyhealth
is established in the sensual, visual-erotic relation
OOtween the flowers and fruits, and the tension be-
tween the god and the goddess is that of natural
metamorphosis. The overseer of this vegetative tro-
pism. who represents the seedingofthemothereanh,
therefore has an a1tar established.
THE ALTAR OF PRIAPUS
Comedy, according to Aristode, originated with the
authors of the phaIlic songs. A square altar of white
marble bears images on ail sides, of omamenteel
figures with attributes representing the four seasons.
Natural veins appearing inthe stone are usedto make
apparent the abnosphere of the tableau. On the sur-
face ofthe mysterious allar was rigidly placed the
rude and rustic custodian ofgardens, marked with
his insignia. shaded by a trellis ofgreenery made in
the shape ofa vault, held up by four poles covered
with fruit, leaves, and flowers, the whole he(Jvily
roughed out, indeed (to tell the truth) without great
work. At each space between IWo pales hung a
buminglantem, verycunninglyanachedtothemJdle
ofthe vault's curve with Little copper clrains whieh,
being agitated by the wind, swung, jangling with a
metallie sound lilu linle cymbals. ALI around, wtJS
the rural erowd, cowherds, shepherds andltJbourers
who, (Jgainst the effigy oftheir gad were smashing
glass vi(Jlsfilledwith bloodspurtingfromanass they
had saerifieed, mixed with sparkling wine and hot
101
mille.
Ml
Priapus is the son of Venus and Adonis, and
represents the vis generandi. 'Priapu_s originated in
the lUde wooden phallic images which presidedover
Dionysian orgies. He is made a son of Adonis 00-
cause of the miniature 'gardens' offered at his festi-
vals.''4) The sacrifice of the ass- before his a1tar
prefigures the sacrifice of Poliphilo' s a1ienated self
in thehierosgamos. Asdepicted in theMetamorpho-
ses ofApuleius, thedeathofthe ass and his rebirth as
the adept precedes his induction intothe mysteries of
Isis, the initiation into the hidden wisdomof genera-
tive nature. The ass represents the power of life,
procreation and healing. William of Conches de-
scribed the ass as a melancholic animal, and, in
European folklore, with the end of the mid-winter
Satumalia the ass-eared god was killed.
'The ass is a daemon triUDUS. a cbthonic trinity. wbicb is
ponraycd in Latin alcbemy as a three-beaded monster
and intified with Mercurius. salt. and sulphur.
445
The monster' s tbree heads appear in the next mani-
festation of this symbol in the triumph of Cupid.
They are the three ritual fluids which result from the
recombination of the four elements and precede the
production ofthe male and female. The agedlanus is
100 along also, symbolizing the end and new begin-
ning. Panofthe fields andSylvanus ofthe forests are
there, with a company of gods and goddesses of the
woods and mountains, vaUeys and fountains, play-
ing primitive instruments. They are approaching the
sea ioto which aIl the rivers are pouring, as ail the
various streams ofconsciousness in their regression
into the childhood of civilization unite in the great
unconscious psycheofthe sea. Beforethey reachthat
great watery expanse, they will encounter two more
monuments which symbolize lite in its beginnings
and ends, love and death.
(
(
THE TEMPLE OF VENUS
It ismoreoversbownbythe Etruscandivincrs intreatises
ontheirsciencelhatthefanes ofVenus, VulcanandMars
should be situated outside the walls.Mt
1 saw through the tree tops a tall pinnacle. like a
round tower.... When 1had approached a Unie fur-
ther. 1saw. distinctly. like a vault rounded cupola.
roofed with lead(as it seemedto me) fumished with
a lantem with eight columns, and below, another
vault ofthe same. holding another lantem similarly
of eight columns, in which was fixed a rod, and a
brilliantly shining globe. 1suddenly desired to look
at this beautiful building .... Seeing it from afar, 1
judgedit to beanantique structure... Thus 1marched
onwards, always with an imagination full of such
variations oflove, that soon as we arrivedat the sea
shore, in a wonderfully pleasant place in which a
sumptuous temple was buitt consecrated to Venus
Physizoa. Terrestrial Venus, the Iife of nature, is
merged here with Fortuna as indicated
by the particularunderstandingofthe role ofwater in
the building, andthe references totemples ofFortune
in the architecture and the light. The form ofit was
rounded, with a height equal to the diameter of its
circle: and, to direct it weil, the leamedarchitect, in
thejirst place Iuul made, on the plan, a circle, and
inside, a square."' The motif of squaring the circle
was an important concept for a1chemical thinking,
the transformation of heavenly things ioto earthly.
Ourvessel ... shouldbe madeaccordingtotrue geometric
proportion and mcasure, and by a kind ofsquaringofthe
circlc.
44I
Finally he had drawn ten'- equal lines from the
centre to the circumference, equidistant from each
other, Like rays orradii: upon whichhe hadmadeten
arches or vaults set on ten pillars of serpentine
marble. Inside the work, against each ofthe pillars,
which were twofeet wide in theirface andsupported
the vaults of the roof, was placed a Corinthian
column of unblemished porphyry, of Ionie height,
tOOt is to say, ofnine diameters without the capittlls,
which were made ofgildedcopper, andsimilarlythe
basesonwhichwere set thearchitrave, thefrieze and
the comice, which had their projection up to the
perpendicular ofthe body ofthe column. The curva-
ture ofthe arches began al the capital ofthe pillar
which was, in height, a third of its width, the base
beingonlyaquaner. Thesepi/lars stoodonbeautiful
square pedestals, and the Corinthian columm on
semi-circles, composed ofIWO perject blocks. taken
on the diametric Line ofthe foot ofthe colUlM, one
thirdbeing usedforthe mouldings connecting to the
pedestals ofthe square pillars. On the keystones of
the arches, there were linle chUdren and, at each of
the joints which the arches made with the pi/lars,
there was a multicolouredroundofjasper, sparkling
Lil a mi"or, girdled!Jy a chaplet ofleaves. On the
othersideofthepillar, behindtheporphyrycolumns,
emergedfluted square pilasters of serpentine, hav-
ingaprojectionofathirdoftheirmass, theirbaseset
onthesurfaceofthepaving. Facingthem, inthe main
wall making up the enclosure of the temple, there
were others similar and, ahove, a belt in theform of
a comice, encircling aIL the building. The distance
from one pilaster to another was regulated by the
lines drawn from the centre to the circumference.
The square pedestals and half-circles were ofala-
baster, carved withfestoons or clusters ofgreenery
of many types, the heads of poppies, medlars, and
otherfruits andleaves, tiedwith ribbons that seemed
to pass through rings, on each side, with their ex-
tremitiesflying over the space ofthe stone. For each
vault ofthe wall, there was a window made from a
square anda half, gJt.ed with a transparent pane of
very light gypsum, as thus was requiredfor antique
temples; andhaving only eight ofthese, because the
entrance of the temple occupied the place of the
102
(
(
ninth, and the chapel or sacristy. which was oppo-
site. the place ofthe tenth.

The outer pilasters Iuu:l

as much ofa projection as the wall in thickness. The
widlh of the pilaster was drawn from the space
betweenIWo rays leaving the centreandtouchingthe
circumference: dividing such space in three. one
ponion beingfor the pi/aster, and the otlu!r IWo for
the engaged arches on either swe going [rom one
pi/aster to another. These measures were of old
observed by manyarchitects. in order not to give so
much width to the wall as the windows, which thus
would be dar/cened. In the middJe of the space be-
IWeen IWo pi/asters. in line with the keystone ofthe
vault. were perforatedfenestrations. andthere were
ten pillars and ten arches. comprising lhat opposite
which was the chapel. Right on the vaultandwidthof
the arc was made the comice. which su"oundedthe
whole building andembracedthe c/rapel, amalgam-
ating it with the temple. On this comice began the
round vault, which was a dark cupola separated
[rom tlu! principal." On the inside, after the archi-
traveandjrie1.e. holdingup theporphyrycolumns. in
the roundofthe a r e ~ andabOlie the comice, at each
ofilsprojections, perpendicularto the column, there
was a half column of extraordinary ophite. square
andfluted according to necessity. The half-capitals
ofthese held up another comice, ofstriking linea-
ments. on which was set the great round vault ofthe
lofty cupola. Between one semiquadrangular and
another, 1 saw a proportionate window situated
appropriately. glazed with thin panesfrom Bologna
in Gaul, rendering the interiorgolden by the artifice
o/the Muses.

Alabaster is a translucent or semi-

translucent foon of gypsum, usually white. The
escbatological Cathedral al Orvieto bas windows
glazedwith variegatedalabasterwbich seenfromthe
inside in daylight give the impression that they are
aflame. The mural was ofgildedmosaic. containing
103
in itsportrayal the properties o/the twelve monthsof
the year and their dispositions according to the
course ofthe sun through the l.odiac and. similarly,
the moon, together with tlu!ir conjunctions. opposi-
tions. quadratures, eclipses and other aspects: and
why in a month she shows herself new and horned,
then half, andthenfull. Also, one couldsee there the
revolutions of the sun through the equinoxes. sol-
stices and tropics. Then, how the day and the night
effect their changes, with the division of the four
seasons ofthe year. to witt winter. spring, summer
andautumn./nadditionthe natureoftheplanetsand
the jixed stars, with their influences and effects,
which made me presume that such art was the inven-
tion of the great tMthematician Petosiris or even
Necepsos.4SJ These were astrologers of E g y p ~ who,
according to Alberti, were able to plot the exact time
the world came into existence, and describe this
event in detail, by studying its history. The promi-
nent place givento astrological vicissitudes and their
corresponding effects on earthly things correlates
architecture with that art. The motions ofthecelestial
bodies are emphasized in this representation. There
is a corresponding focus on time as an aspect of
architecture, the movement through and inhabitation
of a building, which we would cali programme,
describing its participationin natural magic: through
motion, material, light, proportions and lineaments.
Today we would say that to live is to leave traces, to
effect change, agreeing with Oscar Wilde, the Surre-
a1ists and the alchemists that one's life is a creative
worle. This time Poliphilo attributes the architectural
work not toa god, but mathemagicians, byextension
of bis own human psyche which now recognizes the
divinity within itself. This achievement of the intel..
lect leads him ioto contemplation proper. Without a
doubt, it drew the observer into a high and marvel-
Lous speculation. joined with a unique pleasure: for
c
(
the elegantfiction was ingenious, thefigures beauti-
fuI, andtheirorderanddistributionappropriate, the
paintingrich, theproportionbalanced, thecolouring
and shadows natural, the eommodulation of the
bodies with the required lights and the whole ex-
pressed in a representation so alive that it gave
contentmenl not only to the eyes. but revived the
s p i r i t : ~ for without a doubt this was a work worthy
of thinking upon as much as one were ever able to
speculate./none o/thespaceswas inscribed, in Anie
lenering, the whole meaning of the things declared
above and ail the other spaces between the half-
columns. enclosedbyexcellent mouldings. The walls
of the temple were of marble enriehed with ail the
mulliplicity ofvariformonu:unents lluJt the industri-
ous architect had Icnown how to imagine and been
able to ma/. Abovethefrie1.e andthe comice, onthe
projections which they made in line with the por-
phyry columns. opposite the sqlUJre pillars, stood
Apollo on one playing his lyre andon the others, the
nine Muses, ail in relieforfull contour, made/rom
white pilate stone. The ingenious cupola or round
vaull was closer to divine operation than terrestrial
and if it hod been given birth by men, it was not
withoutaccusing the too-presumptuous enterpriseof
the mortal device: for in viewing this extravagant
mass, ofa single piece offorged metal, 1judged il,
propitious andfull of wonder, to he almost impos-
sible.us Here, as in the garden of the one hundred
statues, there is an implied correspondence of archi-
tecture to a body politic, in this case perhaps a poUtic
of the creative spirit, the representation of Venus
Genetrix through ApoUo and the Muses. Througb
their frenzy, the pbysical motions of the natural
world are converted into the mental erotic energy of
the poetic arts.
The isloria will move thesoul ofthe beholder wheneach
man painted there c1early shows the movement of bis
104
own soule It bappens in nature that nolbing more Chan
herself is round capable of tbings like hersclf; we weep
witb the weeping. laugh with the laughing. and grieve
witbthegrieving. Thesemovements orthesouI are made
Imown by movements of the body.&56
Proportion between things as qualitative relations is
convetted into numerical relations of spatial dis-
tance, analogia constnlcted in terros of geometric
identity with music. From flesh into stone, propor-
tionas theprincipleoffluiditybecomes proportion in
stasis. Alberti compensated for this by insisting that
ail things be depictedtodemonstrate their vitality, so
that even in drapery 'no part of the cloth is bare of
movement.'4S7 Here even the geometrical fonns in
the architecture suggest growth, matter moved by a
soul which Mercury has conducted to the under-
world. The whole roundwas enclosedbya vineoften

branches each emerging/rom a vase placed on the

last comice, perpendicular to the Muses and the
columm, ofthe same casting ofgilded copper.
Quicksilver is a useful thing for many purposes. For
insrance.neithersilvernorcoppercanbegildedproperly
without il.
45I
Aenea materia can refer to brass. copper, or bronze.
Like Aeneas it is the offspring of Venus" being the
terrestrial analogue ofher planet, and represented by
the sameastrological symbol in alchemical writings.
A1chemy comes fromthe Arabic termal-kimiya; the
Greek root kheo means to pour or let flow, and
subsequendy to cast" smelt" found" hence to reshape
by melting, and the plastic propertyofmolten bronze
signifies this process. The vinefilled the whole con-
cavity of the vault, by lovely interltJcings and
intertwinings of its branches, leaves, and grapes,
amongst which were rendered linle children as if
they were harvesting, and birds flying around, with
lizards and snalces with optimal precision in the
emulation ofnature. Insojar as the work described
directly regulated, the proportions of the surface
made that which appeared natural through artifice.
The whole space was openedto the light andglazed
with crystal plates tinctured with various colours,
resembling precious stones. The manufacture of it
had been so weil directed that, to those who looked
at itfrom below, the grapes, the leaves, andthe little
beasts appearedto be ofnatural size.'" Andbecause
a whole enclosuresetwithinthe interiorofabuilding
required another one outside, or it would not be
perfect, the outer pillars encroached upon three
uneven-o steps at the level ofthe groundorpaving of
the inside, which served them as a pedestal: and in
place of a base, there was a moulding which sur-
roundedthe whole building, the projection ofwhich
took the form ofa humanfoot.
lOS
ALL THlNGS FLOW, NOTHING ABIDES46l
1benit mustrepresent tbebodyofa maninthewhole and
similarly inthe pans; andas it has to fear wind, water and
othernatural forces itshould bedrained with sewers. mat
must be all in connc:ction wim a central conduit that
carries away ail the filth and smells thal mighl generale
sickness.
462
The foot is a clue that not just the columns but the
whole buildingemulates the perfection ofthe human
body. In Vitruvius" discussion on symmetry he cites
the measure of the foot as one of the fondamental
measures which form the tEnov, or perfeet num-
ber, ten. Correspondingly" the body's humorallife
forces are represented as its engagement with the
natural environment which sustains it. One thinks of
the sanitation difficulties which plagued cities, im-
plicated in Book U, in this analogy of the control of
fluids in buildings to the equilibration of the melan-
challe body. The pillars were hollow and pierced
throughfrom top to bottom, Like tubes, to empty the
rain warer which fell on the temple, and, by these
conduits, to descend right into the earth inside a
cistem. For on a building in the open, one ought not
to make gUlters or gargoyles, first ofail because of
the danger offalling: for which reason one should
avoid such inconvenience. Besides, the guner hol-
lows the place ofits vicinity and, ifthe waterfalls on
the it splashes and wears away at the en-
croachment of the wall. Indeed (what is more) the
waterfalUng from thase guners, thrown back by the
wind against the inside partition, blackens" covers
with deforms and ruins the mouldings: even
engendering lhere many plants, mosses, or shrubs,
which crack the stones and make them faU.'" Fear
death by water: the same physical nature that gives
life also destroys it. Nature exerts a consistent pres-
sure which art must constantly strive to keep in
balance; the control of the water is analogous to the
seduction of fortune or destiny. The similarities of
(
(
this building to the bath bouse, given in sucbclues as
the material ofthe roof (seen as lead from afar, then
as crystal) and the empbasis on water, means Ibat
Poliphilo is experiencing the same symbolic matrix
at a higher level of understanding, given in the
numerical transformation of the columns from eight
to len. The previously phantasmic Polia, his mens, is
now present, and the rituals of purification and
education are revised, bere for bis soul. The water
running througb the building is analogous to the
bodily fluids which contain within their subtle part
the hidden spirit, which cao he revealed through
boiling water, that is, by tire. For natural philosophy
the water signifies the anima mundi, and for a1-
chemy, is the basis ofthe work.... The outer wall did
not exceed in height the Jceystone of the arches.
without the comice above, which was hollowed at
the top li/ce a c h m e ~ where it came to render the
slope ofthe roof,from the roundofthe centre ail the
way to the wall, which was ofplates ofgildedcopper
madeinscmes: andbeginningits slopejromoutside
J
right opposite the sublime line ofthe comice, ofthe
/rieze and the internai architrave. And declining
towardthis guner
J
whichreceivedthe rain waterand
emptiedit into the tubuJarpillars by means ofwhich
it was led into the cistern, fumished with another
secret conduitfordischarging it when it was toofull
andthe water overflowed, retaining only that which
was necessaryfor the sacrifice.-
The water bad to he extruded, just as soul, nre-force,
strengtb, sexual abity, and other god-given powers
were conceived as fluids to he absorbed by, or removed
from, the buman body. Indeed CllOJV, Mon, means bath
spinal marrowand desny, perbaps witb sorne idea that
one' s fate is bound up with this fluid.-
COSMOS AND ORNAMENT
It rises fromearth to beavenandcames downagainfrom
heaven ta eanb, and tbus acquires the power of the
realities above and the realities bclow. In this way you
wiU acquirc the glory of the wbole world, and ail dark-
ness wiIlleave you."'
106
The meaning ofanistic creation lay in the process of
representation rather Iban in final fonD, meaningthat
metaphorically speaking, animale trath lay in the
'internai' seed or essence ofa thing, Dot in the outer
shell' s muted and temporaryexpression.... This indi-
cated a look back to origins, the truth ofthe ancients,
which was ooly perceptible sullied by the ravages of
lime. Thesurface, alchemical inprocess and magico-
omamental in f o ~ bore this peculiar relationship
(of cosmetic to cosmos) to its essence, and it pre-
sentedan image, a character, ofwhat was transpiring
on the interior. The grotto, for example, had an
exterior which expressed its concepts in architec-
turai f o ~ privileging natural reproductivity by
makingit themodel ofart whichframed it. Thegrotto
symbolized the junction of mstic natural forces and
the melioratory effects of human ingenuity. This is
why it was linkedto the mythical descent ofthe hero,
and anthropologically to the process of initiation of
youths ioto manhood through a descent into the
cavemous bowels of the earth in order to he ritually
reborn." It was a key to the origin of architectural
fOnD, for it accorded with the Greek and Roman
myths of the labyrinth as original architecture. In
both cases, the axe was double-edged. For it was not
simply a place of novelty, knowledge and self-
discovery, but the mostdeadly ofhazards and awe-
invoking situations. That animation in the depth of
things is a convulsive threat to the logical orderofthe
surface. This underworld of dynamic chaos is the
volcano of the sublime. The Hypnerotomachia is
unwavering in its attention to the surfaces of things.
Andtromthe surface, astrongempbasis onthe visual
apprehensionofimages, Iight, andcolour.1bemonu-
ments which Poliphilo discovers have surfaces cov-
ered with 'classical ornament,' sculptural reliefs in
many stones, paintings, mosaics and inlays, inscrip-
tions and hieroglyphics, mirrored planes and bril-

(
ant bues. lbese surface cbaracteristics are a key to
the meaning of the buildings and monuments. They
also provide a mytbological narrative parallel to the
journey whicb Poliphilo experiences. In this way the
sequence ofmonuments acts as a theatre of memory
wbicb models buman works through erotic alchemy,
memory having the metamorpbic quality of the true
imagination. They are important because desire is
engendered in the first place by vision; their beauty
is an introduction to love. And thecomplex notion of
mimesis provides the explanation that it is the recog-
nition of likeness witbin the difference of the other
which generates the sense of beauty, a unily known
beyondconsciousness.1n Platonic pbilosopby, love,
the power of the soul, connects quotidian existence
with theessenceofBeing. Thetemple ofVenus is the
architecture of love.
A MUSEUM FOR CONTEMPLATION
Ifanyone asked in what way the formofthe body cao be
lie the Formand Reason ofthe Soul and Mind, let him
consider. 1 ask, the building of the architeet In the
beginning the architeet develops a Reason or Idea, as it
were, orthebuildinginbis soul. Thenhebuilds, as nearly
as possible. thekindofhousehehasconceived. Whowill
deny tbat the bouse is a body and that it is very mucb like
the architeet' 5 incorporealldea, in the likeness of which
it was built?Furthermore, it must hejudged as heing like
the arcbiteet more on account of a cenain incorporeal
design man on account of its matter.
41ll
The faces of the pillars were made in Low relief,
having candelabras, fruit, flowers, birds, Leaves and
Little beasts, continuing up to the height of the cor-
nice placed on the outside and facing that of the
inside, being above the figures ofthe Muses, above
which arose the swelling of the greal round vault.
Fromthis comice uptothe topofthepillar, there was
as muchofasIope as the coverbelowhad, which was
of copper scales, as 1 noted. As for the comice
outside, on which was the vault or cupola, began a
flying buttress gamishedwith the same mouLdingsas
the architrave,facing the top ofthe pi/lar, the horns
ofwhich Iay on IWo square half-columns, projeeting
one thirdoftheirwidth, the onefromthe wall andthe
other from behind the top of the pillar, on which,
from outside, were made nests above the capital in
orderto lodge there tenfigures infull contour, ail in
different attitudes.471 Colonna' s ward for attitudes is
acti, meaning the motions of the soul which signify
emotional moods and give fonn.
Each statue of gad or hem should. 1 suggest, have a
gesture and garb that convey. as far as the artist can, his
lire and customs.
n
On its IWo flanks, the pillar was carved with sculp-
ture, likewise on its face. The slope, then, began at
the belt below the vault anddescended to the top of
the pillar, with such mouldings as those of the
concinct. which was a comice of teeth and sea-
urchins, actually eggs,7) the lower part with rose
windows. The surface ofthe comice, from the place
from which it joined to the vault, was hollowed aIL
around, to serve as a gutter and to receive aIl the
waterwhichfell in, whichafterwardsflowedthrough
the inside of the flying buttresses, and from there,
into the pi/lars, Like that ofthe other roof, and{rom
there poured itself into the cistem. These flying
bunresses were covered with a scroll or roll, which
sorne cali a volute, in thefOTm ofa papyrus rolledup
at bolh ends. one opposite to the other, that is to say,
the one touching the wall, downwards, and the one
against the pillar, upwards. Their coUs were sepa-
raled by the pods of beans, peas and carob seeds,
half-open, such that one could perceive the fruit as
onuunent. The surfaceabove wasdividedbya ridged
plate, carved in scales on both sides, an artichoke
leaf weil opened and tumed a Uttle upward, which
volutes were easily made by this practice: mm the
compass arounda half-circle and next put one ofits
feet on the horn ofthe half-circleandthw, changing
107

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the point and working it by measurement, you can
ma/ t ~ volute. At the top of the pillars, on each
there was a gilded bronze Iamp, made in thefoml of
an antique vase with a wide mouth, Iulving two
handles. These wereprovidedfroma malerial which
can not be consumed or extinguished by wind, rain,
or other accident, for they bumed without end and
without diminishing. From the hondles ofone to the
next were attached curvedfestoons, much wider at
the middle tJum at the extremities. These festoons
were made from aIL sorts of leaves and flowers
polished and exposed, ofthe same material as the
candelabras. The artifex hadtiedthem in the middle
and, on thefastening ofeach perchedan eagle, with
its wings extended and watching /rom the air the
vault ofthe alle, that is to say, ofthe space between
the order ofthe columns and the outer wall, which
was, on the insde, made of mosaic in beautiful
histories.""AlI the measurements andproponions of
this sumptuous building were so weil ordered and
disposed that the interior andthe exterioraccorded
and responded to one another, in the pillars, the
columns, and enclosures.'''' ln the middle of the
temple, was raised the lip of the fateful cistem
aroundwhichshowed, carvedinsemi-relief, a dance
of nymphs, /acking nothing other than speech, so
weil had they been counterfeited, with their grace-
fullyflying dresses. At the keystone ofthe vault, inthe
middle ofthe garland ofleaves, was figured, ofthe
same casting andmaterial, the head ofthe Medusa.
open-mouthedas ifshewouldhave likedtoscreamin
great rage. From the depths ofher throat, emerged
a hookfrom which was suspended a chain nuule of
mots, responding perpendicularly to the opening of
the cistem. This chain was offine gold, at the endof
which there was a ring coupledwithanother, welded
to the bonomofan invertedplate, that is, the hollow
downwards and the back pointing up. finishing in a
point, made with mouldings, having a diameter of
one cuhit. ln its circumference were welded four
half-loops, and to these, four hooks holding four
other chains, to which was attached a round p/ate
aroUNi the edge ofwhich sat four monstrous girls,
their hair bound around their brows. Andfrom the
navel down, instead of having thighs, they were
dividedinto two branchesofacanthus leaves, spiral-
ling up/rom theirjlanJcs to where they caught them
with each hand. Their harpies' wings extended to-
warda UnIe chain anached10 their shoulders, at the
place where the leaves met. Between two girls. being
anachedfrombehindby a hoolc, the leaves were lied
together. Above thejoint, emergedsome young ears
of wheat, and below. three Unle leaves. This way.
there werefourties andfourhooks,fromwhich hung
four chains which held a manellous lamp ofwhich
the plate ... was su"oundedby the girls tuming into
leaves.lt hada roundopeningin the middleand/our
others on the IWOdiameters makingfive.... lnfour of
them, there were hollow balls held in these four
openings bya small edge, such tkat the whole sphere
displayed itselffull and as though suspended. One
was ofbalasso TUby. anotherofsapphire, the thirdof
emerald, the last oftopaz.
4
Salasso ruby is a rose-
red spinel; the ~ blue, greenandyellowamount to
a magic and alcbemy of coloUl, the blue coloUl
signifying the feminine completion of the tettad. In
the mystery of the Buddhist mandala, the adept
'causes rays coloured after the four quarters - blue,
green, red, and yeUow- to proceed fromthe heads of
Mahasukha, whose fonn he himself has taken in his
mind's eye. The colours ensure that his feeling of
universal compassion pervades the entirecosmos.'m
The great lamp was simiiarly spherical, made of
most refinedcrystal, havingfourhandles close to its
orifice, by means ofwhich the chains were attached.
Itwasat least a half-braccaopening, andinside was
108
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placedanothervase in the/OTmota urinal orhollow
gourit similt:zrly ofcrystal hanging perpendicularly
in the centre ofthe large spherical vase, which was
full ofbuming water distilled/ive times. This fiery
water is the aqua ardente, aqua vitae, or philosophi-
cal mercury. The whole contraption is a bain-marie
(vase within a vaSe). How the effect ofthis gave me
consciousness, for it loolced as though the wOOle
were onfire: such tlult my gaze could not hold itself
to there, no more than to the sun. ln the middle vase,
made in the shape ofa urinal, and in this lilce the
other four halls hanging from the plate, bumed a
scentedliquorwithoutanydiminishment, whichmade
it so that by the diversity of the precious stones of
which the lamps were substantiated, it sent through
thewholetemplea reverberationoftremblingcolours,
moredauling than the loveliest rainbowtkat tlu! sun
everpaintedafterthe raine But the thing that seemed
most marvellous to me to see was a bank of linle
children mounted on dolphins, striving with each
other no more nor less than if they luJd been pro-
duced by nature. They were engraved around the
great crystlll vase which seemed not at ail dimmed
but carved in relief, and so properly expresseit that
it appearedto the spectators thatfromthe oscillation
of the iight and the}lames of the lamp mentioned
above, the work was given movement. This scene
with its apparent motion recalls the frieze within the
bath house, but whereas that motion was passive and
circumferential, this is active through the Iight, and
central. The shape of the urinal is an a1chemical
vessel, urine being mercurial water, which by its
place in the Iife process signifies the goal or work
which is retumed to the visible world. Finally in
order to complete this admirable structure, it re-
mains to be saidthat itwasail ofaugust stone [which
has spiral veins] and of exquisite marbles without
Iulving any woodor iron there, omamentedwith the
most lovely inventions of architecture and sculp-
ture.'" Beneath the bases of the pillars of the first
wall, at the level ofthepaving, was made, ailaround,
a belt o/porphyry as large as the projection o/the
piLasters inside the work, and, adjoining this, an-
other ofserpentine. Below the pillars ofthe centre
andthecolumns, oneofthem wasofporphyry, ofthe
width o/the blocks which heldup the pi/Lars; andon
each sideofthis, anothersimi/arly ofserpentine. The
remainderofthe paving, between the cistemandthe
columns, was divided by segments into ten rounds
with squares, multicoloured: and/irstly, two ofver-
mi/ion jasperfleclced with many veins, two ofazure
stone sprinJcled with gold spots, IWO ofgreenjasper
mixed with red and yellow drops, IWO of agate
specldedwith white veins, andthe IWO last ofchalce.
dony. These belts or su"ounds a/ways diminished
towardthe cistem,fortheforeshoneningofthelines.
The dispersion of the concentric lines implies an
acceleration toward the centre and another anamor-
phic reflection in the wall ofthe cistem. Between the
column and the wall around the temple, the paving
was a mosaic ofUnie square stones ofail colours,
composedas leaves,jruits,jlowers and finie animais
in ail manners, that you would have thought them
real and natural, not painted or counterfeited, the
whole so polished, as equal and so even, that
Zenodorus nevermade the lilce ofthemin Pergamon.
The lithostrate orpavement ofthe temple ofFortuna
at Praenestina, was in no way the equalofthis. The
word &mosaic' derives from the Latin musivum,
connected to the Greek J.1ouanov, a place of the
Muses. Above the great cupo/a in the middle ofit,
was a kmtemofeight columns,jlutedandhollow, of
the same gilded coppeT, continuous/rom one to the
next by the arches, vaults anddomes; junher, at the
top of the capitals, the architrave, the /rieze, the
comice, having the height of one third part of the
109
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columns and, on the salUes or projections, perpen-
dicularto each, there wascarvedthefigure ofaWind
according to their natures and conditions, wings
spread, posedonpivots, such that by themone could
know which wind was reigning, considering that the
figure bearing the name ofthe gust, tumed his face
straight towards one. Powerful yet invisible, winds
represent divine power. Reprising the roofomament
ofthe bathhouse which indicates themby the sound-
ing ofthe trumpet and the direction of the wing, they
figure the breath of life and prefigure the pneumatic
spirit that is released from the mercurial water.
Below, there was a small cupola made ofscales, in
which stoodeight pilasters, the height oftwo perfecl
squares, measured from the space of the opening,
roofed with a vase Lilce a baluster tumed upside
down, lilce a melon, from which emerged a rounded
rad lessening in widlh as Little hy little il rose halfas
high again as the vase. And there was jixed a great
hollow globe ofgilded copper open at the top and
perforated al the bottom in four places. Which hall
(as 1presume) been made to this end: thatwateror
earth entering by the opening at the top, would not
impede its worlcings orfill il more than was appro-
priate. Fromthis mouthprojectedthe rad, which was
planted Tight in the middle, and passed towards a
point at the top as high again as the globe. To the tip
wasfixeda crescent moon, which lookedTenewedas
ofeight days, homs tumed lowards the sky. Within
this crescent was percheda sea eagle with its wings
spread. Below,fromfourhooles hungas many chains
ofthe Sanie material,forgedwith the whole machine,
to show the excellence of the workman who hall
found the way ta make a chain all of one piece,
without any welding there, which is, hy a mould
divided into four, provided in the middle with an
opening where he cast thefirst ring, then adding aIL
thefonned parts in one, from which one couldmake
110
it as long as desired. The four chains fell equally to
the middle ofthe globe and, at the end ofeach, was
attachedaroundcymbal, crenellatedfromthemiddle
down with Little slits lilce the teeth ofa comb, inwhich
there were certain small steel balls to produce a
ringing sound. These cymbals, set in motion by the
wind, collided against the helly of the greal globe,
such that their resonance, mixed with the tremen-
dous sonorousnessoftheglobe, composedagraceful
and lofty harmony, quite different from the chains
andvases hungfromthe top ofthe Temple ofJerusa-
lemfor the purpose offrightening birds.
479
BODIES AND ACflONS
For whatever [qualilics)lhe body has at a certain lime
and p l a c e ~ its movement and action have at that lime."
Thus the tint principle of ail things, according to
Pythagoras and Plato, is measure, that other places and
limes mightbeapportionedtootherbodies andaetions.-
1
Creation is natural magic which makes use of the
theoretical imagination of the artifex without an
instrumental application. Whenprocreatiog(andthus
also when creating artificially), what one was imag-
iningat the time became imprinted on the face ofthe
offspring, and thus the phantasmreproduced itselfin
reality through the erotic activity of the body in
which it hadadwelling.1be motions ofthe soul were
translated through the motions of the body. The
images of the lower things were subject to the celes-
liai faces the stars tumed to them. A perfection of
effect, economy and efficacy in action could he
achieved by heavenly hannony operating through
images. The tinte for actionorjudgement shouldthus
bechosen auspiciously, and, both beingappropriate,
a hannony created through their propol1ion.
Hoghelande explains the necessity for divine illumina-
tion bysayingthat the productionofthe stonetranseends
reason and that only a supematural and divine knowl-
edge knows theexact time for the birth ofthe stone. This
means that Gad alone knows the prinuJ materia.c
(
(
The entrance was Doric. carvedfrom fine oriental
jasper, olier on the base of the jrie'l.e was
wrinen this wordin goldleners, polishedanddrawn
together: KYAOnHPA [the place where women drink
in order to conceive children). Drinking for concep-
tion redraws Poliphilo' s initial thirst as a desire for
imaginative invention. The door was made of a
gilded metal enriched with lovely openwork; in any
case, we found it closed from the outsille with a
POwerful bolt, on which my guide did not dare to set
her hand without the lealle ofthe presiding goddess
andthe seven guardian nymphs ofthe veneratedand
sacred temple, to whom belonged the right ofentry.
[...} Then we were made to climb the sellen stone
steps ofporphyry ascendingfrom the surface ofthe
pallement ail the way to the doorwhere wepausedin
a Unie open space ofone square at afine altar ofan
indomitlJble black stone, so polished thm it could
neller have beenfound among those ofthe country-
side ofEugania. It was worlced with a marquetry of
mother-of-pearl.
ta
The entry into the temple of Ve-
nus revisits the great pyramid, where Poliphilo had
expected ta find a shrine to Venus, and whose en-
trance of mother-of-pearl depicted the Muses and
Apollo. His imagination is developing in conjunc-
tion with bis ability to expand symbolic representa-
tion, experiend as feeling, ioto a communicable
narrative representation, experienced as knowledge.
As with the figures of the winds, the translation of a
symbol ioto manifest temporal experience a1lows it
to he experienced as knowledge by this is
the achievement of the first goal of expressive con-
sciousness. This true temple of wisdom is dedicated
ta the hinge of the translative act. After the dilline
priestess hall finished her prayers addressed to the
gods Forculo1door }andLimentino [threshold} and
the goddess Cardinea [hinge}. the nymph and1rose.
Then as the bolt was unclasped by the priestess, the
doors opened with no noise save a sweet andpleas-
ant sound. Forwhieh reason, desiring to seehowthis
was caused,1observedbelowthe OOor, on each side
ofthejambs, a metal tube, roundandhollow, tuming
onapolishedeaselbywhich, bearingon a serpentine
stone unified lilce iee, the worJcman had made the
door smoother than ever, andfrom this derived the
gracefUl resonance. But one ofthe things at whieh 1
was especially astonished was that the door, to both
one side and the other, without being pushed or
pulled by anyone, opened thus by itself. Which is
why, having entered inside, 1 tarried right away
desiring to investigate whether it was thus drawn by
counterweights or another instrument, whenee ap-
pearedto me a divine eontrivance. 1sawthat on the
edge where one door closed on the other. there was
a /inle steel plate, straight enough, welded onto the
metal; then on the wall and on the backface ofthe
door, on eaeh side was set a very strong magnet of
dark indigo colour... This tablet was one quarter of
its length in willth; by means of il the steel plates
attaehed to the door, drawn by the force of the
lodestone,'" came to join with the wall, and thus
openedby themseilles. On tMt ofthe right side ofthe
entrance was wriuen thisfamous sentence ofVirgil,
engralled in beautiful Latin leners: EVERYONE IS
DRAWN BY HIS DESIRE. And on the left in Greek
capitals there was this: EVERYONE SHOUlD ACT
ACCORDING TO HIS NATURE."'
Nature ... is everywhere a magidan. as Plotinus and
Synesius have said.
411
1be wise men of India say that by
this same kind of attraction the world is bound to it-
self......,
MagnetismsignifiestheSatumineattractionbywhich
various perceptible forces, aU things are drawn to
ather things in the chain of being. It is through an
imitation of this property of nature that art becomes
magic. The seven maidens accompanying the priest-
ess carry the things necessary for the ceremony, just
111
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as the five nymphs had carried abjects ta the bath.
The first hoIds the book of rituals, the next two veils
of sille, then two little red caps, a samovar, a scythe
and vase bath dedicated ta sacrifices, a hyacinth
chalice, a gold mitre. A child holds a wax torch
before them. The nymph is given one ofthe veil and
caps to wear, the priestess takingtheother. Vestment
wom as omament creates an identification of the
worshipper with the deity by sympathetic magic;
Poliphilobycontrast is still cladin his blackenedand
tomclothing. Each has a gold clasp: the nymph' s of
sapphire, the priestess' of ananchite; by which they
sayinhydromancyis evokedthefigures ofthe gods.-
APPROPRIATE ACTION
AIl creatures must havea certainaim(fiM) in wbichthey
find wbatever happiness is in the scope of their capaci-
ties; and they naturally tumanddirect themsclves ta tbis
aim as every beavy body to its centre....
An internai truth wbich could be revealed through
appropriate action existed as a destiny magical1y
imprinted on the individual by the stars at bis birth.
Reason was central to humanist culture, whose ideal
ofhumandignity was ethical choice, oCten known as
heresy. This could be seen in relation to inscribed
destiny as analogous to the invention and omamen-
tation of a building. Neoplatonic ethics detennined
ta establisb limits of freedom and necessity through
the vertical series or chain ofbeing, linking material
and physical existence in a system of metaphysical
unity. The conveyance of steUar influence in the
series required the concinnitas of world spirit and
human spirit. The spirit is known as the 'sensitive
soul,' and is composed of the natural, animal and
vital powers, whichconsecutivelygovemedthemajor
segments of Poliphilo' s joumey.
There are ... in the nature of the body, plwers for
attracting, digesting, and expelling....digesting or
dividing....generating. nourisbing. and increasing.-
The environs of the pyramid correspond to the vital
spirit, which resides in the heart, liver, and stomach,
and is ruled by love and the Sun. The animal spirit
which is ruled by Mercury, who govems in the brain
andsenseorgans, accords with Eleutirilida' sempire.
The natural spirit which corresponds ta the genitals,
resides in the liver (plato's divinatory image-ma-
chine) and is nded by Venus and the Moon. Corre-
spondingly it is this realm of generative nature in
which Poliphilo presently attends the mystery itself.
THERITUAL
Aceordingto Plutareh the Romans leamed the secrets of
city-founding from Etruscan teachers 'as in a Mys-
tery' ...1
With a golden key the priestess unlocks the coverlet
of the cistem. The young priestess reads from the
book in Etruscan; the samovar is poured into the
cistem. The torch of the nymph is lit and she inverts
it over the cistem. The nymph requests to go to the
kingdomof the Great Divine Mother, to drink from
her sacre<! fountain. Poliphilo asks for the grace of
thesovereignMother, andwishes tobeassuredofthe
identity of the nymph whom he believes to he Polia.
Poliphilo takes the torch and plunges il into the
water. Just as the water extinguishes theflame. the
fire of love Iights the coM heart!- The poveny of
love results from the cold and dry, or melancholic
humour ofa lover, for life itself is necessarily moist
(fluid) and wann; the couple is thus united by these
qualities. Love overcomes cold melancholy: the co-
incidence of opposites in the rue and water signify
the union of the active and the passive principles in
a relationship ofdestniction and creation. This is the
hieros gamos, the wedding of sulphur and mercury.
The chalice is lowered into the hoUow on a cord of
green and red silk mixed with gold, and the nymph
drinks from the sacred water. After some further
ritual the Mysterium Conjunctionis is completed.
112
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Poliareveals herself: The dreamidentityrevealed by
the propitious architecture; they kiss, and proceed to
the chapel to perfonn the sacrifices.
Ofthis [phengite] stone Nero built the templeofFonune,
known as the shrine of Sejanus'" but originally
cratedby King Servius Tullius and incorporated by Nero
in his Golden House. Thanks tothis stone. inthe daytime
it wu as tight as day in the temple, even when thedoors
were shut; but the effect was not that of windows of
spectaeularstone, sincethe light was, 50tospeak. trapped
from within rather than allowed to penetrale from
out.-
So they ledthe way towards the rich chapel or round
sacristy, connected to the temple, as noted. which
was opposite to the entrance and aIL marvellously
huittfrom top to bonom ofprecious phengite stone,
witha vault aIl ofa single piece ofthe same phengite
which is ofsuch a nature that. notwithstanding that
the whole chapel had neither window nor opening
besides itsdoors. nevertheless it was brightly
nated, by a secret ofnature unJcnown to us and we
cannotsay moreofit. except that the stone carriedits
name in its effect.
65
Phengite is a kind of translucent
or transparent minerai used for windows, or musco-
vite, akindofmica. Thenamemeans Iightorshining,
from phanos. Two white male swans, which are
propitious in augury, are brought in with a sacrificial
vase full of sea-water, a form of the prima matena.
Swans are emblems of purity, for which reason
Jupiter chose this disguise with Leda; they were also
associated with the birth of the sun god, Apollo, and
derived fromhimthe gift of true prophecy, the origin
ofthe 'swan-song' beingthe foreknowledge ofone' s
impending death. In alchemy the swan symbolizes
Mercury in its volatile aspect. Two white turtle-
doves attached al the feet with crimson laces, in a
basket omamented with sea-shells and roses, are
placed on the sacrificial table. Doves were sacred to
Aphrodite, and were tept at her shrines in Cythera
and Paphos. They were a1so used in augury, and
113
embodied the virtue of moderation. In the Christian
tradition they represented the Roly Spirit, which the
spirit in the smoke from the doves syncretically
reconciles with Mercury. In alchemy the white dove
represents the albedo or whitening of the prima
matena in the process towards the philosophers'
stone. The priestess commanded Polia to kneel on
the floor, which was made from ail species ofpre-
cious gems carvedinasceneandorbitallycomposed
as a mosaic work ofa subtle art. offruit, flowers,
leaves and branches interwoven with fledgelings
and other Linle animais. according to the colours of
the stones; and the floor there was polished to such
a gloss that it lookedas ifthose things outside ofthe
chapel precinct were doubled. [ ...} She /cnelt be/ore
a rich altar set in the centre ofthe chapet. on top of
which shone ajlame offire.... The sacrificial basin is
of complex design and rich omamentation.
readingfromthe book, invokes the threeGraces. The
priestess leads Polia to a hyacinth pitcher, where she
washes herself with purifying Iiquor. The ritual syn-
thesizes natural magic with alchemical symbols,
which serve to contextualize and make specific the
UDiversai chamcter of magical practice. ln front of
the step ofthe altar, there was a great gold lamp, of
rare and unique worlc. ornamented with jewellery,
on the top of which was a round plate somewhat
hollow. about one yard around, and in which was
placed very sweet ambergris. odorific music. the
crystalline and fugitive camphor. oil of laudanum
from the greatCrete, thyme, myn-h. mastic. benjamin,
aloe wood, the heavy blactebisantis and other in-
censes of glorious Arabia.
1tn
Once these are lit, the
torch is extinguished. From the burning incense a
myrtle branch is lit and retumed to the a1tar, where
the other branches are ignited. The celebrants ofthe
Eleusinian mysteries were bedecked with myrtle,
and carried Myrtle torches. The doves are sacrificed
(
and their blood is reserved in the little vessel. ACter
a Lydian song is sung there is dancing. Out of the
smoke of the sacrifice Poliphilo sees a little spirit
emerge, having on his shoulders IWo wings so bril-
liant that myeyes couldnot lookat himproperly.- In
one hand the genius holds a Myrtle crown, io the
othera bumiogarrow, and he flies three times around
before disappearing. In tire, the flame is aUied with
sulphur, mercury with the smoke, and salt appears in
the fonn of ashes, associated with the tangibility of
matter. The priestess reads from the book again, this
time holding in ber band a golden bough. OriginaUy
associated with the cult ofDiana, goddess offenility
and the oak tree at Nemi, the Golden Bough was
plucked by Aeneas at the bidding ofthe Sibyl before
bis descent ioto the underworld. With it Polla writes
in the asbes of the sacrifice, on the tirst step of the
altar, a tradition intheconsecrationofchurcbes; next
writing in them with ber rigbt index finger. The
priestess makes magic signg to exorcise all things
contrary to love. With a brancb of rue soaked io the
water with which Polia had made her ablutions, the
priestess sprinkles the whole company. The myrtle
and rue branches are thrown ioto the cistem; with a
brush ofbyssopthe ashes are assembled in a box and
sprinlded over it. The a1tar is struck three times with
the golden bougb, and after furtber magic a prayer in
the vemacular is offere<! to Venus. Like the goddess
who is invoked by and appears to Apuleius, the
goddess is understood as a single but omnipresent
force having diverse manifestations, each of the
forms ofherpower attributed to herunder adifferent
name. After this the priestess takes the roses and
seasheUs andstrews themonthe a1tar, andaroundthe
flame. Roses were associated with the myth of Ado-
nis, from whose blood the fust roses were grown.
They symbolize the love that transcends death. In
Cathollc mythology the rose is the Madonna, the
114
feminine aspect ofthe divine. The bi-valve sea shel1
traditionally signifies the female reproductive or-
gans. Venus or Aphrodite, barn from the s e a - f o ~
floats on such a shell, as in BotticeUi's famous
rendition. From the um the hierophanta pours sorne
of the seawater into a shell and sprinldes the whole
area. The swans are bled and their blood mixed with
that ofthedoves, thenthey aresacrifidandbumed,
their ashes collected in a box and placed in the
openingbeneaththealtar. Moisteningherfinger with
the blood, she writes in unknown characters on the
floor before the a1tar, and Polia imitates her. These
sacre<! fluids convey the fluent character ofMercury
ioto bis capacity as gad of wrilten knowledge. The
two rinsethe rest ofthe blood fromtheir hands; Polia
sponges the characters from the floor and wrings the
blood ioto the cleansing water. This is thrown onto
the still-hot fumace of the sacrifice. A cloud of
smoke rises toward the vault; the earth began to
qUllke,'" rousing in the air within the temple a storm
ofwhirlingwinds soterrible, that it trulyseemedthat
some huge mountain had been thrown into the sea.
During this, the doors andwindows bangedagainst
one another with such impetuosity IMt the noise
represented a great thunder caused by wind cap-
tured"in a cavem without release.!The sublimation
from the conjonction of rue and water demonstrates
the release ofthe dazzling spirit ofMercury, and this
pneumaticexpansionresembles thecaveofthewinds
in Aeolia, where their king has them imprisoned,
wbere the storm-douds have their home and mad winds
areburstingtobefn:e.1nthegreat spacesofacavemthey
wrestle. and hurricanes roar... They race from daor to
door. and ail the mountain reverberates with the noise of
thc:ir resenbDcntJOl
The recurring allusions to caves of mythology avow
this space as the locus oftransformation and appear-
ance.Thea1taris still smokingandthesmokechanges
iota a rosebush lush with red roses and little white
c
fmits; on it are three doves and other By which
1presumed tlult the goddess showed herselfto us in
this i1TUlgeandbydivine vision.- Poliphiloenters the
chapel and the priestess plucks three of the miracu-
lous fruits, a spiritual food; they each savour one. 1
hadIulrdly tasteditwhen, ail ofa sudden, Ifeltmyself
recreatetl refreshed and renewed in my gross and
crude understanding, indeedmyheanfilledtoburst-
ing with the goodness of amorous celebration, no
more nor less than those who, diving mto water,
close theirmouthandholdtheirbreath; then, having
retumed to the surface, inhale the air with great
ardourand in enonnous gulps.- This metaphor of
surfacing prefigures the emergence of the refonned
selffromtheoceanoftheunconscious, andthe island
of Cythera which architecturally figures this.
Poliphilo' s buming passion recommences, but
through the adjonction ofself-consciousness and bis
recognition of Polla, melancholic desire has been
transformed into love. The marvellous tree vanishes
and they quit the temple.
THE POLYANDRION
Not far thence are displayed the Fields of Mouming, as
theyDamethem, andthcystretchinevcrydirection. Ucre
tbere are secluded patbs and a surrounding myrtle-wood
wbich bides ail those who have pincd and wiltcd under
the harsh crueltics of love."
They walk toward an old building by a great forest,
near the sea shore where one could still see certain
great chunks of walls and marble structures, the
signs and appearance ofa beautiful pier, ruptured
and demolished, to which long ago there used to be
a beautifulflight olsteps going to theponicoorfront
gate 01 the temple which, through the passage of
time, efflorescence, and negligence, hallfallen into .
ruine There were ail in a heap, columns, bases,
capitals, architraves, stylobates or pedestals and
other pieces of marble and of bronze of ail sorts,
lTUlde bysmelting, coveredwith... plants that lovethe
seaair. Polla tells himthat long aga it was a magnifi-
cent and famous where those who have died
through unhappy love lie buried: the Polyandrion
temple, sacred to Pluto, god ofshadows.
D
She de-
scribes for him the festival and rituals associated
with it which include propitiation of the three god-
desses of fate. The place they are in is 50 lovely that
Pollphilowonders ifitcouldhe theElysianfields. He
describes Polia's breasts as more sumptuous than
the tomb of king Mausoleus. The mixed compara-
tive resituates the symbolic import ofPolia' s beauty
as the soul of architecture, and Poliphilo' 5 con-
junction with her represents the engagement of
the artifex to his work.
THE RED OBELISK
It is here that the way splits ioto two paths; one ttaek. on
theright. gocsstraight ta mighty Pluto' sbattlements and
byitwemakeourjoumeytoElysium; andtbeothertothe
left. briDgs evil men to godless Tartarus, and. with nevcr
a pause. exacts their punishment.!OI
Now Poliphilo faces the great risks of love. While
they wait by the sea-shore for Cupid to arrive, he
feels a melancholy heat which gives himan audacity
to but Polia perceiving bis ratiocinations sends
himto lookal those things ofa buriedantiquity about
which he is so curious by nature. Behindthe archaic
temple appeared a great and lofty obelisk 01 red
stone heIdup onfourspheres placedon a block weil
carvedwithhieroglyphsonallfourfaces, withinfour
circles. ln the first was a pair ofscales, and in the
centre a plate shaped li/ce a basin, on either side of
which were a do, and a serpent: then beneath, an
antique coffer with a naked sword, point upwards,
passing beyondtheyoke olthe balance, andentering
a crown, which 1 interpreted thw: Upright justice,
nakedandunencumbered by hatredandfriendship,
with well-weighed liberalityfirmly guards the king-
doms in their entirety."Ir Beneath this figure is a
115

hieroglyphic dedication within a rectangle which he

translates as: To the divine Julius Caesar, always
august, govemor ofthe whole world, for the clem-
ency and liberality of his courage, the Egyptians
erectedmewith theirpublicfunds.-The hieroglyphs,
apart from a noteworthy bilateral symmetry of each
object constituting the rebus, make reference picto-
riallytotheobjects ofPoliphilo' s recentexperieoces.
Art is not simply theexpressionofnatural beautybut
the wisdom of intellect. The second side of the
obelisk shows a caduceus entwined with two ser-
pents, the symbol ofMercury, depictingoneach side
below, an ant tuming into an elephant, and abo.ve, an
elephant tuming into an ant. On one side is a vessel
of fire, and on the ather a measure of water. The
interpretation he gives to it is Bythe mediumofpeace
and concord, linle things increase, and by discord
the mighty destroy themselves. In the third circle a
ropedanchor is turned sideways withaneagleastride
of il, a warrior below looks al a serpent in his anns.
This is read as Military prudence, or discipline,
bonds the empire very strongly.- On the fourth face
the circle shows a trophy held on a lance fromwhich
growtwocomucopiaeand two palm-branches; there
is an eye 00 one side and on the other a comet,
meaning: This is the copious and abundant trophy
with the insignias ofvictory and spoils ofthe divine
Julius Caesar.
SIo
ARCHITECTURE PRIMA MATERIA
The descent to Avemus is not bard. Throughout every
night andeveryday black Pluto' sdoor stands wideopen.
But toretrace the steps andescape backto upperairs, that
is the task and that is the toil.'11
Poliphilo approaches this temple. Six porphyry col-
umns stand on an hexagonal ophite plinth. At the
front, he fmds at his feet a broken fragment of the
architrave; onthe frieze is writtenDEDICATEDTOTHE
INFERNAL GOos. CEMETERY Of THOSE MISERABLE
BODIES WHO THROUGH LOVE FELL INTO MADNESS.'11
He interprets the tympanum' s fme alabaster carving
of an ancient lamp and headless bird whicb he
guesses to he a screech-owl to signify Vitae lethifer
nuntius: the messenger from death to life, Lethe
being the water offorgetfulness crossed. The temple
is simple, without mouldings or lineaments, thus
only being polished, according to the requirements
ofpractice, ofgoodgrace. andonthis wasplacedthe
rounded vault made ail ofa single massive piece of
stone. diminishing to a point. in the form ofa chim-
ney, openat the top, andthus coveringa deep cavem
which hadno light except through a roundaperture,
closedbya coppermesh beingat the centre ofthesix
pillarsandright at the vault's centre, through which
lloolced.lt seemedto me that 1sawbelowsomething
lilce a square: therefore 1 was taken with desire 10
descend.'u He searches for the doorway blocked by
overgrown Mins and descends by a stair ta the
bottom. The place, atfirst glance, seemed shadowy
to me, but as soon as my eyes became somewhat
accustomed, 1 began 10 see an enonnous round
cavem, vaulted and underpinned by six naille col-
umns, placeddirectlybeneaththesixabove, aILmode
ofbrown marhle, together with the vault: ofwhich
the blocks were so welljoinedthat itandthe columns
seemed properly to be ofa piece.
Wherefore, let our body remain in the water till it is
dissolved into a subtile powder in the bottom of the
vessel and the water, which is caUedthe blackashes; this
is the corruption of the body which is called by the
philosophers or wise men, "SaturDus plumbum
philosophorum", and pulvis discontinuatus. viz. satum,
latten or brass, the leadofthe philosophers thedisguised
powdcr. And ;n tlais and resolution ofthe
body, three sigIUappear, vil, a blackcolour. a disconti-
nuityoffHJrts. andastin/cingsmell, notmuchunliltothe
smell ofa vault where dead bodies are buried. These
ashcs then are those of which the philo5Ophers have
spoken 50 much which remained in the lower part ofthe
vessel, which wc ought Dot to undervalue or dcspise; in
them is the royal diadem. and the black and unclean
116

"
D. .M. oS.
CADAVIlUI.AMQIlI PYUNTlVM
MISEILAIYNXS lIOI.YANDIUON
(
(
(
argent vive, which ougbt to be cleansed !romits black-
ness. by a continua! digestion in our warcr. till it be
elevatcd above in a white colour. which is called the
gander. andthe birdofHermes. He lhere/ore thatmtllth
the red eanh black. and lken renders it while, Iras
obtained the magistery. 50 also he who kills the living.
and revives the tkad. Thercfore make the black white.
and the white black. and you perfcet the work..
S14
The mins are traces of an inhabitation
t
perceived as
empirical indices. As representation is mnemonic of
an absent thing once present. the indexical trace
requiresa physical presence whereengagement leaves
its m a r ~ whereas the ideal model supposes its pres-
ence in the contemplative imagination. The great
pyramid and the Polyandrion are the ooly places
where these signs persist unadulterated. underlining
this intention by tombs and the excrement ofnoctur-
nal creatures. For Colonna the prima materia of
architecture is the natural or indexical sign: the
gnomon. the wind-vane. and especially the min, the
groove wom by inhabitation over time. Mirror-im-
ages, ecboes. shadows, reflections are insubstantial
pbantasmic versions of the index, whicb defers im-
portance ta its referent. To read the monuments in
this opaque way is to conclude that tbey point to an
artifexofgreat wisdom. Forthis reasonColonnauses
historical buildings in the text ta signify experience,
but tbese works are not left in that chaotic state.
Instead they are transfonned through the imagina-
tion into the lapis philosophorum
t
which reconciles
the opposites oftheoretical ideal andempirical prac-
lice, givingta the notionofthe madel its double edge
of being at once an imitation and a prototype.
The signs ofthis are a black colour and a fetid smell. For
heat. acting on moisnue, produces blackness. which is
the sign of the perfc:et mingling of the substance with a
specific fonn.
5L5
It is true that the cave was ailfull ofpurified nitres
16
or borax, andjilthy with the excrement ofowls, as
weil as of bats. In the centre of these six rustic
columns was an altar of copper, composed of two
perfect squares, making six feet in length. three in
height. including ordinary mouldings.lt was hollow
in the mannerofa sepulchre but in the openingatthe
top, two goodinches ofit in depth. there was a trellis
of the same founding and, in one of the sides, a
window, made (as weil as 1could understand) to set
/ire to the sacrifice and to draw out the ashes once
extinguished. What led me to presume this was that
the saill trellis and the surface ofthe allar were ail
b/ackened from smoke, which (in my judgement)
emerged Ihrough the round above and after that by
the iittle tube which was in the vault set on the six
columns, made in the Egyptian style. On the back
face of the altar was inscribed in weil eut Roman
letters: To Pluro, King ofHell, having three bodies,
andhisdearwifeProserpintl, togetherwithCerberus,
who has three heads.
m
The Neoplatonists' universe
haS no heU in the same sense as Dantet s; Pico,
bowever
t
caUs matter Iii monda sotteraneo.'
The mansuffering!roma superfluity ofblack bile is nol
only lean and discoloured (as the melancholic is in the
real complexion doctrine). but also labours under
'immodica sollicitudo el cogitatio. heartbum. 'falsa
appetititJ. bad ulcers and spleen. and bas nightmares
about dark abysses. tonures. and black and tenifying
matten.
5

1
However, looldng to one sille, 1 saw a gallery or
/antemalmost whole, in the vault ofwhich remained
a beautiful mosaicpainting: therefore 1approached
right away to see it, and found that it was a deep
shadowy pit, or ratller, a terrible abyss situated
between two harsh cliffss19 whose height was lost to
view. Half the lake is buming
t
half is ice, at the
bottomofthis bridged chasm. The notion of melan-
choly and the reconciliation ofopposites is reconsti-
tuted in this treatment of the perils of extremity in
love, showing IWO substances complelely opposite,
so close to each other, unable to munaturally, as il
was expressed in the painting, it seemed that it
117
(
engenderedamarvellouslyuncontrolIablethunder.
Dl
The unbridled internai discord of the melancholic.
Each group of figures tries to throw themselves nto
the lake of the other, when the bridge collapses,
breaking in two, snch that their souls plummet ioto
their destined places, after which it retums toclosnre
of the chasm.
Bchind the temple of Chthonia in Hennione Iay a spot
sacrcd to PIUlO, with a chasm thraugh which Hcracles
came up with Cerberus. There was also an Achcrusian'
lakc. This chasm. therefore was the entrance to the place
whcre death had been conquered.
SZ1
Within thispitorcavemwas depictedHell, enclosed
byanotddoor, rustedandcTUdely made: then, there
close by al the bonom of a crevice was the three-
headed dog Cerberus, covered with black hair, aIl
danIc, sluJggy andbristling with tiny snakes, stinking
andpestilent, being on guard against ail things for
perpetuity, unblinking and never closing his eyes.
m
The three furies are shown: Tisiphone, Megara and
Alecto, the daughters of Acheron (mouming) and
personifying Poliphilo's melancholy, are an-
other manifestation ofthe triple goddess, barn from
the bloodofOuranos. There was a title orinscription
which said: To ETERNAL FLAMES ARE CONDEMNED
THE SOULS Of TUOSE WHO, SY LOVING TOO AR-
DENTLY, DESTROYEDTHEMSELVES. ANDINTon[CE
ARE PLUNGED THOSE OTIlERS, WHO WERE TOO PRIam
IN LOVE, REFUSING TO OBEY THE CONsnnmONS Of
LOVE, HAVlNG MISJUDGED ORDISDAINED THE SACRED
LAWS AND ORDINANCES Of CUPID.m
The colours of this tableau were so artistically ap-
pliet/, and the emotions so perfectly expresset/, that
it would have been impossible to improve.n. At odds
io this are the idea of art as expression of an idea,
signifying its subjective content (Plato), and art as
craft, significant infonn (Aristotle). It is oecessaryto
have an objective distance from the one in order to
more fully appreciate the other. The tableau acts as a
118
hinge between these two, much like the bridge itself.
Any man ofgoodjudgement could think thm, there
where the IWo lakes or contrary natures came into
contact, there would be caused a marvellous thun-
der, by reason ofthe opposition and perpetuai dis-
cord oftheirdifferent qualities: for where they met,
they were both lost in a deep abyss, horrible beyond
measure. To tell the truth. the depth ofthis Hell was
so ingeniously represented, that it seemed like an
artless thing ... so weil and artistically had the
workman (to demonstrate his intention) known how
to vary the colours, anddrawtheperspectivelines by
measurement. Whosoever looked carefully al this
portrait, could. without difficulty, recognize that it
grasped much verisimilitude, for the gentle master
haddrawn souls in corporealfoma: amongst which
some stopped their ears for fear of hearing the
terriblenoise. m Thedepictionofsouls inbodilyfonn
points to the artist' s ability to crysta1lize imaginative
emotional figures into visible fonn. This excessive
tonnent, and this excruciating Hell, was so weil
represented in painting, that those who amused
themselves in contemplation, fell mto a marvellous
ho"or. This is theaesthetic paradoxofthesublime.
Di
POLIPIDLO'S PROBLEM
o noche que guiaste
a noche amable mas que el aluarada
o noche que juntaste
amado con amada
Amada en el amado ttansfonnada.
S17
Eros operates througb the possession and displace-
ment of the soul of the lover by the phantasm, of the
beloved, the object being changed ioto the a
perceived image that bas been rooted ioto the uncon-
scious mind. The beloved then exists induplicate, as
the soul of the lover becomes a mirror in which the
image ofthe beloved is reflected. Thecoincidence of
the trajectory of eros and retrograde melancholy
c
(
create a supreme spiritual experience. Although
phantasmata are synaesthetic, vision is paramount.
Ifwecloselyexamine BemardofGordoo's longdescrip-
lion of amor we observe that it deals with a
phantasmic infection finding expression in the subject's
melancholic waslingaway, except for theeyes. Whyare
theeyesexcepted'? Becausethe veryimageorthe woman
bas entered the spirit through the eyes and, through the
optic nerve, bas beentransmiuedtolhesensoryspiritthat
forms common sense. Transformed into phantasm. the
obsessional image bas invaded the lCnitory of the three
ventricles ofthe brain. inducing a disordered stateofthe
reasoning faculty (virtus which resides in
the second cerebral celle Ifthe eyes do not panakeofthe
organism's general decay, it is because the spirit uses
those corporeal apertures to try to n:establish contact
wim the object that was converted ioto the obsessing
phantasm: the woman.S:lI
Melancholy and Eros are linked through the eyes;
they are complementary phenomena created by the
mechanism of phantasia.. the effects of 'natural'
representation. Eros also participates in representa-
tion through its variant fonn as magic, based on the
spiritual continuitybetweenmanandthe world. Eros
and magic are so similar that they differ only by
degree. Magic operates through a principle of reci-
procity in which a process operating in the phantas-
mic mind and spirit of a persan will invoke the
reception of qualities by the correspondence of the
microcosm of man and the cosmos, and their
consubstantiality, working through the continuity
between the individual pneuma and the cosmic one.
THE MIRROR OF LOVE
As sight is the most highly developed sense, the name
phtmtQSQ (imagination) bas bn formed from phtws
(light) because it is not possible 10 sec witbout ghl.'ZI
Nearby a little altar is inscribed THE ALTAR OF THE
INFERNAL oons.
5JO
An inscription laments a girl's
suicide. This is followed by a prolix recital of epi-
taphs on altars, mausolea, and tombstones, of 00-
happydeaths inlove. Here the pages ofthe Hypnero-
tomachia visually merge words anddrawings insucb
a way ta challenge the picture-writing of the hiero-
glyphics. One complex monument titled EfoTol:
KATOIlTPON'31 (the mirror of love) depicts Artemi-
sia.. the queen of Mausoleus. Ail these figures made
in extreme perfection and beauty, worthy of being
viewed and celebrated in perpetuai memory.SJ1 On
another monument is depicted the two doors of the
world: Over the columns sprang a vault, having a
great arch, distributed in coffered panels, to rose
windows diminishing towards the centre, following
the reason ofperspective; andundemeath the vault,
a coffer projecting outwards, in the face of which
there were IWo doors: into the one entered several
nudepeopleandfromthe otheremergedsomeyoung
not clothed in an] way.w Above the first
door was inscribed THE INEVITABLE ORDINANCE OF
NATURE THE STEPMOTHER, above the other, THE
BENIONEDIeI' OFMOTHERNATURE."' Theroles played
by the two faces of feminine nature are both integral
to the cycle of birth and death.
Rather let these wicked people be punisbed eitber by
exile or by death. or by something intermediate between
the two: and what couldthat he, except 10be transfonned
into sometbing other than they are'1"'
This 1nevertheless contemplated with fixed eyes, a
. small river, which still hadsome Linle appearance of
humanform, not being butpanly transformed.sThe
identity ofthe river with a human subject renews the
importance of fluids as characteristic of human des-
tiny. Venus Genetrix is the great recirculator 'pro-
ducing out of your material something fresh and
alive, something endowed with your senses.'m Ve-
nus recycles you; she takes your life and gives you
nothing(else) inexchange. Always wantingthenew,
she hates theold. 'Shedestroys what she bas madeof
the oldinorder to make newaUover again.'BI Venus
favours the species' uoiversality over the individual.
Satum, on the other hand, separates one fromearthly
119
1
(
life but in return gives heavenly etemal life. For
while Venus stimulates fertility in the body, Saturn
provokes the mind ta give birth. Venus lures one ta
extemal things through her pleasure, while Satum,
through his pleasures attracts one back to innennost
things. The influence of both at once however, dis-
tract and dissipate the spirit, as when the sight of a
lizard recalls Poliphilo from bis fantasizing on the
rape of Proserpina. Colonna' s ward is ascalabote,
indicating Ascalabos, the name of the child tumed
ioto a speclded Iizard by Ceres in her search for
Persephone, and thus referring to the Eleusian mys-
teries."' The names of 'natural' things point beyond
them to constellations of just as the
names of the nymphs are portmanteau words con-
trived from the Greek in aparallel text to the action.
Suddenly realizing bis situation and remembering
Polia, he laments, 0 poorimprudent one, andpoorly
infonneil, full ofuseless curiosity, who is amusedby
vain andpast things. Why are you searchingfor otd
stones, brokenanddecayed?- Feverishlyfearing bis
own vanity, he mshes back to Polia.
CUPID'S BARK AND THE DISSOLUTION OF
REASON
Love, whether we have calIed it divine or angelic or
spiritual or animal or natural. we understand it ta he a
certain grafted and mixing vinue...."u
At the ruined pier, Cupid approaches with bis boat, a
celestial spirit ina visible body. The god ofLove has
a divinevoicewiththepowertouniteandreassemble
ail dividedthings.
5G
No-onecaoenter the kingdomof
Cupid's mother, Venus, without this barque, tndy a
daidalon, named for Daedalus, the art of carefully
fitted connections and details. The wholeformofthe
boat [was] so weil made, that ,ou would not have
known to see ajont, butappearing ofa singlepiece,
without caullcing over.
JIJ
The boat is rowed by six
nymphs who are described as having lineaments and
omaments, Iikea building. Presendy, Cupiduses bis
wings as sails, recalIing the apocryphal means of
Daedalus' escape from Crete. 1 contemplated the
wings ofthis divine spirit. on which there were craxy
feathers. trembling in the wind, andrepresenting the
plumage ofa marine eaglet notyet emergedfromthe
nest. How they were beautiful and shining, from the
colourofgoldchangingto reil, andin otherplaces to
azure or violet. There were sorne tending toward
emerald, the colours so weil diversijiedthat it would
notbepossibleforpainling10crudely imilate them.
SM
His multi-eoloured wings are the cauda pavonis, or
peacock' stail, of the a1chemical process, whose
appearance heralds its fust goal. Actual peacocks,
red, white, and the normal variety, strot around
Cythera itself, the redand white figuring sulphur and
mercury. Along the shore he sees myrtle and pista
chio trees shadowing the plane andunifiedwater, in
which one couldsee themas in the glass ofa mirror,
expressedin sucha way that they resembledthose of
nature.'" He sees many sea-creatures includiog the
god Neptune, nymphs and nereids, tritons, ScyUa,
and the metamorphic Proteus. In the boat, however,
ail dissolves iotafonnless oddity; things aremissing,
inverted, backwards, it seems without form. and no
kind oforder, having ail ifS parts confused,w. where
were gathered all the mysteries of love, and which
had been made thus by the artifice ofVenus, for the
sailing ofherson, Cupid.S'.7 A proper harmony of the
senses is required in order ta make rational sense of
fonn. This 'surrealism' is a sensual confusion gener
ated by love, infact thedivine furor itselfin its erotic
aspect. The alIegorical method of masking tIUth
introduced a hermeneutics of suspicion ta seek the
essence of tbings at their centres, but when a meta-
phorical image, used ta describe an unknown es
senee, becomes confused with thething itself, surre-
a1ism results. Meaning is displaced from a relation-
120

ship to a thing. The personification of love, a rela-

tionship, as Cupid, a deity, creates this effect. This
fmal crossing toCythera transcends rational thought
and makes the island tise out of the sea as mythical
Atlantis.
Omnia vincit Amor. ct nos cedamus Amori.""
Alas, much moregriefandsuffering was given meby
this treacherous robber. thought. whoforged in the
secrecy ofmy soul such pleasantfigures, such beau-
tiful simulacra, andstrangejantasies, that he wou/d
have deceived Deception himself. [...] It seemed at
once sweet, then suddenly biner: some stroke ofjoy,
then as quiclcly sad and melancholic. indeed1could
not restrain the incontinence ofmy senses which, in
theirstruggle. couldnot agree, andwhich by thefact
ofthis discord, made themselves resistant. which by
this continuing resistance, deviated, and by this
straying, didnot take account ofanybarrierorlimit.
nor could 1 rid myself ofthem, which is worse. for
these contrary effects maintained my rapture.- An
imperial bannerflies depicting the world and a lamp,
meaning Omnia vincit Amor. love conquers ail. Po-
Iiphilo tries to look at Cupid directIy, but finds it
impossible,for my eyes could not stand the shining
ofhis rays. With bis eyes half-closed, and his hand
heldhalf-openoverthem, 1comprehendedhimsome-
what, in any case. always in different ways: for at
once he seemed 10 me doubled, then trine. another
time incomplete, now a child, MW an Dtd decrepit
man, in a way by which 1couldnot subslantiate any
knowledge." An array of metaphorical imagery
flashes before bis eyes. Finally they arrive at the
island.
SQUARJNGTHE CIRCLE
AlI the parts ofthe wode!. because theyare the works of
one artist, parts ofthe same machine. and liteeach other
in being and life. are bound to each other by a certain
reciprocal love. 50 that love may rightly be called the
knot and tint orthe wodd, and the immovable support of
121
itspans,andthefinnfoundationofthewholemachine.
SS'
This is themost impottanttransitionPoliphilomakes.
By il, bis will (critical creation) gains control over
destiny (indiscriminate reproduction of accidentai
circumstances) although desire does not cease. The
island, like a calendar stone or wind-rose is a man-
dala fonn, whicb is a mental image built up by the
active imagination. Whereas the early part of the
narrative, in the square temple form and labyrinth
motifs, reproduces the order of the unseen universe,
the transition to Cythera is more than ajoumey from
a square earth symbol to a round one of heavenly
things, it is the displacement of mimetic representa-
tion by a recreation whicb is a thing in itself, i.e., that
which does not derive meaning solely from its origi-
nal extraction but serves as a replacement or self-
overcoming of the old order. Opposed to an uncriti-
cal reproduction of fonn in practice, from which
derives the Platonic injunction against imitative art.
Theory is important and instrumental as the reflec-
tive device that allows a translation the spirit of.'
It is the realization of the ideal recognized as such.
The centre of its purgatorial wheel is the place of
truth
t
the ideal
t
intentionless state of wisdom which
is the non-instlUmental realmofthe earthly paradise
revisited. Melancholy challenges the mind to fmd
contemplative repose in the centre ofthe world, and
it is through the reaching into the centres ofail things
that profoundunderstanding is reached through mel-
ancholy. The centre of vision in autobiographical
space is the human piero The Corinthian column
symbolizes an axial mandala(as indeedearly bound-
ary stones or tenns were cosmographic); the four
acanthus leaves serving as lotuspetais, indicating the
transferofvertical ordertothe horizontal planeofthe
earth (for human perception). In the first part of the
representational process
t
things '
the presence of human error being integral to repre-
sentation, as Alberti notes:
(
(
1 have often conceived of projects in me mind tbat
seemed quite commendable al me time; but wben 1
translated them into drawings. 1 round several errors in
the very parts mat deligbted me MOSt. and quite serious
ones; again. when 1retum to drawings. and measure the
dimensions. 1 recognize and lament my carelessness;
finally, when 1 pass from the drawings to the model, 1
sometimes notice furthermistakes inthe individual pans.
even over the numbers."l
To pro-ject is to let an ob-ject he present. Error,
through revealing a clue to the inconsistency of an
illusion, situates it in a hierarchy of values. An error
is a silO from below, from the unconscious realm.
and, in facto Many joumeys to the underworld in
mythsandfolk-tales beginwithIbis kindofdismpture
of the surface of the world. One of the a1chemical
tracts speaks of the water from which 'everything
[originates] and in which everything ris contained],
wbich mies everything, in whicherrors are madeand
in whichtheerroris itselfcorrected.' m Colonnamore
than once uses the significance oferror to articulate
bis architectural theory in the centre of the island;
each clue reveals an escape hatch from the frame of
thedream.
THE ISLAND OF CYTBERA4
TheIslandis representedas a golden. circularfigure. The
shores are made of powdered gcms (mam) hence the
DaIlle of the Island.... it is forested with blooming. fra
graDt trees, and in the centre stands a place made ofthe
precious stone that grants all desires, a kind of lapis
philosophorum. Within the palace is a jewelled awning
under which ... is seated the Universal Mother."'
ThecastrationofOuranos bybis sonChronos, young-
est of the Titans, resulted in the fertilization of the
sea, and the birth ofAphrodite, who went first to the
island ofCythera. The island fonn ofCythera repre-
sents the re-emergence oftheconsciousegofromthe
ocean of the unconscious psyche. The region is
dedicated to merciful nature, and is inhabited by
gods and blessed spirits. Poliphilo notices that the
water reflects the trees like a mirror. There were no
122
dark shadows, nor sombre detours without light,"6
and no things to give disturbance ta the vision, the
body, or the understanding.
Keep your movements here frequenl and light, find
suitable quiet. get air that is thin and serene and remole
from heat and cald, and especially keep a happy disposi-
tion. It will not beSolarifit is not wann. subdeand clear.
[...l avoid sadness and thick and dark things. Use things
that arc brigbt and cbeerful. bath iDSide and outside. Ciel
plenty of light bath day and nighL Get rid of fLlth,
dullness and torpor. First and foremost. avoid darJe
ness!m
There are no rocks or pebbles in the water; the sand
is of sorne minerai substance shining like crystal,
mixed with precious stones ofevery Idndthat can he
imagined. Poliphilo thoughtfully reconstrocts the
geometry of the ground plan. Cythera is perfectly
circular, divided radially into twenty by alles, and
by concentric circles into seven levels. A theatre
occupies thecentleofthe island./neachdivisionwas
a"angeda smailloggia oftreesuaappropriate to the
nature of the site, and to the pan of the heavens
towards which they were oriented."" The vegetation
here is wholly living, and a veritable botanical
encyclopaedia. However, trees appear naturally in
topiary, in sorne cases, geometrical solids and in
others, figurai representations. The apple trees with
out being worked,fenilizedor watered, were bent in
the foma of a corona or chaplet of greenery.- Po-
liphilo sees a citrus grove with branches so united
that they really lookedLilcea paintingladen withfruit
and jlowers.
Jt
' The fruit trees were sculpted in a
hemisphericalandconvexform. Not one, in this third
array, surpassed another in measure. [...) These
trees continually renewed their fruit and flowers,'
their foliage remaining consistent. They offered a
feeling ofgreatcontentmenttotheoverexcitedsenses.
Their branches were not distorted, nor unlike, nor
tangledup, butprenilyassembledindifferentways.SlI2
In his narration, Poliphilo has lauded art for its

(
similarity to nature. Now he reverses the compli-
m e n ~ meaning that the potential of art bas tran-
scended its origins.
The space inthe middle, betweenthecolonnades and the
open sky, ought to be embellished with green things; for
walking in the open air is very healthy, particularly for
the eyes. since the refined and rarefied air thal cornes
from green things. fmding its way in because of the
physicaI exercise, gives a clean<Ut image. and, byclear-
ing away the gross humours from the eyes. leaves the
sight keen and the image distinct.56J
Thejlowercases were made Likea workofjewellery,
of mirror polish. They reproduced, to the envy of
nature. the waters, the sky, the leaves, the jlowers.
which were reflectedthere. UNier the trees, beneath
the arbours, the alles were similarly the loveliest
work in stone to which human invention and con-
ception could aspire.'"
IMAGES AND DOUBLES
Art. therefore, arouses the inchoate power there, and
white il tenders this inlo a figure, similar to its owo
heavenly figure. it exposes further the Idea of itself.
which. when it is exposed. is a completion of the beav-
enly power....'"
AlthoughFicinodoes not express approval ofthe use
ofimages for magic, preferringto work in medicines
which act directly through the body, the natural
philosophy of magic added a new and impressive
dimension to artistic production. Because ofthis
ll
the
unseen was more powerful than what was seen.
Satumll after his deposition by Jupiter
ll
was exiled in
Latium, whicb draws its name from bis being latent,
hidden witbin its boundaries. Thus he symbolizes
something which lies concealed within. The myste-
rious powers of things were accomplished by beav-
eoly, not elemental nature. Rays impressed hidden
forces on images beyond the visual realm; 'like
wines, and like sensual things they shine through the
eyes of living bodies.11,. Thus the universe of tbings
has a secret dimension oot unlike the relationsbip of
123
the underworld or 'other world
ll
to the world of
everyday life.
The combioation of ail the Forms and Ideas we caI1 io
Latin a mundus. in Greek a cosmos. thal is. an oma-
ment.
56T
An image is naturally more effective if the elemental
power in the material agrees with the power of its
figure. Figures have elemental qualities of wann,.
cold,. moist anddry11 as weil asqualities whichare less
elemental or material: Iights
ll
colours, Rumbers
ll
fig-
ures. When making images fromthings 'in materials
whicb are properly and correctly gathered from all
over and brought together
ll
the powers andeffects are
not oolycelestial, butare able to takeontbedaemonic
and divine, too.'. The more materials used to make
up a thing, the more potential it had to he a fmely
calibrated nstnunent of influential attractioD.
The art of such images is never effective unless its
material is in agreement with the star and the effect for
whichtheartistchose tomakeil, and not unIess tbis sante
material retums through the image the same affects
which il had al its beginning.-
Stones and metals were more difficult to infuse, as
tbey are already very deeply impressed with a par-
ticular nature, and had to be used according to their
nature. The activity of makng
ll
more than the rmal
shape, is what endows the figure witb power, for the
power is not obtained suddenly through the affected
material but through the sculptor' s cbiseling and
wanning
ll
whicb
ll
done in bannony, aroused and
strengtbened the beavenly power in the material.
m
The principle involved motionandaction ratherthan
just rmal perceptible fonn: 'the intention of the
imagination has its force not sa mucb in images or
medicines as in the act of applying them and using
them. '511 The divine bad the monstrous quality of
moderating and mixing different elements ioto one.
In the continuity of thngs
ll
the hinge of action is the
place of transformation, and tbus the place where

proponion is crucial. The weU-leamed lesson from

nature to art is that 6a certain kind of image can be
made from matter ... that is hannonious with the
heavens. a heavenly gjft that is given through the
figure made with an art similar to heavens own.'m
Ficino gives directions for making a figure of the
universe. an archetypal fonn of the whole to
satisfy the mythical necessity for its yearly rebirth.
Deep inside your house you might set up a tiwe room.
onewithanarch, and markit ail up with thesefigures and
colours, especially the room where you spend most of
your time, and where you sleep. When you leave your
house. do not pay so much attention to the spectacle of
individual chings, but lookal the shapeandcoloursofthe
universe.
m
As is notable in Humanist portraiture, the individual
incarnated an instance ofthe universal.'" materiality
being as a mirror in which the divine was
so as in Plato' s aIlegory of the cave. one would
not he blinded by direct contemplation of Divine
or destroyed Iike Semele. Polipbilos inner
joumey prismatically refracts the sou1's experience
sotbat bis verbal descriptions acquire the qualities of
a visual survey which empirically compares points
of view in pursuit of an archetype.
It takes aman to understand bythe use ofuniversals, and
to collect out of the multiplicity of sense-impressions a
unity amved al by aprocess ofreason. Such a process is
simply therecollectionofthethings whicb oursoul once
perceivcd.
m
Sensible abjects act as reminders ofthe fonDS whicb
the soul knew before incarnation. Thus the soui of a
philosopher is a1ways dwelling in memory, witb the
use of images as aids to recollection. fonning a
continuai initiation into the perfect mystic vision,
and towards the perfection of man. The imaginary
becoming concrete is shown in an example contem-
porary. Michelangelo's Slaves, copies ofwhich still
adom one of Buontalentis grottoes in Florence's
Boboli Gardens, signify not a simple emergence of
124
fonn from matter. but an emergence of a figure
created by the act of sculpting whicb partially Iiber-
ates the stone s spirit. or genius. Ali these contrib-
utedtotheperfectionortemperanceofnaturethrough
anifice, on the principle of analogyt in material and
fonn. at the appropriate lime and place for action.
AMULETS OF ARCHITECTURE AND GAR
DENS
The making of amulets. mentioned also by Pliny. is
a powerful device of sympathetic magic extended
into the architecture and gardens.
TIte philosopberThebit teaches that tocapturethe power
of sorne star ... you must take its stone and its herb, and
malte a gold or silver ring, in whicb you insert the stone
with the herb under it, and then wear it around. touching
it.
m
These rings have power not over the body and soul.
but thespirit. with theabilityto 6makethespirit intent
and fUlll. ... mild, lovable, and gracious.
517
Planets
sucb as Mercury could be used as medicines to
induce and activate art. mind and eloquence. for he
aIso had solar influence. Thomas Aquinas noted that
through this power 6some people are gifted with
certain aspects of their arts.'m The Renaissance ar-
chiteet was essentially a magician. The notion of
seeking for raw materials, the prima materia, in
culture as weil as nature originates a magical sensi-
bility of collage. a tnlly Venereal recirculation of a
world in metempsychosis. This type of architectural
thinking does not just use objects, memories. and
ideas to its owneods, but serves thembygivingthem
an order which makes them present to experience.
From this. but morphology is conceived as the
monstrosity of history.
ln the canonic Connofthetreatise the only clement ofan
intention ... is the authoritative quotation. 115 method is
essentially representation. Method is a digression. Rep-
resentation as digression - such is the mcthodological
nature of the treatse.S1'I

(
The limit of the space, from which it came to be in
question, reached up to the banJcs of a river more
transparent than that which winds its silvery torrent
through Aetolia, or the Peneus in Thessaly. Its bed
was encasedin veryprecious Spartan stone, worked
in the Dorian style Like the Augustan ports of the
Tiber, andthe streamfound itselfconjned between
marbleborders.- Animaginaryarchitectureofspoils,
drawing bath on the natura! world and the cultural
constnlcts of artifice, suggests that for C o l o n n ~ the
artificial resource is a subset ofthe natural, the power
of the individual soul at the service of the anima
mundi. The water of this stream gushed through
openings and underground conduits established in
goodplacesand/cept ingoodorder.ltflowed,finaIly,
through aqueducts of very fine stone, running very
rapidly. evenlywateringthe whole verypleasantand
fertile area, with a charming murmure Then the
waterarrivedat the seaandrushedin,flowingaway. .
ln this way the Iimpid river, deriving its nourishment
by distributive mouths, neveroverflowed, but stayed
contained in an equal abundance, perpetually per-
sistent. [...l These were waters so limpid, so pure, so
thin, that tothe viewtheydidnot seemto surroundan
object which found itself there and in no way de-
fonned it, but ail that was on the bed was seen to
peifection, everything that was presented to them
was reflected there as ifin a mirror.
SlI
01 with what
attraction, with what sweet transport were the wan-
dering eyes so easily drawn back to the contempla-
tion of this river!sc These waters are the worldly
version of the thinnest, clearest, purest part of the
humours of the body, used in the translation ofsense
impressions. The desire Poliphilo feels recalls the
nymph-river in the precinct of the Polyandrion. The
critical observations applied to this river. as it winds
its imaginary way viaThessaly to theTiber, with true
vision and clear humour, refer to the intellect which
125
draws from that poetic font. The company begins its
ascent of the island. There was established a Ievel
area, broad and unconstrained, bearing an admi-
rable invention in mosaic work, made with
interlacings, circular figures, triangles, squares,
cones, cylintiers, sesquigons, barlongs, rhomboids,
zigzags, forming very prenily a complex design,
polishedlikea mirror, mostdistinctiveandvaried, of
a rare coloration. The revival of abstracted geo-
rnettical foons in architecture derives in pan from
the Islamic influence in Venice, with the Platonic
idealism that made possible its acceptance. The
Islamic influence in garden architecture is most
evident inthe use ofwaterworks inthe gardens, such
as the aqueducts described inthe above passage, and
the decorative working of surfaces in relief, mosaic
or calligraphic omament. This cluster ofknowledge
included the mediaeval flourish of Arabic optics, as
described for example in the Roman de la Rose,
Sufism, a mystical theology expressed in tenns of
love, and alchemy.
FOURSNAKES AND AN EGG
Pour ioto a round glass vessel, shaped like a pbial or
egg.
S13
Inanoctagonal architectural setting made entirely of
jasper is a fountain al1 ofgold: Between the heads of
fourentwined serpents was suspendeda vessel made
in the shape ofan egg, the point downmost, at the top
ofwhich were eight small pipesfrom which spurted
jets of water."" The egg is the alchemical vessel,
'pelican, ' orbainmarie, representingthe womb, and
inwhichthe lapis emerges afterdistillatioo. It merges
the eggs of Leda' s childreo, concord and discord are
at one. Four snakes (uniting one and three) are held
by the hennaphroditic filius, or rebis, the rebom
hero, in many alchemical images of this stage.
1amtheeggofnature. Bythephilosophers1amname<!
Mercurius.SIS
(
Theegg is a copy ofthe world egg; the albumen and
yolkcorrespondto thecelestial sphereandthe physi-
cal world. containingwithin it the fourelements. The
shiftingforms ofMercury make senseoolywhenyou
know that each is contextualized by its relative
location within the process.
You have the authority of Plato... and Horace. who says
that there are some things - and dlese are nodoubt oftbat
kind that become more deligbtful widl each repeti-
tion.
SII
The recurrence of the same motifs, whether these
occur in symbol, shape, name, or rnaterial connote
that it is a1ways the same subject underconsideration
in different ways. The chain of beng in these meta-
morphoses is based on a visual or verbal tropism, in
which cenain aspects ofeach incarnation remain as
a clue to the continuity. The meaning ofthe repeated
motif is then given in that space between its identity
with its previous manifestation and the differences
from il, in other words, in tenns of relation, or
transformation, the metamorphosis of nature by art.
NATURE APPLIED TO NATURE
What is higher in the same context of things draws tbat
which is lower, and converts it to itself....
511
Alchemy was linked to mystical theology by the
concidence of opposites, the two which are recon-
ciled in the One. It augured the modelling ofknowl-
edge throughthe human body, withanewconscious-
ness of the complementary relation between the
sexes, or as it were, of two symbiotic gendered
worlds. Theemphasis onthemysteriumconjunctionis
was indispensible to the emphasis on production
construed in terms of reproduction, courtly love
rather than abstraet affections and desire as a gravi-
tational phenornenon. 'Natural' immediacyhadto he
mediated or 'tumed' by artifice. The unity of oppo-
sites requireda mediatinghennetic third; loveneeded
to he educated like vision, which similarly requires a
126
framing device to integrate subject and object. In
architecture this function is perfonned by omament,
whichconnotes a threshold.1ntheHypnerotomachia
an omnipresence of mirrors symbolizes an integra-
tian of the ego with the strangeness within the self.
The revelation discovered is that representation im-
plies the incorporation ofstrangeness ioto the famil-
iar; its power depends upon this, and its model is
synaesthetic memory. Nature could not be appre-
hended without a constnlct which reveals il, human
nature included. This device is the frame, which acts
educatively. There was a new emphasis in the Re-
naissance on the cosmetic as a mode ofunveiling the
real. Representation was reseued from the Platonic
'copy of a copy' to become a revelation of essence.
This is evident not ooly in Alberti' s note in bis book
On Painting that drapery depends on what it covers,
but also in the fact that the" greater part of bis Ten
Books onarchitecture is devoted to the proper design
and placement of omament.
THE EARTHLY PARADISE
Gardeos, based00the ideaofrecreatingEden, are set
apart from uncultivated nature. Distinct also from
monastic kitehen gardens or gardens of medicinal
herbs, is the gardeo whose colours, omaments, and
visible order give pleasure and revives the spirit. ln
the squares orparquets ofthe secondringapproach-
ing the centre, instead of the fountain was a LoveLy
invention, which was a great box of chalcedony,
hollow, the colour of sea-foam, ornamented with
mouldings, three paces long and three paces high,
placedacross on the Leveloftransverse avenues, on
both sides, in which, about afootfrom the base, was
planteda shrub made in theformofan antique vase,
one pace high, comprising the foot, body and neck,
which had no handles. On it was mounted a giant,
who /cept his IWo feet on the mouths of the vases,

(
clothed to the knees andbeltedaround the mJdle 01
his body. He had his arms raued, and a hat on his
head/neacholhishands heheIda towerfourpaces
across andsixin height, at the base olwhich wuIWO
steps, with a door, window, battlements and
crenellations. The foregoing assenion that the veg-
etation has been neither cultivated nor cut iotoshape
aIludes to a representational potential ofnature sug-
gesting prodigious natural origins of architectural
form. At the top ofeach was a sphere, planted on a
pivot, as wide as the body ofthe tower. From these
IWO globes emergedtwo branches, bending towards
eachother, makinga lovely vaultas highasoneolthe
towers. From these globes simultaneousLy sprouted
two other branches which rose upwards, but these
weremoreslenderthan the others, andat the top was
a tuft in the shape ofapear, thepoint beingalthe top,
beginning to grow from the Level of the Icey of the
vault, whence hung another globe, S1IUIlier than the
others, andfrom there, arose a trunk which crossed
the key, then supponing a round dish, somewhat
hollow, shaped like a lamp.base, its edges touching
the IWo pointed tufts. (...] The gartlener had eurved
them into hemispheres, and with empty undersides
like a vault, so weIl that they gave a recreative shade
Iike no other.- The role ofthe architeetas defined by
Alberti includes the garden as under bis jurisdiction
for the fmt time.'"
THE SEVEN LEVELS
Lapis lazuli was given its colour (sapphire). because of
its Jovial power against Satum's black bile.-
Thefaces ofthe steps whieh su"oundedthe planters
was so curiouslypolished, that one couIdseetherein
the greenery and the fOTm of the porphyry fence
which encircled the parquets."1 The pedestals or
stylopodes, with the wall in between were ofalabas-
ter, and the columns ofdifferent stones, assorted in
pairs. Those whichjlankedthe door were oftranslu-
cent chalcedony; the IWofollowing ofgreen /rexacon
stone shining fonh many colours; IWo of brilliant
hieracite with black flecks, IWo of white galactite,
two ofchrysoprase, IWo ofgleaming atizoedi flash-
mg with silver, andso on in order, diverse in colours
andeut with thefull perfection 01the art, according
to the appropriate measures.
m
The water was so
pure, clear and subtle, that it caused no dispropor-
tion or impediment beIWeen the gaze and its object:
for ail things there were seen aIL the way to the
bonom in their proper fOTm and nature, no bigger
norlonger, notbent, obliqueorotherwisedefoTlfU!d.
1IJ
At the edge ofthe precinct were made, ail aroundthe
island, seven steps which were afoot in width andas
much in height, one of red marble and the next 01
black, which wasoutside the regulationsofarchitec-
ture, whichdesires that steps be htllfafoot in height,
oreight inches at themost, orone-and-a-halffeetfor
a base. This is the firstofColonna's deliberate erotic
'errars,, which signify the necessity for pmdent
ingenuity on the part of the architect. The first level
was of black stone, and on the last there was a
peristyle, that is to say, an enclosure ofdense col-
umns, with portais in line with the alles, along
which one climbed these steps, except in the great
and principal avenue leading from the entrance to
the theatre:foralongthat therewere nosteps like the
others, butonlytheavenueascendingina linle slope.
The picnostyle columns were planted IWO by IWO
along this plinth which was expressly made double,
and after six columns in a row, there was a square
pi/larofredmarble, on whieh was placeda pellucid
bail ofgilded copper, ail rounded without any other
working. The sixcolumnsshowedana"ayofcolours,
to wit, Iwo ofchalcedony, IWo of green jasper and
two ofredjasper. The architrave,frieze andcomice
were ofporphyry, and the pillar eutfrom the same.
127

{ .} The mainavenuedidnot Mrrowinwidth li/ce the

othen, but maintained its symmetryfrom beginning
toend. Atopthe comicethere weremanypeacoclcsof
aIL kinds, some strutting, others showing off, and
many standing ail quietly, their tails hanging over
thefrie1.e andarchitrave. mingledas they were, here
andthere with aIL species ofparrots. which contrib-
uted in no mean way to the omamentation, to the
delicious aspect ofsucha work. Thefront ofthe steps
was carvedjudiciously, with antique andarabesque
motifs, thegrooves in the blackonesfilled with white
enamel. andin the redones withazure enamel. From
tms enclosure up to the following seven steps. there
wasonlyaPalhpavedwith white marble, afterwhich
one clnhed another seven steps ofthe same mate-
rial, tMasurement andworkmanship. with nodiffer-
enceordeviation.- Alongeach avenue, standtowers
madeofgreenery; full scenes ofwarandnaval battles
intopiary span from one tower to the next. The third
level is astonishing because at first it seemed to me
tlrat the whole ground was covered with a Turkish
carpet. assoned with ail colours according to the
intention ofthe artisan. leading in diverse sorts of
interlt.zcings andfoliages as Moorish as arabesques,
some more vibrant and bright. others a bit darker ...
or less prominent, but artisticaily harmoni1.ed in the
variety of shapes. The main ones were circular or
diamond shaped blocks. ovals, or other surfaces.
And these carpets followed one after the next ail
around the enclosure, excepting only where it met
theavenues, whichpassedovertwofigures ofa /cind,
for the reason tlrat three conlained as much as the
widthofapalh.'"Theiconoclastic geometricthemes,
suggesting the paradise gardens ofthe Arabic world,
are unifying the visual realm with the pure fonDS of
the mind in 'bUe vision'. The transparent water,
which is the transfonned Mercury or elixir, unites
perception and creation, which are at this moment
128
identical. Psychomachia bas become erotomachia:
representation is understood as a struggle, whichcan
he resolved in perception and in creativity (through
the purification process), which are identical incon-
ceptual sbUcture. Every representational model in-
cludes a sttanger in its paradise. Briefly, it was an
unimaginable thing, and which could almost not be
believed, for desire and the desired, to know and to
have, to will and to be able. were together in har-
mony. soperfectly lhat there was no contradiction.
596
The identity of signifier and signified is the dream
wish-fulfillment of Renaissance interpretation. No
longer a coincidence ofopposite limits, but modera-
tion in a middle tenn never categorically given.
metamorphosis reconciles boundary tocentre, creat-
ing reason fromthe irrational divine mystery, which
as Poliphilooften repeats. no words servetoexpress.
Like the metamorphic poetry which describes theRl,
mythological narratives are fonned in growing, liv-
ing matter. Their principal quality is instability in
transfonnation from one author to another, in the
coincidenceofdistinct figures and symbolic opposi-
tions. including those which in a dualist simplifica-
tion would he considered opposed. At the centre of
this hurricane ofmeaning, the essence ofthe symbol
stabilizesandmoderates throughanexperiencewhich
is unmediated because the sensible and cognitive
mechanisms of interpretation have been purified.
THE TRIUMPR OF CUPID
According to the Greek system of four elements. two
activating principlcs, love and strife, conununicate mo-
tion 10 the quatemity, love uniting and striCe sundering.
And bere again we find that in the course of lime the
clements succeed one another in dominance. "For," as
Empedocles states, '"they prevail in tum as the cin::le
cames round, pass ioto one anotber, and grow great in
tbeir appointed tum."",
Venus as Genetrix or Physizoa lu1es the anima
mundi; she gives lite and shape to the things in

nature, andsomakes intelligible beautyaccessibleto

human perception and imagination. Cupid, her son,
takes holdoftheseintermediary faculties inman, and
impels himto procreatea likeness ofdivine beautyin
the physical world. Cupid' s triumph yields standards
which resemble trophies of war, indeed, the last of
them reads meaning TAKEN IN BATILE..
Theprocessionincludesthestandard-bearersofMars.
As Hersey notes, bya reassemblage ofSPOils config-
ured as men, the destIUction of war was transformed
into sacrifice. By an engagement with sacrifice,
architecture cao participate in the cycle of life and
death througb becoming mythologica1, by reconcil-
ingthe melancholic orGnostichorroroftifelivingon
death. Sacrificial omament was shown in the ban-
quet hall, and in several echinus mouldings and
dentils, but intheamphitheatre the rams' slculls- and
the accompanying ;storia explicates its purpose in
the architecture. Cupid's triumph is puUed by two
dragons. Allkinds ofbears arepresent: pastophores
who carry the fmery for nuptial beds, pyrgophores
who carry shams and spoils of war, torch-bearers,
osmophores (bearing odours) musical instnllnents
ete. The monstrous standards bave mottoes which
include QUIS EVADET?, answered by NEMO. The
procession includes Venus, satyrs wearing garlands
of satyrion, Psyche, who holds in her rigbt band a
golden arrow, and in her left an antique lamp of
oriental hyacinth, and her nymphs, who carry vari-
ous objects for Cupid: a quiver withthe gold and lead
arrows, vases of sapphire and emerald, balls of
crystal and gold, a golden sphere, and a spindle-
sbaped ceramic vase with the words AU. THlNOS
HAVE UTrLE DURATION. The theme of vanitas was a
popular melancholic subject of still-life, or nature
morte paintings of the period. Here it secures a
positive significance: that of giving value to vital
experience: Our years which are so short and brief,
129
SMuidbemoredearly heldthan ail thetreasuresand
riches ofthe for our life is far morefugitive
t1u:ln the winds andvanishes more promptly than the
bubbles whichformon wateron the rain.- A nymph
crowned with ivy carries a golden vase in the shape
of a from which came milk out of a tinle
mouth, as iffora sacrifice. She walks between two
other nymphs, one crowned with the male mercury,
and the other with the female. Plants of the genus
mercurialishavedistinguishedmaleandfemalechar-
acteristics. The first held in one hand the statue ofa
whole child, and in the other, one who had neither
anns nor head. The second carried a figure and
simulacra ofSerapis, worshipped by the Egyptians.
It was the head ofa lion. which had on one side the
head of a dog, and on the other, t1u:lt of a wolf,
enclosedandsu"oundedbya serpent, which hadits
head bending toward the nght side, and radiating
s1u:lrp rays from within.- The ouroboros, or snake
which swallows its own tail symbolizes cyclical
recourse. 610 bis Satumalia, Macrobius describes a
statue of Serapis whose hand rests on a monstrous
creature, at once lion, wolf, and dog. Only the three
heads are visible, the bodies, wbich are fused ta-
gether, being wrapped inthecoils ofa serpenL' ... The
signum triceps shows the three aspects of Time: the
lion is the present; the wolf, the past; the dog, the
future. In bis painting uPnldentia" Titian combined
the three bestial heads and tripleface ofthe following
attribute for a six-beaded monstrosity. These bear-
ers: Each of them carried a monsrrous anribute in
gilded wood, crudely carved, affecting the hunum
form,from the triple headto thediaphragmonly. The
rest ofit wasfinished in a squaredsheath, diminish-
ing toward the base, andending with a Unie neck in
a base made/rom a linle wooden rectiUnear board.
Antiquefoliage replacedthe anns, andanapple was
placedon the chest. In the middle ofthe sheath, in its
(
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largest part, appearedthe ithyphallic sign.- This is
the three created from the two, and a re-representa-
tion of the altar of Priapus. As a henn or t e ~ a
boundary marker, it represents an intermediate stage
in the range bounded by column and statue, or
caryatid, including within its bounds the phallus, its
own representational model, and mergingtree, flesb,
and stone into one. The godTerminus, forwhomthis
form is n ~ could take any fonn, human, animal
or vegetable or be a composite of all three, as op-
posed to one adomed with the others.6QJ The preva-
lence of monstrosity signifies the creative imagina-
tion which is the human spirit converging with the
world spirit. The seeing subject and the thing seen,
being and knowing, converge and unite in the orgi-
astic celebrations. ln short. it was an inestimable
thing, andwhich eouldalmost not beunderstood,for
desire and the desired, knowledge and possession,
will and ability, were reeonciled together, so per-
fectly rhar there was no contradiction.- The task of
the memory arts is fulfilled in the perfection of
phantasmic cODStmction, as the oneiric merges with
the reaI, the image with the intellect.lt was made ro
blind to steal the eye ofunsophisticatedcharacters.
What perfection, what beauty, what explosiveness,
what superb omamentation, what extraordinary
work. With what subtlediligence hadthe spiritfound
the means to render so sweetly to the spectators a
pleasure which set them ablaze, a voluptuous temp-
tation which made them die.
t
THIS RULE WAS NOT OBSERVED
The columns of the upper tier should he one fourth
smaller than tboseofthe lower. because. for the purpose
of bearing the Joad. what is below ought to he stronger
thanwhat is above. and also. becauseweought to imitate
nature as seen in the case of things growing.-
Certainly the architectonie art requires that, when-
ever columns are superimposed, the second row
should be shorter by one quarter than the jirst ones
above. which they earry. the axis passing perpen-
dicularly through the middle ofthose columns and
their bases, and it even is demanded that the third
ordershouldbe shorter by ajifth. ln any case. in this
elegant and symmetrical building, this rule was not
observed at ail. The columns ofthe fint andsecond
orderwere ofthe same height; asforthe pilasters of
the thirdorder, they obeyedthis Iawandhad, like the
columm below. a round entablature. Besides those
whichsupportedtheenclosure. thepilastenorsquare
columns projected a third oftheir width outside the
plane of the wall where. between each of them,
openeda window. not squaredas was the custom in
temples, but curved in an arch, as is the custom in
profanebuildings. The masrercomice, tumingabove
towardthepilasters. didnotproject. butwasfortified
with ail the o17Ulments and mouldings necessary.
fOrmng the principal entablature of the building
which il surrounded with the most harmonious pro-
portion.fin
ln human making, the realm of the unknowable has
traditionally been signified by the presence ofdelib-
erate error in the artifact with respect to its meta-
phorical intention. Typical ofsymbolic thought is the
presence oferror bath as a motif of transgression, as
weU as one of reconciliation. In the weaving of
Middle Eastern carpets, these garden-models of the
universe have deliberate aberrations introduced ioto
the pattern so as not to offend the gods by the vanity
of aspiring to perfection. This perfection is ascer-
tained by the conventions of the canon. Why does
Colonna assai! the authority of Vitruvius? As a
monster of memory. To displace emphasis from the
representation to its referent. And, in an ethical
framework, theory depends upon establisbing the
limits of convention, which cao he discovered only
by their transgression, that is, by direct experience of
the other.
130

(
Therearetwo kinds ofmadness. onearising fromhuman
dsease. the other when heaven sets us free from estab-
lished convention.-
From this it may he sunnised that ordinary roles of
moral order based on reason cao he transgressed by
one affIicted withdivine madness, and in this lies the
possibility of genuine invention, in the sense in
whicb we know it. The destiny of the hero exists in
greater uncertainty and thus his character is heyond
moral judgement. 'Because he stands apart from the
common objects of human ambition and applies
himself to the divine. he is reproached by most men
for being out of his wits; they do not realize that he
is in fact possessed by a god.'llOIl The hero'sjourney
is a sacrificial rite of renewal, given new imperative
by the displacement of absolute tnlth by original
truth. The Renaissance man, too,joumeyedbackioto
his origins in the Golden Age, for a renewal which
oCten challenged common morality.
Customs. habits. opinions. desires. pleasures. pains and
fears are continually changing. nor does any of these
remain the same or evensimilar... we are not always the
same with respect to knowledge.... whatever wastes
away and departs leaves behind something newand like
tself.
tlO
In this fonnulation of reproduction and representa
tion is the role played by desire in love: that which is
partially possessed and partially absent. The soul is
allotted the reasons of the customs, arts and disci
plines. That which is possessed by memory and
represented as the extemalization of memory or the
extension ofdesire. Since nc.one cao desire what is
ultimately unknown, the Forms and Reasons must
exist a priori in the soul to furnish the faculty of
judgement. The idea ofa set offonns common to the
world soul but brought to specificity in the material
world is like Jung' s formulation of the archetypes6l'
of the human psyche, manifesting themselves con
textually with specific differences according to pe-
culiar individual states. This accounts for the recon-
131
ciliation of the perfection of garden geometry with
the grotesque sensibility of rosticatedarchitecture in
the Renaissance. Both disclose the matbematical
ideal in matter in its transitional state. lmitating the
in-between realmof the s p i r i ~ this is an architecture
dedicated to moderation and temperance.
THE AMPHITHEATRE
Anifice, although devised to connect man to his
world, paradoxically ends in phantasmically dis-
placing the immediacy of the experience of nature
when its worles are seen as abjects rather than opera-
tions. Education is the process of reconnectiog to the
naturaI world. In the triumph of Cupid, creation has
been retumed to its origins, the deities of love, the
poets and their muses, the monstrous beings who
signify memory, the lovers and nymphs with tbeir
attributes and signatures retum ta the theatre of
memory which is the pbantasmic anima mundi, the
sum total of the erotic forces of the mythical uni-
verse, gleaming like a great white egg al the summit
of verdant Cythera.
[Mercurius is] our true hidden vessel. and also the
Philosophical Garden in which our sun rises and as-
cends.
t'Z
The amphitheatre was a monster and a prodigy of
structure, and rather divine work than made by the
hands o/mortai workers. Previously, in similar re-
maries, Poliphilo bas ascribed the divinity to an
'external' power, one of the gods. Presently, the
divine signifies a more 'internai' force. Our arrivaI
was by the grand avenue, along the length ofwhich,
on both sides, there were secret UnIe tubes which
incessantly sprayed muskwater, so perfect that no
sweeter scent was ever breathed.
tlJ
When we had
a"ived at the gate ofthe amphitheatre, 1set myself
to the contemplation of the details, in order to de
scribe its particularities. lt was ofazure stone: the

bases and the capitals of fine purified gold, the

architrave. thefrieze. the comice andthe tympanum
ofthefrontispiece. ofthe sameazure stone. The sides
or jambs which held up the arch ofthe opening. of
ophite; the columns setasomament on the IWOsides.
ofporphyry, and thosefollowing varied, to witt one
ofserpentine and the nut ofporphyry. The middle
ones issuing perpendicular to those of porphyry
were of ophite, and the highest were cut in the
Athenian manner. also being ofbeautiful porphyry,
thus diversifying one opposite the other. On the two
sides of the door there were two excellently rich
vases. one of sapphire. and the other of emerald,
carved with admirable artifice: which made me
remember those which were at the entrance to the
temple ofJupiter in Athens.'M The 'commemorat' of
the treatise's tide refers to the phenomena of the
everyday world, through and beyond the catalytic
dream-world of fantastic idea1s, which is finally a
medium of remembrance, and Ibus an aletheia, a
truth in phantasmic symbols. The columns are trans-
fonned from structure into o m a m e D ~ for the gravity
they sustain is no longer physical but animate, as
metaphors for Poliphilo's recreated perception. Cu-
pid descends from his chariot to lead them into the
amphitheatre.
ln short. my friend. build a temple from a single stone.
lilec to white lead. to alabaster. to Proconnesian Mamie.
wimneither end nor beginning in its construction.
tLS
Let
it bave within it a spring of the purest water. sparlding
like the sun.lit
The encroachment, the architrave. the base.
stylopode,jrieze, andtheenclosureswrappingaround
the building were ofgildedcopper, andail the rest of
white alabasterperfectedby nature andby industry.
Outside, it had IWo orders of columns. and IWo
arcades, one above another. The third were square
pilasters, the arcadesformedinhalf-eircles, with the
addition ofone seventh oftheir width. The columns
supporting the waILprojectedonly halfoftheirbody.
and were fluted and rudentured (that is to say with
rotis ortubes)from the padat the base ofthe shaft to
a third of their height. The capitals, bases and
stylobates (also known as pedestals) were ofgilded
copper. At the comers of these stylobates. specifi-
cally belowtheir mouldings, there were sheep slculls
with their wrinkled and curling hOTnS, from which
hungmanybeautifulfestoonsorbundles ofgreenery,
passingbeneatha Crcie made in the centreofthe low
die, and similarly framed by mouldings, in which
there was carved in low-relief a satyric sacrifice,
wherethere wasanaltarandabovea tripod, holding
anantique bronze vase boilingoverfire. andoneach
side ofthe altar a naked nymph blowing on the fire
witha small tube. [ ...}Others hadbeenmadetoshow
other devices and inventions.
'
' The depiction of the
satyric sacrifice condenses in a single image the
subjects and objects of alchemical metamorphosis.
This whole magnificent structure was built offine
lndian alabaster. as transparent as shining glass,
constructed without cement nor any mortar, but on
thecontrary, the stonesweresoweilquarried.jointed
andfinedtogether. that it couldnotfear dissolution.
but is reclconed etemally durable.
'
The circumfer-
ence ofthe building was first partitioned or divided
intofour, each quarter divided into eight. making in
ail thirty-twodivisionsandas manycolumnsaround:
for at each eighth part was placed a column.
619
The
enclosure was vaulted with double arches, which
madetwo corridorsoralles encirciing the building.
The inner pillars were closer to one another than
those ofthe exteriorface. and there was again less
space betweenthose ofthe inside ring. As well, as the
lineaments approached the centre more closely, so
much more did they grow narrower. The spacefrom
one pillarto the next diminished in size according to
the proportion of the arc, the height remaining
132

always at an equal measurement. The pavedfloorof

these 10l/ely alles was covered by an admirable
invention and a superb art; ofmosaic, as was simi-
larly the underside of the vaults, of very beautiful
stones ofcolours marvellously varied, ofa cohesion
so precise, that they appeared deceplively 10 be
integral. Gleaming Iike a mi"or ofthe highest pol-
ish. ail wereofthe sameworlananship, so that the art
ofthe one related to that ofthe other, and ail were
madeincompartments, enrichedwithantiqueleaves.
The soffits, thanles to the technical abUity of the
skillful architect, were decoratedwilh istoriae poeti-
cally painted in mosaic, highly adomed with the
most elegant pigmentation. In these compartments
were ponrayed ail the effects and operations of
sacred love.GO Colonna's adjective for this technical
ability is caiotechnio, compounding calor, animal
heat, with techne, referring to the hot melancholy of
the artifex which gives motive soul to the work, and
to the heat of making which Ficino describes as the
critical factor in magical amulets. The placement of
the theatre in the centre ofCythera shows that it is a
true theatre of memory, a space of appearance for
phantasmic sequences, so that the 'subject' of each
mosaic painting indivisibly renders its intellectual
content as its image. For this reason, in the text,
Colonna puns mosaic with museaco, the poetry n-
spired by the Muses. Poliphilo describes the mosaic
workasdeceptivefor he knows that it is compounded
of a multiplicity of stones and yet, to his purified
condition, has the appearance of total unity in its
figuration, as the Aristoteliancategories melt iotoair
in the face of the infinite. Similarly, he cao distin-
guish the components of the architecture, while
acknowledging its indivisible unity. In this marvel-
lous building were displayed ail together the acute
and great talent and Icnowledge derivedfrom expe-
rience of the artist, the distinguished art of the
sculptor [signijicoJ, and the ingenious power of
beauty of the tessellator who had made il: for ail
structures yielded before this work, the sumptuous
temple ofEphesus, the Coliseum oramphitheatre of
Rome, the Theatre of Verona, or any other building
famed in history. For the columns, capitals. bases,
comices, incrustations, pavements, statues, insig-
nias, andail the otheraccessories, not without mag-
ni/cent anddivine operation, were so marvellously
composed and co-ordinated, perfectly castigated,
artistically consummated, and most excellently
achieved that 1was stilled with the highest admira-
tion.
611
This temple is the architectural lapis
philosophorum, with the fountain of life in the cen-
tre, shining with enlightenment. It is the alchemical
domus thesaurorum or gazophylacium (treasure
houseF which is also the hennetic vessel. For the
Neoplatonists, the wisdom of God consisted in a
treasurehouse ofideas; that ofman, ofimages ofthe
ideas. Melancholic contemplation was incamated in
architectural fonn as a grotto of curiously worked
things, a cabinet of curiosities, collection heing a
recovery through 'remembrance' of the ideas as
images.
ln [Saintyves'] opinion. the dream of falling is linked
witb 'very characteristic intestinal contractions' which
we feel in daily life 'when falling off ladders.
w
Once inside, having clearedthe vaulledgallery, and
arrived at the evenly levelled surface ofthe amphi-
theatre, we were gripped with the highest degree of
admiration; asforme, as soonas1set/ooton il, 1saw
such a great wonder, more stupefying than ail that
which1hadseen already, for thefloor o/the amphi-
theatre appeared to be made, completely round and
whole, from a single monolithic obsidian stone,
extremely black, ofan impervious hardness, so pol.
ished, so glossy, that at first, in my distraction, 1
believedlhadsetmyfootTighl intoanabyss, andwas
falUng in a great hole, clark, and horrifying, into
133
(
(
which, filled with love and sensuality as 1was, 1had
a mortal terrorofbeingplunged However, the walls
which su"oundedit somewhat allowedme to regain
myself. Throwing 1regainedmysenses;
not without injuring my misplacedfoot. The injured
foot draws attention to a renewal of standpoint or a
revealedconsciousness oforientation; inconnedion
with the great drama of self-knowledge. Oedipus
means 6 swoUen foot,' and as with Achilles, this
articulationindicates the hero. 6 Hephaestus, Wieland
the Smith, and Mani (the founder of
famous also for his artistic gifts), had crippled feet.
The foot ... is suPPOsed to POssess a magical genera-
tive power.'a. In a dream. Apuleius saw the priest
who carried the roses whicb would tum himto bis
human shape, bis identifying cbaracteristic: a lame
foot. The symbolic import of this moment is articu-
lated by the sensation of falling: the moment of
disorientation and reorientation, and the ttiumph of
craft over naturaI strength.
AIl these forms are strange to you, you do not recognizc
them for wbat they are. 1bey terrify you beyond words,
and yet it is you who bave created them. It is from your
ownmindtbereforetbat all this bas sprung. Whatyousee
bereis but thereOectionofthecontentsofyourownmind
in the minor of the Void.
w
In the abyss of telluric matter wbich the intellect
comprehends not at all without the spirit, there is a
single ray of Iight, substantiated as the fountain of
divineinspiration, whoseguardianspirit isthemother
oflove. The daylight couldbe seen in this stone, and
there one cou/d contemplate the clearprojundity of
the sky as ifin a calmandpeaceful sea. Thecelestial
powers ofthe gods, are reflected inthe symbol ofthe
ocean, theunconscious partofthe psycbe. The whole
entourage, just like that abolie, was reflected far
better than in the most polished of mirrors. In the
exact centreofthisarenawasartfullyestablishedthe
most sacred and delicious fountain of the divine
mistressandMotherofLove.DThis is the unmoving
centre ofthe wheel offortune, wherePoliphilo' s will
comes iotoits owo. Theotherwiseemptycentreisthe
space ofappearance of the focal point of the telestic
narrative. Like Telosia's gron0
7
it is the space of
fantasy; the unified black mirror is the empty slate
where Poliphilo cao finally project bis desire: all-
knowing is unknowing. Only when the mind is
opened to the unknown and the unknowable charac-
ter of being, can inspiration penetrate. In generating
models of the world we are constructing bridges
between the known and the unknown. Man models
andremodels his worldbygivingordertoits commu-
nicative potential. This universal speech whicb pre-
cedes rational thought belongs to the common man,
to every iodividual in human society. The architec-
tural notionofcalibration, roomfor play, is the stage
for the oscillating movement ofsettling between the
self and the universe. It is this quality which trans-
fonus thedichotomybetweenfit andunfitandmakes
everyconscious act ofengagement anact ofinterpre-
tation. For this reason, that the attendance of the
unknown must he preserved, to render fully is to lose
the sense of wonder and respect. This calibration is
not a quality of the theatre, another daidalon in the
fitting of its parts, for its supematural quality is due
to the direct transmission of contemplative thought
not conveyed through the impurity of the melan-
cholic body. What ColonnacaUs the invention ofthe
mass, Alberti calls lineaments whicb are intended to
fmd 'the correct, infallible way ofjoiningand fitting
together tbose lines and angles which define and
enclose the surfaces of a building' and to 'prescribe
an appropriate place, exact numbers, a proper scale,
andagraceful order for whole buildings and for each
of their constituent parts, so that the whole foon and
appearance ofthe building may depend on the linea-
ments alone.'lU The steps ofshining stone encircling
134
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the place beganat the LeveLofthe pavingandwere of
three orders, each havingfour grades, not solid, but
hollow, ... filled with earth and planted with ail
mannerofflowers, which rose no higher than a Iinle
overhalfofthefollowingstep. There were noflowers
in the fourth, for it was made as a passage or alle,
coveredwithanarchedtrellis, ... whichtrellisdidnot
in the least block the viewofthefifth step, where the
second tier began, a Unie more elevated than the
others, preserving a convenient proportion; and so
with the others, as much in the thirdas in thefourth
orders, for the same measurement was observed in
ail. The arm-rests, or supports ofthefirst alle were
ofvery black stone, reflecting like glass, those ofthe
secondofspartopoIia, the third ofhieratites andthe
fourth ofcepronide, so giowing tlrat it wouId have
seemed to you tlrat to look through the trellises that
it was theslcy whichpresenteditselftoyourview, and
not a wall ofstone. On the side ofthe arm-rests the
trelUs began to curve in an arch, the whole so weil
guidedbyarchitecture, that aILthe blocks ofthe steps
con-esponded to the level ofthe line drawn from the
highest to the Iowest. by an excellent artifice, divine
invention. and aimost incomprehensible. Above the
fourth trellis, there was a wall ... hollow andfiLled
withearth, sun-oundedbothonthe outsideandonthe
inside bya moulding made ofalabasterasfine as the
rest ofthe building, exceptfor the steps, which were
of oriental jasper of many colours combined and
mixedtogether: andthey were borderedat the top by
a moulding offine gold. This wall constituted the
comice ofthe amphitheatre, in which were planted
cypresses, IWOby IWo.QI Thefonnal arrangement and
topiary of the cypresses is compounded by other
trees. The poles, osiers andaIl the othercomponents
ofthe trellises were offine gold: thefirst, coveredby
flowering mynie bent over a golden architrave,
supported by an arch sitting on coIumns ofthe same
metal, which Iuul for a stylopode or pedestal the
fourth step, the plan ofwhich (making the alle and
path beneath the trellis) was paved with a paste or
cement composed of amber, music, benjamin. and
storaxofablackish colour, amongst which wasfixed
oriental pearls, ail ofone sizeandnobility, arranged
in antique leaves in the form ofa mosaic, mingled
with linie birds, a work (certainly) ofgreat unique-
ness, to which no other might compare.
119
Opinions vary on how to adom the walls of a sacred
building. The wall of a chapel in Cizicus was adomed
withpolished marbleandjointsofsolidgold. Thebromer
of Phidias used a paste of saffron and mUk as stucco for
the temple of Minerva in Elis.&JO
The cement projects the omamental surface through
the rising spirit of the incense, a literai 'inspiration'
for the artifex. The paving seemed to be made to be
walJcedon only by divinefeet. The secondtrellis was
opulently covered with red and white roses, and the
paving made of powdered coral, cemented, still
retaining its lustre andnative colour, showingabove
on the surface a foUage with antique jlowers, with
Ieaves ofemerald andjlowers ofsapphire, ail even.
and polished to perfection. The third had jasmine,
andthe paving ofpu/,verizedazure stone ofcelestial
huechangingtowards green, was workedinMoorish
interlacingsmadefrompreciousstones, ofallcolours
and types that nature knows how to produce, mixed
withflecksofgoIdoriginatingin the stone itself, such
lhat it was impossible to believe the admiration,
pleasure andcontentment tlrat this gave to the view-
ers. 1hadno doubt that celestial spirits couldnot but
he satisfied enough by it, indeed, what is more,
astonishedat the same time,forsofar this surpassed
aIL that was ever imagined by man.
QI
Imagination is the star in man, the celestial or
supercelestial body.632
The architecture is voluptuous, at once satisfying in
its ornament, yet reproducingthedesireofthe viewer,
135
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increasingly more conscious of bis curious orienta-
tion. He is al once subject and object. voyeur and
p h a n t a s ~ delimited and infinite. In truth these ob
jects appeared to be doubled. and this was occa-
sioned by the wall, which was so black and so
polished. that it represented everything thus Iila! a
fine mi"or g/ass.
w
It was such that 1 re1lUJined
confused about it, andalmost beside myself, like he
who while dreaming contempltlles dreaming, and is
uncertain whether he is asleep or awake. Ali my
senses internal and external were occupied and
imposedupon withan inexplicablepleasure, andmy
heart was onfire with a bumingj1ame oflove, lit by
the unrivalledbeauty ofmy belovedPolia: such that
Ilcnew no longer who 1was, nor to what place 1had
been transported. &M The whole was so weil orches-
trated by architecture ... by an excellent artifice,
divine invention, and almost incomprehensible.

Theself-consciousness ofthe sleepingstateis awak

ening fmally; the soul is awakening in malter to give
it fonn.
THE FOUNTAIN OF VENUS INTHE CENTRAL
AMPHITBEATRE
Wisdom bath builded ber bouse. sbe bath bewn out ber
seven piUars.
OI
The fountain is heptagonal, with a pantheon of col
umns standing for the seven planetary gods. It is
constructed in such a way that it seems to emerge
from the void of the inky stone the way the island
rises from the sea. From the tnIlSsive black stone of
which the paving of the expanse of the place was
11I/Jde, andfromthesamepiece, was raiseda lowwall
orelbow rest, afoot inheight, carvedina roundwith
sevenangles, omamentedwithmouldingsasmuchat
the base as towards the top; andat each angle there
wasa Littleprojection, in the mannerofa stylopodor
pedestal, on which stood seven columns. One ofthe
faces wasoPeninordertomakeanentrance; infront
of this we /cnelt. The column on the righl side was
madeofasinglepieceofthefinestblue sapphire, that
on the leftofemeraldofthe brightest green, the third
of turquoise stone of a beautiful celestial blue, in
colour resemblingfine azure and, although as it WQS
not as clear and transparent as the others, il was
polishedso much that it shone as brilliantlyas glass.
Thefourth was ofcaeca stone the colour ofMelilot,
thefifth oftopaz representing the colour ofgoid, the
sixth ofvioletjasper, and the seventh oftransparent
Indian beryl, revealing the appearance offreshly
made olive oil, andin whichaILthings opposite were
reflected. This one was hexagonal, tlrat is to say, eut
with six planes, responding directly to the middle of
the entrance, betweenthe twofirst columns: because
in aILangularfigures which have an uneven number
ofangles, the one which responds to thecentre afthe
space is between the two other angles which stand
opposite to it.
m
Caeca. which means blindness in the
moral or physical sense, is pale yellow veined with
violet. Gemstones embody the orders of geometric
structure and refracted Iight. Beryl is a minerai
species encompassing aquamarine and emerald
among others, notable for ilS hexagonal crystalline
structure. Pliny notes that skilled craftsmen cut ber-
yls to an hexagonal shape to enhance their brilliance
and colout. Poliphilo describes how proportional
division is usedinthegeometrical constructionofthe
plan. Sa to fOTln this outline ofseven angles, first a
circlemustbe11I/Jde, anddividedin/ourbya perpen-
dicularline andatransversal whichcrosseachother
right through the centre point. Then, with the com-
passdivideoneoftheparts into sevenequalportions,
andoftheseencompassfourbetween the twoarms of
the compass, next passing this measurement above
the line of the circumference and it will he found,
certain/y, to divide evenly into seven." Against the
136
(
(
beryl column which was the seventh, was carvedinto
the same stone a young hermaphrodite chi/d, infull
relief, enfolded by a cotyledon.&J9 In this explicit
comparison ofbody and column, the sttuctural fonn
ofthecaryatid has been transfonned ioto idiovertical
omamentation. The child represents the bisexual
predispositionofcosmogonie deities, and signifies a
conjunctionofthe strongest oppositions, embodying
thecreative unionofopposites, signifiedas thetriune
aspects ofboth the god and the goddess. On the three
translucent columns to the right side there WQS in
similarfashion a boy ofthe same stone, andequally
on those of the left side, finie girls: these figures
gazing at one other so vitally andwith such a beau-
tiful lustre, such that the emery or challe of Tripoli
could not have given them. The bases. capitals.
Phrygianarchitrave.jrie1.eandcomice were ofpure
solidgoId: the arches springingfrom one column to
the otherofthe same stone. that is to wit, ofsapphire
/rom the sapphire column, of emerald from the
emeraldcolumn, andsoonconsistently. Atthe angles
ofthe comice, in line with the columns. each hall a
liale pedestal holding seven images ofpurest gold,
representing the seven planets. with their appropri-
ateattributes by whichtheyare known. Theirsi1.e did
not exceed a third part ofcolumns below them. On
the face in front of the right side was venerable
Satum holding his scythe. and on the left the night-
bkzzing Cynthia, 6tfI) proceeding in orderfrom thefirst
in a circle ending in Selene.6j' This is a reworking of
the astrological knowledgedisplayedat the Palaceof
Free Will and the temple ofVenus, inthe round. The
appearance of the gods in statuary form is a higher
species of representation which reproduces idea or
essence directly. Beneath the idols appear the corre-
sponding symbols in the representational chain of
being, those which iconically reproduce the
geometrico-musical proportions, and the optically
correct illusory phantasms. On thefrie1.e belowwas
carvedwithexquisiteartifice insemi-reliefthetwelve
signs ofthe zodiac, with their impressions andchar-
acters inscribed above.
6C
Poliphilo is able to recon-
elle the different appearances of the same symbolic
quality for each planetary god, and io doing this,
draws them ioto himself. Finally, architecture har-
monizes completely with nature, mimetically uni-
fied with its origin in the quintessential grotto. the
space of imagination.
Far in its depths laya woodland cave, which no hand of
man had wrought: but nature by her own devices had
imitatedart. She hadcarvedanatural arch fromtheliving
stone and the soft tufa rocks. On the right was a murmur-
iDg spring ofclear water. spadingout into a wide pool
with grassy banks.kl
The roof or cover of this marvellowfountain was
made in a round vault like an invertedcup without a
foot, aLl of a single piece of crystal, whole and
mtlSsive, with no vein, jlaw, nap, discoloration, nor
any stain whatsoever, hut clearer than water which
gushesfrom the living rocle, artless and raw with no
finishing, but thwcompletely as nature hadmade it.
Hence did it seem so beautiful and perfect in aU
things, tlult Xenocrates saw nothing equalling it.
foundneitherin Cyprus. norproducedinAsia, norin
Germany, nor did Nero ever destroy anything Like
this. At the base it was girdled by golden foliage
intermingling Unie children and monsters, embrac-
ing one another in childlike activities, likewise play-
ing and climbing amongst the leaves, so naturally
and so weIl were they expressed lhat they had no
needofasingleword. Fromthe slendersummitofthe
cupola, right in the centre, was fixed a miraculow
prodigy, jlashing like lightning. a carbuncle set in
chamfered gold, in an oval form the size of an
ostrich's egg. The red egg is the fertile matrix from
which the ftlius philosophorum or lapis is hom. Il
represents the rubedo of the alehemical process, the
transfonnationoforderfrompassion iotoaction. The
137
(
vessel or vas mirabile is nessarily integral, and
either egg-shaped for the uterus, or round as an
imitation of the cosmos, to sympathize with the
. influence of the stars.
Phanes-Eros. first-bom of Night. is hailed as "egg-bom'
(COO)'EV11Q in the Orphie Hymns. and of a "double
nature' (BlturlO.-
Thecosmogonie promise isfulfdled byOrphie myth:
Love and light are a single force.
MS
On the smali wall
supporting the columns, carvedfrom the same black
stone as the pavement made in seven faces (as has
beensaidabove) wasengravedcertaincapital Greek
letten, composed ofa ninth part oftheir panel, that
is to say that their width was a ninth oftheir height.
They werefilledwithsilver, to give themlustre onthe
black and so weil set that they seemed to be written
there in liquid silver, with a brush. On one of the
faces there were only IWo letters, andon each ofthe
others. three, and they said thefollowing: DESIRE 15
UIA SPARK.... Eacholthesevenfaceswas threefeet
in length, andfrom the bases up to the architrave.
there was sevenfeet in measure. Certainly it was an
admirable wor/c, and 1 thought of say;ng no other
thingofit, itsdignity beingthusbetterpreservedthan
to discuss itat length; 1sawthat ;twerebetterto keep
silent than, in thinJcing to infer this thing aheatl, to
expose my ignorance and roughness.
M1
Between the
sapphire and emerald columns, there was a curtain
hungfromgoldenhookspassedthroughsilklaces, so
lovely andso richtkat itseemedtomethat nature hall
made it expressly in order to veil the gods: so
exquisite was the material. Without a doubt, it is not
possible for a human to portray. This aside, 1 am
certainly able to say that it was the colour01sandal-
wood. woven with beautiful flowers, illtermingled
withfour Greek ieners made in embroidery accord-
ing 10 the following numner: YMHN, That is to say,
Thefine skin with which the infant is enclosed in the
belly of his mother. This is the entrance ioto the
mysterious matrix of creation, where the fusion of
mercury and sulphur, the egg and the dart, so to
speak, occurs. This curtain was drawn before the
fountain, to cover that which Lay beyond, and in
order that it should be opened. Polia and1being on
our knees before our master, Cupid, he gave his
golden a"owto the nymphSynesia, makinga sign to
hertkat she shouldpresent it to Polia, with which to
rupture and tear the curtain: at which that belle
revealed herself to be mast uneasy, and it seemed
that she would do il unwillingly as if she had been
deployed to obey the sacred laws ofLove. to which
she already was subject.- Synesia' s name means
engagement, encounter, understanding. By drawing
back, Polia demonstrates that she represents the
passiveandcontemplativernaterial element(tbeory),
while Poliphilo is the active mental one.
divinus influxus, ex Dea manans, per coelos penetrans,
descendens per elementa. in inferiorem materiam
desinens...loti
Paracelsus claimed that at the end of the process, a
'physicallightning' would appear, the 'lightning of
Satum' separates from the lightning of the sun, and
what appears in this lightning pertains 'to longevity,
that undoubtedly great Diaster.'630 When Poliphilo
lacerates the curtain with Cupid' s divine instrument,
The caeca column blazed passionately aIL around
and the emerald column cracked just as it should
have, hall it been sluJttered in fragmenrs.I!Jl The
crackingofthis column manifests a releaseofunseen
energy. According to Ficino, amor is ooly another
name for that self-reverting current (circuitus
spiritualis) fromGodtotheworldandfromthe world
to God. The loviog individual inserts himself into
this mystical circuit. Desire, however, onlyawakens
as love proper when it becomes conscious of an
ultimate goal, beyond desiderio naturale, expressed
as an aim towards the divine goodness manifest in
138

beauty.uz At this moment, the circuit is completed

and the universe Iights up. Assoonas1setmy eyes on
the divine object, andrejoicedinso objectivea view,
Polia andl, silentfromthe extreme sweetness, andof
a pleasure long awaited. remained as ravished.
beyond consciousness, andalmost in ecstasy, full of
fear and greal terror, at least myselfin particular,
because the memory retumedto me o/thefate ofthe
poor Actaeon, who for having seen the goddess
Diana nakedin herbath in thefountain ofthe valley
of Gargaphia, was changed by her into a stag and
instantly devoured by his own hounds. lndeed Jwas
wondering whetherthat lay aheadformealso. Inthe
theatre, the psyche becomes a theatre; the Aristote-
lian notion of catharsis is a purifying purgation
accomplishedbythespectatoroftragedythroughhis
sympatheticexperienceofpityandterror. In Actaeon
the desbUction of earthly heing is accomplished by
its own forces at the moment when divine beauty is
seen in its naked brilliance.
And whatso waters ovcr hcrc we cali
Clearest, were c10udy by comparison
With tbis. wbich bides not anytbing al all.W
The goddess Venus wasjust up 10 her thighs in the
water of the fountain, so clear and subtle tluJt the
wholeformofherbodycouldbediscemedaccording
to the petfection ofnature, which is in contrast 10 the
effect ofother waters, which represent in double ail
things plunged into their jluids, rendering them
larger, bent. deformed and countetfeit, or dimin-
ishedfrom their wholeness.
w
This water is the p0-
table gold or elixir vitae. This property of the water
everywhere on the island signals tnle vision and the
endofduplication and illusion. Tmth in opinion and
judgement proceeds from the imagination in direct
proportion to the body' s humoral constitution.
Whereas a phantasm is sirnply a picture, in the
memory an image is a copy of a thing which can he
139
recalledfrompastexperienceandwhichinvolves the
factor oftime, hence the metaphorofthe theatre. The
imagination is theirrationalcoginthesystem, which,
without guidance by reason. can lead to decline
rather than ascension, and so aIso he distorted and
deceptive.
It is the testimony ofphilosophers and medical men that
one' s imaginationis detenninedby therelative supplyof
blood, phlegm. red bile, or black bile. Thus incorrespon-
dence with the diversity of humours, one' s imagination
is stimulaledto diverse images: cheerfuJ. dull, grim, sad.
Influenced by these humours in the act ofcognizing. the
spiritual eye of the soul, the intellect. changes and is
deceived. jusl as the bcxIily eye experiences illusions
through tinted. partiooCOloured lenses. The spiritual eye,
joincd to the body, malces use of images to contemplate
ttuth, as theeye ofdull vision uses glass lenses to gaze at
a sensible abject; and it is deceived exacdy as is the
bodily eye itself. If glass lenses are set in various posi-
tions, and through them an image of sorne object is
shown tGthebodiIyeye, althougb theobject is ofoneand
ils own nature, and sbould produce a single likeness of
itself, still, according to the varldy of g1asses either
distorted or spoiled, the object imprints on the eye
various images of itself, heing rendemI in one way by a
concave surface. in another by a convex. in one way
marredbyblue. inanotherdisfigured byblack. A1tbough
to the intellect tnlth itself is of one and its own nature.
pure and unmixed. yet, on account of diverse and con
trary phantasms, tnlth appears manifold, corrupted. and
mixed. Moreover, tbose men aredoubdess more fitted to
perceive the verity of tbings. who, whether through
bodily temperament, or through skill and practice, or by
the special privilege of divine bounty, have obtained
porer or simpler phantasms.
6S3
The metaphor of sensible or prophetie vision is used
as a guage of essentiai truth in the imagination, and
we can interpolate from Pico' S outline that the 'er-
rors' ofrepresentationcreatethemonsters ofmemory,
the presence ofothemess in the subject, the philaso..
phers' stone cast iota the prima maleria.
BACCHUS AND'CERES
Phoebus isthesoul ofthesphere; thesphereis Bacchus.'"
From there, one descended into the fountain by six
steps, ofwhich the columns were plantedon thefirst.
(
(
The water camejust up to thefourth. The other IWO.
ofblackagate streakedwith the milky ripples ofthat
same stones veins, were dry. orpreservedfrom the
water. On thefirst $lep, between two columns. sat a
young gOOIulppy in countenance, andlooking by his
face tohave womanlycapriciousness, msheadhomed
and his chest uncovered, seated on IWO fleet tigers
andcrownedwithvineleavesandclustersofgrapes.
157
Bacchus or Dionysius was originally a bisexual
deity, and represents the divine child, the state of
childhood being of supreme imponance to his cult.
Ceres is the divine mother, and their relation is re-
enacted in the sculpture on the tomb of Adonis. The
feminine as mother allows the masculine element to
identify the macrocosm (father) with microcosm
(child) in a metaphor for representation.
The art of the adepts seeking rejuvenation by means of
the sovereign fruit, wbile confident in die eminent un;-
of wine, in ilS in its co.smic
frmctioft. would he thus to unite gold and wine. But are
we forgeung dlat for the alchemist. the sun is. in die
strongest sense of the tenn. the gold of the Finnament1
This solar gold. more elementally refined than earthly
gold. howitenters afloa1inthe ripeningcluster. Thevine

gold for the alchemical wedding.'"
Onthe left sidethere was a noblematron recliningat
her ease, crowned with blond ears of wheat, and
leaning on IWo scaly serpents. The animal mounts of
the two deities symbolize the beginning and end of
the process inChnesealchemy; thetigeris lead, base
matter, and the dragon is mercury. Each ofthese IWo
characters heM in their lap a spherical bowl of
tender and soft matter by which by intervals they
distilled drop by drop into the fountain a sweet
liqueur emerging/rom a small opening artificially
made Like the nipple of a breast," and carefully
keeping theirfeet moist in the water.-
Ceres was the first to break up the sods ofeartb with the
crooked plought she tirst planted corn and cuItivated
crops, she imposed the first laws on the world."
l
140
Poliphilo ... purged of aIl vulgar and base condi-
tions, together with ail faults andturpitudes, in any
wayincurredthere; tlu!ninsuchawaypurifiedbymy
sacred dew.
M2
The purification achieves the fmal
conversion of impure cold melancholy to pure mel-
ancholia fumosa, transforming stasis into motion
and metamorphic life. Two of Venus' nymphs are
named Sophrosyne [prudence] and Aidosia [mod-
esty] for Aristotelian virtues of the middle way. On
this note, the goddess drewouto/the shell which she
was holding IWo rings, each ofwhich was set with a
precious violet stone Icnown as Anteros.
1IJ
Bound-
aries dissolve as the two rings constitute a symbol
which reveals their common essence. Anteros is an
amethyst; the name, meaning love requited, is also
the name of a god.
But it is DOt possible to combine IWo things properly
witboutathirdtaactas a bondtoholdthemtogether. And
thebestbond is onethat effects the cIosest unity between
itselfand the terms it is combining; and this is best done
by a continued geometrical proportion....
When the goddess hadfinished her discourse, her
sonfiaedanarrow, anddrewmsbowwith suchforce
that with one hantl, he touched his breast. and with
the other, the tip ofthe arrow: he then disclulrged il
towards us with such power that it is impossible to
describe..., No sooner had he released the string,
lhan / felt the great arrow pass ail the way through
my hean, andwith a single blow (she being already
ail crimson andsplaneredby my blood) taken in the
stomach by Polia. where she remained transfixed,
afterhavingmyheartbrokenwitha woundfor which
lhere was nofurther causefor medicine, remedy or
anycure."
The unlike is joined together, and from differences
results the most beautiful harmony, and all things take
place by strire.'"
Nevertheless [fell myselfopenmyheanandengrave
there the figure ofmy best beloved Polia, adomed
with her maidenly and praiseworthy virtues; the
(
trace being so profound that it was not possible to
erase. but was a necessary thing imprinted lhere to
remain my whole life, and thm my 1ady wou1d taJce
possession of me such thm no other wou1d ever be
able to partake, nor etlen to enter there by trickery.
ln methere was (surely) neithernerve noranerytha!
WQS not huming/rom this fire like dry straw in the
middle ofa great fumace. such thal 1almost Icnew
myselfno longerandthought tiraI 1hadchangedinlo
another foTln. Also, in fact. 1 was shivering for not
being able 10 understandthe slale in which my hean
WQS. So it was that 1 recalled the memory of how
Hermaphrodite holding the nymph Salmace in his
anns in a fountain, on account oftheir sexual pro-
miscuity felt and perceived their IWO bodies trans-
formed into onefonn.- Which is what is happening
to them: havingbeenjoined, they arenowfosing into
unity. Here is the sought-for cbaracteristic ofresem-
blance or mimesis in erotic magic. The merging of
lovers into an hermaphrodite being is a figurative
representation of their atrabilious sympathy. Those
who have a predominance of bile and black bile are
susceptible to love, and the fever of the disease of
lovecomes fromthe melancholic blood. 'Fixationof
thought always accompanies this kind of blood.'.
Becausethe imageofthe belovedis imprinted on the
spirit which is in the blood, and because the blood
imprints onthe bodily p a r t s ~ lovers begintoresemble
one another, fust intemally and essentially, then
visibly. The resemblance is not necessarily present
from the beginning, but increases toward a more
perfeet similitude through the trajectory of love. In
the same wayt the corrrespondence between the
anifex and his work develops. This similarity 00-
tweenthe symbolic ideaandmetaphor, atthe level of
correspondenceOOtweenthedivine and the material,
operates in the image through the visual rays. Only a
141
genuine transsubstantiation could account for
Poliphilo's eudaemonic torment. Neither more nor
less than the unfonunate Siblis when she felt her
tears jlowing in the fountain of the Naiads. 1 was
plunged into the sweetest flames, neither living nor
dead, by this mypulse halted. The open woundofmy
heanlet myspirit escapefreely. and1thoughtfalling
on my bended Icnees, tlrat 1 had been srruck by
epilepsy.UI
TaketbereforeourSulphur. which neverlouch 'dthefire.
and whose Iife is whole in Him: jon this living Male to
a living Female, for in mis (as 1 have elsewhere inti-
mated) lies ail the Myslery, namely in lhe union 01 a
panicularspirit 10 lhe univenal. by which meansNature
is slrangely emlled andmultiplied. Labour therefore to
unite these two substantially and thoroughly, and thou
canst not miss, if thou knowest the applictUions; For
suffer me to tell thee a secret; that the appliClJlion of
Actives to Passives, 1 mean the Manner of il. is the
greatest difficulty in ail the Arr.
QI
The nymphs to which 1hadbeen sent, strippedme of
my impoverished, abusedgarmentanddressedmein
a new one completely white, much bener and more
beautiful than my customary one.
171
The Pythagon:an maguses seemto bave been extremely
cautious inthis matter, wben they would become fright.
ened that their constant philosophizing was the tyI'IDIly
ofSatum, 50 they woulddress up in white gannents, [..l
and in this way they livc:d a long time under Satum.
m
Assoonas we hadbeenanointed, soothed, reassured
ofouramorous state, once more con-oborated, very
agreeably recreated andfully consoled, touched by
ajoy, bya sudden cheerfulness. the nymphs made us
embrace immedialely, and we gave each other suc
culent kisses with vibrant tongues. Then, joyous and
festive, the nymphs induct them inlo their very sa-
cred college, in the service and works of fecund
nature.
U4
Love is the master and govemor of the arts. [...] No one
cmever discover or learn any an unIess the pleasWl: of
learniDg and the desire of discovering move bim, and
unless hewhoteachesloves bisstudents, andthestudents
thirst veryeagerly forthat leaming. [...1Whoevergready
c
(
loves bath WOrD of an themselves and the people for
whomtbey are made executes works ofart diligentlyand
completes themexaetIy.1n addition to these points there
is the fact that artists in ail of the arts seek and caR: for
nothing else but love.
675
The god of war emerges dressed in full martial
regalia from the gold door beneath the first pergola.
They witness theconjunctionofVenus andMars. the
beautiful warrior who doffed his clothing to deliver
himselfinto his divine andpleasant struggle.,,. This
quatemity shows the transference of the archetypal
situationto that ofthe humancouple, and symbolizes
totality. Imaginationbecomesconcrete. As Platoand
Ficino concur. love is a daimone, and the act of
representation is a demonstration. Now we left the
theatre in the manner recounted. cOOnged into our
new qualities, and we left by the same door through
which we hadfirst entered. There we again encoun-
teredthenymphs whohadaccompaniedthe triumph.
For my own part J was completely absorbed by joy
andfriendship, which was greatly increased in my
heart, Mving forgotten all pains, sorrows and mel-
ancholies past,' ail annoyances put behind me,' and
assured in ail my previously uncertain anddubious
thoughts."'"
THE FOUNTAIN OF ADONIS IN THE ROSE
BOWER
We advanced along the partitioned alles in the
gardens, covered in perpetuai greenery, and en-
c/osed on both sides by a thick hedge ofboxwood a
goodthree paces in height, whencefrom time to time
alternately sprouteda juniper or a myrtle, eachfive
paces high. There were other passages enclosed in
marble of the sorne height. Nexr, transcending the
hedges by IWOfeet, rose elegant grilles ofmarble of
a thickness of two and a half inches, held up by a
symmetrical row ofsquare columns distributed and
placed in the best and most opportune way. The
fretwork ofthese grilles was in patterns ofroses and
loz.enges, andthe spaces were prenily divided witha
marble as red and brilliant as cinnabar. Through
these openings passed flowering rosebushes vari-
ously coloured interlaced like vines, properly or-
dered that there was nothing ofthem tOOt obstructed
the viewofthe work.671 Andthus we went gambolling
through the meadows and woods, along the rivers
andfountains, in the shade of the avenues covered
with roses, jasmine, periwinkles, lemons. rosemary,
myrtle, honeysuckle, andaUotherkinds ofgreenery,
gamished withflowers to this commodity, disposed
and placed in order, each one in its place and in
separateorchards,forthepleasure ofthe eye, able to
do so with ail the sentiments which were (without a
doubt) invited and provoked by the beauty of the
place and by the air so sweet that one knew not how
to desire beuer.
1V
The itinerary of the protagonists does not correspond to
the landmarks givcn in the geometrical construction of
the island By its configuration, the garden of Adonis
cannat he identified wim the orchards, oriented toward
thecentral amphitheatrebytheconvergenceorthealles,
and cannot he located on the plan of Cythera. This
anomaly could he the sign orthe ambiguity orthe story,
which distinguishes the eternity oflove (the scene ofthe
amphitheatte), from commemoration, or pleasure and
mouming.
6IlI
It is not what this signifies that is important but what
it is: the egress from the labyrinth, and consequently
the a1chemical squaring of the circle. The transfor-
mation is not simply spatial, it is erroneous without
being erratic. The hole that leads back out of the
underworld is a propitious circumstance which a1-
lows the retum to the everyday world to take place.
Poliphilo has twice mentioned the sense of being
changed into another fonn. with new qualities, and
the sense of awakening. Therefore, the precinct of
Adonis' tomb retums mmto an anteworld parallel to
his initial dream. ofthe dark forest with the mysteri-
ous stream. Finally we arrived gaily before another
clear and sacred fountain, gushing /rom a great
142
(
springmouth.lts edges were neithermossynorfilled
with polytric, adianthe or asplenia. but its orna-
mented banks were gamished with andenclosed by
great curo stones of white Macedonian marble,
naturaUy polished andglowing without any craft or
artifice, veined in a variegatedway. The walerfrom
this made a Little stream. munnuring across the
flowery meadow, shmled and embellished on its
ban/cs by all those plants and flowers which seek
mouture. They sprouted in numerous shoots loaded
with charming blossoms diversely perfumed over
their leaves fresh and moist with dew.
M
' The whole
surrounding PQrterre was covered in camomile and
periwinkles intenningledwith their white andazure
flowers, so gracefully united injust equilibrium that
from afar it seemed lilce a planted carpet, a good
three paces in width. Beyond this tMre was a grove
oforange and lemon Irees inflower and laden with
theirfruit, thirty-six paces arountl, all ofone he;ght
and size, separated equidistantly, so thmfrom the
branches ofone to the next, measured one pace, in
order to receive the rays ofthe sun, and so that, for
those who strolledbeneath, the viewofthe sky not he
totally bloclced by the leaves. Past th;s there was
another circuit ofcypress and consecutively one of
palmtrees with theirfruit, separatedfromthefirst by
a meadowsown with sweet marjoram, of/ourpaces
wide. The fountain was in the centre, constructed in
six angles, encompassing in the round twelve paces
ofwhich the radius ofthe drcle was one o/the six.
c
The orange grove was enclosed on the imide by a
Irellis of red sandalwood, a foot and a half high,
pe1foratedandtranspicuous like a Irellis carvedina
Moorish leafawork of excellent invention, through
the openings of which were interlaced roses and
jasm;ne, w;thout covering uporimpeding the viewof
the rich workmanship, and, among the trees, ail
kinds ofsinging birds, lilce nightingales, larks, sPQr-
rows, linnets, canaries, chaffinches, goldfinches,
andsis1cins. At the entrancejoining thefountain was
a pergola as large as one ofthe sixfaces mentioned
be/ore andas high in masonry. The remainder was
Iwo PQces in height, that is, one for the upright or
perpendicular and one for the vault. lt measured
Iwelve in length. Thal part ofthe treLIis which ought
to be o/woodwas nuzdefromfine gold. But the roses
whichcovereditwerenatural ones, inanycasemuch
more highly aromntic than usual. The surface be-
neath was made ofa mosaic ofprecious stones 0/aIL
colours that one knew to imagine, portraying beau-
tiful stories. Along the sides ofthe trel1is there were
seats 0/jasper, made with mouldings, seven inches
highandsinwidlh. Then inthemiddleofthepav;ng
underthepergolathere wasa richsepulchre, infront
ofwhich the nymphs bowed with great respect, and
Polia and lli1cewise.- When we rememher, we
recognize and view the present world through the
museological ftlter of the p a s ~ and what is percep-
tible, is given meaning through this memory. There-
fore the present in its capacity as representation acts
metaphorically with respect to the absent objects of
memory. The funerary monument bears a relation ta
the festival of Adonis analogously as the istoriae
carved in the stone act as Renaissance windows of
vision, through whose grids could he drawn the
timeless classical pasto There lay buried (according
to the nymphs who led us) the hunter Adonis who.
while at the hunt was Idlled by a cruel wi/dboarand
the same place where the goddess Venus scratched
herthigh among the rosebushes, emergingfrom this
founrain unclothed to come to his aid, a day when
Mars overcome byjealousy struek him in outrage.-
Venus' blood stained the white roses and gave them
their red colour; the blood of Adonis generated the
anemone, named from the Greek anemos, wind,
signifying spirit or pneuma. The presence of these
143

red flowers emphasizes the ultimate stage of the

alchemical transformation: the rubedo. But al the
end ofthe work, the artifex must detaeh himself; the
tomb of Adonis means a linle deatb for those who
love.
It is understood in all cultures tbat the spirit extrapolates
anindependent object through whichthedevelopment of
the subject from itself to itself takes passage.
AS
ln the middle there was a great round ofhyacinth,
su"oundedbya chaplet ofmyrtlecountetfeitedfrom
green jasper, occupying the height ofthe sepulchre.
Within the round were set great gold letters, forged
andpolished. joined without nail or cement, but by
an art which is unknown to me and saying, lMPURA
SUAVlTAS, meaningdishonestsweemess. Ontheother
side the inscription is A.M1NIA, which means volup-
tuousness, or sensual pleasure. Adonis was a mortal,
conceivedinan incestuous union, signifyinga desire
strongerthanmorallaw. Hispregnantmother,
was transfonned into a Myrtle tree. Venus' love for
himarose fromher accidentai wounding by Cupid' s
arrow. Adonis, killed by a boar, was transfonned by
Venus into a fragile anemone, and bis death is staged
annually for her mourning.- The festival ofAdonis,
on the last day of April and the first of May, cel-
ebrates the deatb and resurrection ofthe gad. Adonis
is condemned to share part of the year witb Aphro-
dite, who found him, and part in the underworld with
Persephone, who raised him. It is a marriage of
pleasureandmourning. Loveis a voluntarydeath. As
death it is bitter, but heing voluntary, it is sweet.
Sweetbitter or derives from Sappho,
who described Adonis' death. The top face of the
masonry was placed right above the side of the
fountain, and the middle was hollow like a Little
obscure cavem in the rock which appeared to be
half-open, and within, a great serpent ofbronze or
gildedcopper, emergingfromthefloorofthe cavern,
144
and slithering on ms beUy, aIL twisted as weIl as in
waves. The headwas somewhat outsicle ofthe open-
ing which sent the water into the basin: and the
ingeniousworkmanhadpurposefullymademmcurve
in sucha way to moderateandrestrain the current of
the water which was too relentless, to such a degree
that had itfound its conduit and the tube straight, it
wouldhave gushed beyondthe edges ofthe basin.
1If1
The ceaseless flow ofwater represents the torrential
current of erotic, one might say pneumatic, energy
which flows from the unconscious psyche, or the
totality of the (unseen) world, to individual con-
sciousness. The serpent whose head breaks the flow
is the dragon or threshold guardian which Poliphilo
has already encountered. This time he guards the
creative flow from the crypt out into the garden
towards consciousness.
1begreatest omament of all is the statue.- 1myselfam
undecided as to which material is best for statues of the
gods. It might weU be said that they ought to be made of
the most dignified material. and that scarcity is the
closest thing to dignity.-
Onthetombwas sculptedinreliefthedivine Genetrix,
as large as life, from a fine sardonyx stone ofthree
colours, seatedon an antique chair, in theform ofa
woman Lately halling given birth. In the Eleusinian
mysteries theeanhmothergavebinhtoa divine male
child, one of whose later names was Eros, who was
the redeemer and god of fertility, playing the same
roleas Mercury' s emergencefromtheprima materia
in alchemy. The mother and cbild had the connota-
tion of not being quite differentiated, although the
child signais futurity and individuation. The sculp-
ture therefore depicts Venus nursing Cupid, rather
than with Adonis, who is not shoWD. Theflesh ofthe
Cytherean goddess was carved in the nude, from a
milky veinfound in onyx and only embellished with
a dainty veil provided by a red vein forthcoming in
the same stone, which covered her secret part and

part ofher thighs. lt is true that it passed into her

rightbreastwhichseemedthusto bealmost blossom-
ing. Venus hadflung it over her shoulder, so that it
flowedbehindheronto thefountain, andon theother
sidejust to the/oot ofherseat. Certainly it was made
anddraped by such good workmanship that beneath
it could be seen easily ail the muscles, joints, and
movements ofher person. She held her son in her
anns, who sucked at her left breast, looking at his
mother, and she at him, wilh such grace that each
took great pleasure there. The cheeks ofthe goddess
and ofthe infant, with the /inle breasl, were tinted
with vermilion, causedbythe vein ofthe stone which
was fortunately situated. This was (believe me) an
excellentworkandmiraculous10 contemplate,forin
these two bodies omy the vital spirit was lacking.WIO
1be most sublime labour of poetry is to give sense and
passion to insensate thngs.
llll
Beauty is a grace originating in the bannony of
several things, and in a desire for this begins love.
Internai perfection, goodness in soul andlineaments,
generates its external perfection. 'Certainly in pre-
cious stones, as the oatural philosophers say, a cer-
tain very ternperate internai combination of the four
elements produces anexternal sparkle. Moreover, an
innate fecundity in the roots and stems clothes herbs
and plants with a rnost attractive variety of flowers
and foliage. And in animalsa healthy complexion of
the humours produces a pleasing appearance oflines
and colours. Likewise the virtue of the soul seems ta
display a certain very virtuous beauty in words,
gestures anddeeds.'1'12 Alberti recommends that 'Be-
fore dressing a man we first drawhimoude, then we
enfold him in draperies. So in painting the nude we
place first bis booes and muscles, which we then
caver with flesh sa that it is oot difficult ta under-
standwhere eachmuscle is beneath.'.The beauty of
the surface is the instigator of love, the creator of
145
relations in the organic world. 'But since the cogni-
tion of our inteUect takes its origin from the senses,
we would never he aware of and never desire the
goodness itself hidden in the heart of things if we
were not attractedto it by the visible signs ofextemal
beauty. '691 Omament and surface treatment of mate-
rial is of monumental imponance in architecture, as
it is in the human body. The relation between inside
and outside is not reversible simply, but reciprocal.
But the quintessential characteristic of beauty is its
otherworldly character, something not quantifiable
but fragile in its mystery. Know that this place is
sacredandfilledwith mystery, greatly celebratedby
ail the world; for our good m;stress comes there
everyyear, onthe lastdayofthe monthofApril, inthe
company ofCupid her son.'" The festival of Adonis
was celebrated by sprouting in vases ephemeral
gardens which quicldy perished. The death and te5-
urrectionofthe hero or god is a renewal ofthe world,
vegetation, time, and the soul. Bacchus, the puer
aetemus, Jupiter's son who bas his rebiith through
his father, is similarly exemplary of this wonderous
retorD. 'The word 'Dithyrambos' itself, as an epithet
of the killed and resurrected Dionysos, was under-

(
stood by the Greeks to signify 'him of the double
door,' who had survived the awesome miracle ofthe
second birth.'. The procession finished thus, the
sacredrelies wereput back;ntotheirrepository, and
the rest ofthe day wasfilledwith dances, songs. and
other pastimes.
e97
The whole action of the narrative
significandy culminates in play and storytelling.
The course of the story up to this point is sung
'rhythmythically.' The privilege ofknowledge hav-
ing been transposed from the transcendent etemal to
the fragility of living, the nymphs ask Polia to speak
of the commonplaces of the human condition. It
wouldgive us great pleasure to hear and leamfrom
you ofthose qualities ofhuman love, the pains, the
peace, complaints, the contentments, the fears. the
rashness, the anxietiesandpresumptions, mouming,
thejoys,forgetfulness, memories, thefleeing andthe
searching, hatred anddesire. blanching andblush-
ing, hopeanddoubt. willingnessandrefusai, disdain
and wrath, emba"assments and inconsistent man
ners, trembling speech, words broken andconfused,
sweet thoughts, comforting i11Ulginations. andexal-
tations of the spirit, the concessions and consents
which lovers devise in their minds, with also the
pleasant dreams andfantasies interladen with sighs,
by which they are fed and nourished.6'l4
POLIA'S STORY
Heneeonecouldsay~ crungranosalis - that historycould
heCODStnletedjust as easilyfromone' Sownunconscious
as from the actual texlS.-
The second book is of lesser architectural interest,
and is summarized here only for the purpose of
speculation about the operation of representation in
it. The symbolic motifs of the fmt part of the story
recur in changing faons. Poliphilo's own world had
suffered not from symbolic deficiency but from bis
untutored inability tocomprehend its conventions of
146
meaning.Its significance in being recounted is the
projection of the symbolic complex onto the every-
day world, the final stage of the alchemical opus
being the proiectio. Projectio is the Latin for throw-
ing forward, and it is curious to find the same word
used to describe the architectural work while it is the
process of design: the project. Polia's story is the
rnanifest reality which accepts the symbolic com-
plex and gives it birth in perceptible forro, as matter
gives shape to idea. This is Dot unlike the doctrine of
the divine ideas, which the soul has forgotten while
dnmk from Lethe and asleep in matter, and must he
reminded of these ideas by their beautifullikenesses
in the perceptible world. The unconscious brings
ideas into consciousness via the spirit, which trans-
lates these symbols into metaphorical images, per-
ceptible by the imagination. Symbols represent em-
bodied experience, metaphors to the spirit, while
nomenclature relates ta the mind. Poliphilo is still
dreaming Polia's story, in a living dialectical rela
tionsbip to the unconscious. The story also presents
the reciprocity with whicb the alchemical themes
affect her. He bas achieved through his transforma
tian the imaginativeabilityto project himselfintothe
other, andground bis free will inthe notion ofethics.
This prefigures the retumto the mundane world: it is
aU up to him when he awakens.
The word meditalo is used wben a man bas an inner
dialogue with someone unseen. Il may be with God.
wben He is invoked. or with himself, or wim bis good
angel.'llIt
The transformation of Poliphilo' s conscious self is
concurrent with the transformation of bis anima. In
the second book, the story retums to the Mondane
world to reveal bis projections of love, and has a
nuance of objectivity and realism, fact and the pre-
eminenceofempirical tnlth in the experienceoflove
and the contemplation of the world. Retumed as a
(
(
poet, he is now gifted with ability to tell stories,
recognizing the relation existing between the mythi-
cal and bistorical versions of reality. He is now able
to approacb reality and engage in il. In the conclu-
sions reached in the following paragraph he makes
the final transition between his melancholic imbal-
ance and a renewed clarity in perception. For this
reason it is no wonder ifa depraved and corrupted
sense finds those things unpleasant which by their
nature are good: and is tnilde to marvel Jess, if
through eyes alteredby any illness, orobscuredand
troubled by an abundance ofgross humours, things
wouldlook black;forbesides the light beingdimmed
by whatever abject is set in front of it, and the
whiteness tingedwith some blackstain, this does not
occur{rom a fault in material and substance. but
{roman accidental alteration:forwhich reason that
Ught and its white coJour should neither befaulted
nor Jess valued.'IQl
If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing
would appear to man as it is. infinite.
For manbas closed bimselfup, till hesees ail things thro'
narrow cbiDks of bis cavem.-
Not unlike looking out through a clouded window,
the soul only bas access to the ideas as they are
brougbt in by the senses and translated by the spirit.
The ability to see clearly is thus the ability 10extraet
the archetypal essence from perceived reality. This
~ r e a d i n g of reality' is ineffect a typeofdivination. In
Poliphilo' s initial failure to read the signs of the
story, he viewed the ill-faled loves and the nemo as
referring to anextemalizedhistory, not realizingthat
they figured bis own Iife. The lesson concems the
proximity andcontiguity ofhistory in its mythologi-
cal fonn.
When Polia finishes ber story, she crowns Pophilo
with roses. The nymphs take their leave, leaving the
lovers alone. She hugged and kissed me so lovingly
tha! 1thought 1 woulddie ofhappiness. Their souls
merge ina mors osculi. Meanwhile, ail atonce, tears
flowedloma hereyes in the semhlance ofcrystals or
tinle roundpearls, so thot you wouldhave saidthey
were drops ofdew on the petals ofa fleshcoloured
rose blossomingat sunrise inthe season ofthe month
ofMay.- Polia teUs him: fou are the solid column,
the roof of my life ... my principal architect. And
while 1was at this pinnacle ofrapture, this worthy
figure vanished, ascending through the air Like a
/inle puffofbenjamin [muskandamber] andleaving
such an exquisite odour that ail the fragrances of
fabu/ous Arabia could not compare, which caused
me to awaken, it seemed to me that in passing 1
heard: 'Adieu, Adieu, mydear beloved Poliphilo.'.
As soon as tms angelic spirit disappearedfrom my
fantasy, 1awoke, disoriented and shattered by the
intimate embraces which in my opinion hadclasped
me, and left mefull ofbitterness, seeing that she by
whom 1should live was removed{rom me, she who
hadJedandelevatedmeto such high thoughts. Thus,
abandonedbyail my supernaturalfelicity, excepting
my remembrance, 1 knew not to whom 1 should
protest, if not to the sun which (probably) being
envious ofmy wellbeing, eut shonthis happy night,
aJthough he hadit in mm10 delay yet a while, indeed
as ofold he had done for so many others. 1 would
have been beholden to anyone who could bring me
the sleep that the lovely Psyche carried enclosed in
her box." But (alas) in the depth ofdesiring this 1
heardthesweet Philomelaornightingale, lamenting
ofunfaithful Tereus. avowing in herwarbling song,
'Tereus, Tereus ravishedme' andthus the sleep and
the dream left me, for 1 awoke myself murmuring,
'Farewell my dearest Polia.''m The end of the story
isdated 1467, the firstdayofMay (Adonis' festival).
Having said this. he hopped like ayoung nightingale on
to themyrdes .... 1hada glimpseofwings growingout of
147
(
bis sboulders and a tiny bow between bis shoulders and
bis wings.
1llI
THEWAKE
One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the
third cornes the one as the founh.
1OII
The Doric ward for the nightingale is A&ov, for
Adonis, why the waking ofPoliphilo is accompanied
by ber song. He awakens to the ephemeral transitory
beauty of living. He dedicates his work to Polia, as
bis muse, the catalyst of his inspiration and the
arousing of his spirit, projected back into everyday
Iife.
The imperfect state is like the sleeping state; substances
lie in it lite the 'sleepers chained in Hades' and are
awakened as fromdeath to a newand more beautifullife
by the divine tineture extraeted from the stone.flO
lnbetweenthe fonns and the copies is a thirdquality,
which Plato calls space, 'which is etemal and inde-
structible, which provides a position for everything
that comes to he, and wbich is apprehended without
the senses by a sort of spurious reasoning and so is
bard ta believe in - we look at it indeed in a kind of
adream.... Andbecauseofthis dreamstate weare not
awake to the distinctions we have drawn and others
akin to them, and fail to state the tnlth about the true
and unsleeping reality: namely that whereas an im-
age, the tenns of whose existence are outside its
control in tbat it is always a moving shadow of
something else, needs ta come into existence in
somethingelse ifit is ta claimsomedegree ofreality,
orelse he nothing al aU, an exact and true account of
what is ultimately real supports the viewthat so long
as two things are different neither will come to he in
the other and so become at once bath one andtwo. "II
Colonna bas explored through the art of representa-
tion the means by whicb things are similar or mi-
metic, placingail the Iiberal arts andmuses athis call,
but fundamentally basing it on the 'play' created by
eros: relation, then recognition.
148
Poliphilo, the classical fool who becomes a lover-
sage, is educatedand inducted into the philosophy of
beauty and the worldofideas. As those who have not
suffered the slings and arrows of love cannot con-
ceive its eudaemonic universe of delights heyond
reason, nor can the architeet inexperienced either in
practice or theoretically in the imagination he an
inventor of worlds. At the endofhisjoumey he must
relinquish the figurative world of theory, in which
the body cannat dwell, and retum, refmed and in-
spired, to the practical world, ta ensure its continuing
order. The pneumatic essence or mercuriaI spirit
must he extracted from the stone, in order to he able
to project it ioto other substances where it will
transfonn them from the imperfect state to the per-
fect. Love is a curse and not a blessing for the heretic
orthe hero, for thecovenant ofloveposes thegreatest
impediment to freedom of the will, and, in this
unsettlement gestates a melancholic tension. But it is
a paradoxaIso, as akindofmadness whichallows for
the process of change which the hero must undergo.
The ultimate mie of the image is ... to suspend our
attentiontothereal.. 1nthis stateofnon-engagement wc
try new ideas, new values, new ways of being-inlhe-
world. Imagination is this Cree play of possibilities.'12
c
(
m
Or THE WAY OF THE CREATOR
OTHERGROTESQUE AND SUBLIME MYSTER-
lES
A picture is. in facto a representation of a thing which
really exists or which cao exist: .. We now have fresco
paintings ofmonstrosities. ratber than truthful represen-
talions ofdefinire things.... Such things do not exist and
cannot exist and never have existed.
lIJ
The secrets of nature are revealed in an invisible
movement sustaining the surface of things, a world
revealed in melancholia, the grotesque and the sub-
lime. A worid in perpetuai dynamism, respiring with
life, neither unsuspected nor laid bare. Renaissance
concerns inrepresentationnecessarilycriticizedVit-
mvius' theory because he had condemned their
leitmotif, the monstrosity demonsttating the flowof
world spirit. The arcbiteet is the edifice. Colonna
sponsors an argument for an architectonic language
in which the psyche of the architect frames and
represents itselfto itselfas part ofdivine knowledge.
149
Indoingso hetraces the rermement ofits articulation
and the relationship ofits vocabulary to the memory,
by wayofrhetoric, andthe ingenuityofthe invention
to the contemplative power of the architeet. He a1so
demonstrates the monstrous potential ofany linguis-
tic system to create fictions or inventions, another
prerogativeofdivinity. TheFrench wordmtiswhich
means a crossbreed or hybrid is related through the
Latin to the Greek meta (with or beyond), and
methisteme (change) metros, meteras (mother), the
Latin meta (a boundary) and mixtus, (mixed). The
Greek goddess Metis (counsel, prudence, wisdom,
skill, cunning, craft), the Titaness, is the mother of
Athena, and the source of the wisdom of Zeus (the
Humanist anima mundi) as weil as an ancestor of
Daedalus. The possibility of ma..ldng architectural
representation which manifests the dynamic quality
ofthe spirit mayheclarifiedby comparing Ricoeur' s
definition of fiction with the alchemical monster.
Monsters are prodigies composed ofelements taken
from disparate sources, which demonstrate the sig-
nificance of the threshold between different realms
or conditions. Their transitiooal nature signifies the
temporal or mortal process of becoming rather than
simply being. As 'fiction redescribes reality,' moo-
strosity bypasses the potential of any fixed or ideal-
ized system to categorize its heterogeneity. A mon-
ster is a synthetic work of the imagination, a fiction
which transcends its material origins. Ricoeur notes
that 'ooly the image which does not already have its
referent in reality is able to display a world. [...]
Fiction ooly reveals its ability to traDsfonn or trans-
figure reality when it is inserted into something as a
labour, in short, when it is a work. When the image
is made, it is also able to re-make a world.' A drearn,
a history, a joumey or a collage is a manster. The
spaceor timeofnarrativedistance betweenelements
is compressed ioto another dimension in the pro-
c
(
duced work. A composite, which bas no singular
'real' mnemonic referent. 'refers to' what is 'unreal'
or surreal and thus unique and significant. 'Images
created by the talent ofthe artist are not less real but
more real because they augment reality.' These im-
ages create an increase in being, which Ricoeur has
also called 'the surplus which fiction engenders.'
Thus the return: the philosopher' s stone replenishes
the matrix of the earth' s primai matter, as the inven-
tive individual replenishes the mind of the world.
This is the sense in which "fiction changes reality, in
the sense that it both 'invents' and 'discovers' it."
and in which "symbolic systems 'make' and 're-
make' the world."714
WHY ARcmTECTS WEAR BLACK
ln all mauers, but particularly in architecture. lhere are
these two points: - the thing signified, and that which
gives it its significance.
7U
The architect of the Renaissance used design as a
sacrificial methodofparticipatinginthe worldspirit.
The invention ofa buildingtookplaceinthe realmof
spirit, in the imagination or pJumtasia. This proto-
linguistic faculty relied for its health on the balance
of the bodily humours, but particularly the melan-
cholic humour, which, if properly tempered, gave
access to both the highest aspects of intellect and the
stability of form. The individual spirit, wbich was
continuous with the world spirit, provided an im-
printing link between the architect' s body, cosmic
order, and the fonon for the invention or ingenuityof
his design. In this way he became an omnipresent
centreofthe infmite sphereofGod. His spirit was not
only govemed by the visual impression of his sur-
roundings, but exprinted itselfoutwards through the
proportional translation wbich was possible only
through the complex mechanismofnature at workin
the human body, where it took on the embodied
characteristics of symbolism, which spans between
ISO
matter and mind. Qnly the arcbitect who had
and thus a programme, could tum gold into stone,
and only the loving architect could phantasmatize
beauty ioto architecture. With tbis identification of
the concealed cosmology through the cosmetic, the
body and soul of the architect had to become identi-
cal with the world at the moment ofcreation in order
to create a new world of possibility, a world centred
on the other.
Melancholy welled up within him. and with it the vicis-
situdes of change.
n6
In a brilliant synthesis of astrology, alchemy, and
magic, Saturn was united with the nigredo and mel-
ancholia. This was symbolized through the 'fashion'
forwearing black, demonstratingthesoul' s macrobian
gift. That gift fromSatum, significantly, was theory.
Colonna' s great contribution was not limited to an
architectural theory; he also described - in bis her-
metic way - the central role which theory played for
the a very different understandingfromthe
present. Today architects wear black because of an
historical confusion. The Renaissance architect-ma-
gus did so in bis connection with the intellectual
powers ofSaturn, whose darker aspects he neverthe-
less knew howto temper by counteractive measures.
From the Enlightenment onward, art was no longer
magical, but expressive, displacing the symbolic by
the metonymic, and black clothes conventionally
expressed the causal melancholy of the Romantic
genius who mistook alienation for its symbolic do-
main. One migbt think that this henneneutic error
were the work of the trickster, Mercury. The archi-
tect who seeks tbat strangeness witbin bimself has
the privilege of choosing between the symbolic and
the diabolic as modes ofaknowledgement: to respect
othemess and he engaged by its mystery, or to min it
by disregard. An architect needs to overcome his
conscient self in order to create. Ineither a too close
( identification with the other as the self, or a too
distant disrespect where moral relations breakdowo,
every architect is potentially a murderer. The ver-
nacular is always the vernacular, but the modem
architect, barn in the Renaissance, is necessarily a
revolutionary. The inkstains on his hands are always
blood. In the trial of waiting for admittance to the
Law, architects obscenely squandertheir gifts today
inbribing the fleas in the coat ofthe tirst doorkeeper.
History accepts our gifts, but extends to the faint of
heart no invitation to enter. Contemporary practitio-
ners donot realize thedelicate balance demanded for
divine inspiration, and hardly susPeCt that that won-
dermay yet heattainablebygraspingthe issues inthe
old magic still at work.
Transform yourselves from dead stones inro living
philosophical stones!717
***
If then. fact and reason and the eviden of an ancient
poet point to this explanation. 1do not see wby weshould
decide olherwise than as 1have written above on this
subjecL"I
(
151

SELECTED BmLIOGRAPHY
He tha1 would speak exactly must not Dame it [the
u1timate One] by this Dame or by mat; wccao but
asit were, about itscircumference, seekingtoiDterpret in
speech our exxperience of il. now shooting near the
mark, and again disappointedofouraimby reasonofthe
antinomies we find in il The greatest antinomy arises in
this, that ourunderstandingofit is ... bya presence higher
than ail knowing .... Rence the word of the Master
[Platol, that itoverpasses speechandwriling. Andyet we
speak and write, seeking to forward the pilgrimupon bis
joumey thither.
llt
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234 lcaves, woodcuts; 32 cm. (fol.)
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(
(
APPENDIX A
THE CAVE OF THE NYMPHS, INTHE ODYS-
SEY
Homer' s original passage is this:
At the headofthecovegrows a long-leavedoliveueeand nearby
is a cavern that offers welcome shade and is sacred to the
Nymphs whom we cali Naiads. This cave contains a number of
stone basins and two-handledjars, wbich areuscdbythe bces as
their hives; a1s0 great looms ofstone whcre the Nymphs weave
marvellous fabries of sea-purple; and there are springs whose
water never fails. It has two mouths. The one that looks north is
the way down far men. The other, facing south, is meant for the
gods; andas immortals come in by this way il is not used by men
al aIl.
From the exegesis by Porphyry:
... thedetailsoflbecave ... will befaundtobeanofferingsteeped
in the wisdam of the ancients....
Men of old were right to dedicate caves and grottoes to the
universe, in whole or in part. to teacb us ta see the earth as a
symbol ofthe matter from whicb the univcrse is constn1Cted; in
faet. SOlDe ofthemsimply identified matter with the earth. They
represented the lllaterial universe by caves because caves are
generally natural fcatures ofthe carth. enclosedby asimple rock
fonnation, hollowinsidebut extendingoutwards intothe bound-
lcss earth. The universe is a natura! construeton of matter, and
the stone and rock of the cave were symbolic of matter' s inert
natureandresistanee to fonn, and its unboundedness ofmatter' s
sbapelcssness. Matter is aIso fluid, and in itself dcvoid of the
fonn that gives it visible shape; and the wetness and humidity of
caves, andtheirdarkand 'shadowy' appearance, as the poet calls
il, weretakentabefitting symbolsofthe material characterofthe
universe.
It is on account of matter. therefore. tbat the universe is 'shad-
owy' and dark, and because of the intertwining and orderly
arrangement of fonn, implied in the words 'ordered universe' ,
tbat it is called beautiful and 'enchanting'. It could very
Ippropriately bedcscribed as a cave. enchanting at tirst sigbt by
its participationinfonns, bUl shadowyifonelooks intoits depths
and penetrates it in tbought: its extemal and surface appearance
is enchanting. but its ioner deptbs shadowy.13l
De Antro Nympharum was translated ioto Eoglish
andparaphrased by the Neoplatonist Thomas Taylor
arouod 1789:
This sacred cave is filled with ancient wisdom. Antiquity then
with great propriety consecrated caves and dens to the world.
whether takencollectively as the universe, orseparately accord-
ingto its pans. Hence theyconsideredearth as the symbol ofmat
157
matter from wbicb the wood is composed; 50 tbat, according to
theopinionofsome. matterandeartharethesame; bythesymbol
ofa cave. signifyingthe formation ofthe warld frommatter. For
indd caves are most commonly spontaneous productions,
congenial with the earth herself, and comprehended by one
unifonn stone; whose interior pan is concave, and whose exte-
tior parts are extended over an immense space of eanb. But the
world being self-bom (i. e. produced by no external cause but
from a principle within). and in perfect symphony with itself, is
allied to matter wbich they call. according to asecret significa-
tion. a stone and a rock. For lite these bard bodies it is sluggish
and inerl, and receives the impression of omamenting fom: al
the same lime they considered it as infinite on account of its
formless nature. But since it is continually flowing. and ofitself
destituteofthe supervening invesunent ofspecies by which il is
fonned and becomes visible. the flowing waters, dark.ness, oras
thepoet says, obscurityofthecavemexhibit apt symbols ofwhat
the wood contains on account of that matter with which il is
connected. Henee through thedalleunion ofmatter, the world is
obscure and dark, but from the presence and supervening oma-
ments offonn (fromwbich itderives its name) itis beautiful and
pleasant. Theworld therefore may wimgreat propriety be caIled
a cave; agreeable indeed, at ils first cottance, on account of its
participationoffonn, but involvedintbedc:epest obscuritytothe
inreUectuai eyewhicbendeavours todiscemitsclarkfoundation.
So that ils exterior and superficial parts are pleasant. but its
interior and profound parts obscure: and its very bottom is
darkness itself. ACter the sante manner the Persians, mystically
signifying the descent of the soul into an inferior nature and its
ascent into the intelligible world, initiate the priest or mystic in
a place which theydenominatcacave. Foraccordingto Eubulus,
Zoroaster ftrSt of aU among the neighbouring mountains of
Persil, consecrated 1 natural cave, florid and watered with
fountains, in honour ofMithras the father of aIl things: a cavein
the opinion of Zoroaster bearing a resemblance of the world
fabrieated by Mithras. But the things contained in the cavem,
being disposed by certain intervals, according to symmetry and
arder, were symbols of the elements and climates ofthe wodd.
We find too that after Zoroaster it was usuai with others to
perfonn initiatory rites in caves and <!ens. whether natural or
artificial. For as they consecrated temples, groves. and altars to
the celeslial gods; but ta the terrestrial gods and to heroes altars
aloue, andtothesubterraneandivinities vluits andceUs; 50tothe
world theydedicatedcaves anddens; as Iikewise to nymphs , on
account ofthe water trickling. anddispersed tbrougbcavems, in
whicb the nymphs caIled Naiads . preside. But the ancients Dot
only consided 1 cave as the symbol of tbis generated and
sensible wodd, but as the representative of every invisible
power: because as a cave is obscwe and dark. 50 the essence of
these powers is unknown. Henee Satumfabricated a cave in the
ocean itsclf, and concealed bis cbildren in its clark retreats.

(
,ApPENDIX B
THE EMERALD TABLETnI
1.lntnlthcertainlyandwithoutdoubt. whateveris below
is like that which is above. and whatever is above is like
that which is below, to accomplish the miracles of one
thing.
2. Just as all things proceed from the One alone by
meditation onOne alone, 50 they also are born !romthis
one thing by adaptation.
3. [ts father is the sun and its mother is the moon. The
wind has borne it in its body. Its nurse is the earth.
4. It is the father ofevery miraculous work in the whole
world.
S. Its power is perfect if it is convened into eanh.
6. Separatethe earth fromthe fire and the subdefromthe
groSSI 50ftly and with great prudence.
7. It rises from earth to heaven and comes down again
from heaven 10 ~ and thus acquires the power ofthe
realities above and the realities bclow. In this way you
will acquire the glory of the whole world. and all dart-
ness willleave you.
8. This is the power of all powers, for il conquers
everything subtle and penetrates everything solid.
9. Thus the little world is created according to the
prototype of the big world.
10. From this and in this way. marvellous applications
are made.
Il. For this reason 1amcalled Hennes Trismegistos. for
1possess the three pans of wisdomof the whole world.
12. Perfcet is what 1 have said of the work of the sun.
158
(
NOTES
27 B60aIde de Yerville. an alchemisl who wrote an hennetic
prefaceto bis Frencheditionin 1600. die maintextofwbich
1 Bemardus Trevisanus 1406-1490 Traicti de /Q rumue de
is largely identical to die Jean Martin version. Dventively
l'oeuf du philosopha compos par conie de
begins bis translation widl: "Faisant plusieurs dessins, je
AlIemtUUl. [erroneous for Treviso, IlaIy] Paris.
remuois mes imaginations, et me retournois an mon lit."
1624. p.35
(folio 1) Theimplicationofa project ordrawings is inserted
2 Vitnlvius The Ten Books on Architecture. U, intro. p. 36 to fOrbfy lhe image ofPophilo as an adept inarchitecture,
3 Elias Ashmoleed. TMatnun CMmicumBrittllUlicump..189
which is not explicitly stated in me originalleXL
An Open to oflMKing, by an 28 Plato. PhMdTUS. p. 46
anonymous sage andlover oftrulh. ch. xxii '"Of lite Regi-
29 Plato. p.47
men of Satum"
30 Cinostieism practiced purification and ecstasy through an
4 "Whereas a symbol is die meeting point ofconscious and
indulgence in the evil of the mundane matter.
unconscious meanings whichawakeninus anawareness of
31 Benjamin. p. 99
something that cannot be expressed in rationalterD1s, an
allegory is merely a representation of conscious absttact 32 Virgil. VI, 131-2
ideas." Lute. Darlc Wood 10 White Rose.
33 Le Songe de Poliphile Jean Manin. p. 19
5 Cassirer. The fndividual and tM Cosmos in
34 Picino. VI.9.123
Philosophy. p.41
35 "(Hermes psychopompos] in bis phallic aspect, as god of
6 Frascari. of p. 53
the winds. as servant and messenger ofthe gods, as robber.
7 Rider Haggard. She. p. 150 cheat. and def, as god oftrade and speech, as inventor, as
8 Kretzulesco--Quaranta. us Jardins dM Songe.
the guide of souls and the dead. as proteetor ofbernes and
saviour of divine children, and as god of dreams and
9 TM Lost Meaning ofClassical p. 4
sleep..." Pien-David The Dream ofPoliphilo p. 241
10 Pico. Oration on the Dignity ofMan. p. 3-9
36 In Genesis, the force corresponding to love is light.
Il Panopolis. a Gnostic alchemist of the third cenwry AD,
37 U[a vR]
contemporary10the writingofthe so-alledHermetic text5
38 Alberti On the Art ofBuilding in Tm Books 1.4.14
translated byFieino. The V"Lfion o/Zosimos m, i. 4 inJung,
Alchemical p. 64 39 Vitruvius. The Ten Books 011 Architecture. 1.4"The Siteof
12 Eustache Deschamps, 15theentury. eitedin Huizinga, 1'ht!
a City."
Waning O/IM p. 273 40 Fieino. Vila Triplici. 1.4.6
13 Couliano. ETOs and Magic in the ReMissance. p. 19
41 Aristode. Problemtlla. XXX.1.163
14 Shakespeare. Richard II, U. 2
42 Ficino. De Vila Triplici. 1.4.6-7
15 Freud. On Metapsychology. p. 455 43 Plato.TimMus.38.71.98-9
16 Plato. PhaedTUS. p. 81-2 44 Plato.Til7rMus. 38.71.99
17 A sophistieated coUage sttategy of terary modalities, 45 Aristotle. Probkmata. xxx. 1.169
developed fw1her in the following century by Rabelais. in
46 Ficino. Amore. VI. 9. II [committed suicide]
Gargantua and Pantag11le1. wbich was largely influenced
47 Ficino. VI.9.122
by die HYPMTOlomachl. For both wrlers the text itself is
48 Pico COlIIIMnto III, viii cited in Edgar Wmd. Pagan Mys-
alchemical material.
18 Pico. Oralion on lhe Dignity ofMan. p. 55. quoting Plato
lerles ofthe
19 Pico. OrationontheDignityo/Man. p. S6,quotingPlotinus
49 lU[aviii L] AlI Englisbrenditionsofdie Hypnerotomachia
text inthis thesis are translations byT.E. Winton. These are
20 Pico. Oration on lhe Dignity ofMan. p. 56-7
provided for convenience and deligbt only and are not
21 Collingwood. The ftka ofNature p. 94 intended as firm. References are to chapter, signature and
22 Plato. PhtudTUS. p.75 Opposite5 proceed through smal1
folio, and right or left side of page.
gradations of difference. This signals the beginning of the SO m[a viii R]
end of absolute trullt (divine), and confirms the notion of
SI Pliny. NalUral Hutory. XXXVI.ix. p. 43-5
original ttuth(human). Thedivine iscapableofthedescrip-
52 Alberti. On Painting p. 78
tionofa lhing. the human merely ofwhat il resembles. The
jeweUed pomegranale tree in the court of Queen Eleuter-
53 Alberti. On Painting p.72
ilida demonstrates tbs. 54 Wittkower. Architectural Principles in lhe Age0/Hunum-
23 Shakespeare. Hamlel m, 1
Sm. p. 148 Appendix IV
24 Fieino. De Vita Triplici.I.7.1216
55 AristOlle. Poetics. VU,9. p. 63S
(
2S Picino. De Vita Triplici. 1.7.6
56 Campbell. The Wilh A Thousand p. 19n.
26 Ficino. De Vita Triplici. m.10.117
57 Ovid. The Metamorphoses p. Ill.
159
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58 Dante. Purgatory. Commentary ofD. L. Sayers, cd. p.147,
59 Cicero. De 27.
60 lU lb ii R]
61 mlb ii R]
62 Pliny. Narural Hislory XXXVI.xv p. 57
63 The vital spirit is dedicated to the sun, the Datural to Jove,
and the animal to Mercury.
64 ln lb iii L]
65 Ovid. IX, p. 209.
66 mlb ii R-b i L]
67 Eco. A 71reory
68 IV [b v R]
69 Spence. p. 91
70 Ovide TIu! Metamorphoses. p. 123
71 Aristotle, Physics n, 4. p. 127. The reference is to
Democritus.
72 Scndivogius, "Novum Lumen"
73 Fieino. Vita Triplici. m.2.94
74 IV lb vi Rb vii L]
75 Freud. On p. 358
76 IV lb vii L]
77 Ficino.fk Vila Triplici. m.l0.116
78 An Open Entrance to the Closed Palace ofthe King, by an
anonymous sageand loverofttuth. xxn''Ofthe Regimen
of Satum" p.l89
79 IV lb vii L]
80 IV lb vii L-R]
81 Pliny. Natural History. XXXVI. xi. p. 43
82 VI [e R]
83 Bachelard. lA la du p. 211
84 VI lb vii R-b viii L]
85 Colonna's hieroglyph for wisdom or sapientia.
86 VI lb viii R]
87 VI [e L]
88 VI [b vii R] Labour in the double sense of creation and
procreation.
89 Liber Quartomm, TMatrum. Chem. V.
90 mlb iili L]
91 VI lb ii R]
92 Reino. De Amore. VI.6.115
93 Ficino.fk Amon. D.8.57
94 Fieino. De Amon. m.h.6S
9S Ficino.fk Amon. V.l.84
96 Ficino. fk Amon. V.3.88
97 Fieino. De Amon. m.l.63
98 Ficino. De m.2.6S
99 IV [e ii L.R]
100 Benjamin. The Origin 01German Tragie Drama. p.178
160
101 Dante's Epulle to Catz Grande. outlines the four levels of
allegory he uses in the Commedia.
102 Bachelard La Rveries du Repos. p. 329
103 Ricoeur, foreword in Gerhart. Melaphoric Process. p. xii
104 V [e iiii R-c v L]
lOS Ricoeur. Freud and Philosophy. p. 8
106 Alice's in Wotulerlt:uul, by Lewis Carroll, and
Finnegans WOUbyJamesJoyce. These two books spanthe
production of a third: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams
(1900) in whieh this ambiguous eorrespondence of words
and things is discussed wim respect to decoding dreams.
107 Benjamin. The Origin ofGtrmtlll Tragie Drama. p. 185-8
108 Vitruvius. The 1.1 p. 5 "The
Education of the Architect"
109 Bachelard La Terre et les Rveries du Repos. p. 324
110 Jean Martin, 1546.
III Aristode. Poetics. ch. 4. p. 627.
112 Aristotle. Poetics. m. 4. p. 627
113 Shakespeare. Hamietl, 3
114 von Franz. Creation Mytlu.
115 V [dR]
116 IV [e ii R] Popen p. 59-60
117 Fromprdvinarium, a cushiolled scat for the gods.
118 A hypotraeheum is the groove round a Dorie column
between the shaft and the necking.
119 IV [b ii R - b v L] Popen p. 423 Martin 34
120 Pliny. Natural History. XXXVO. xxiv p. 237
121 V [e vi L] Martin p. 56
122 V [e vi R] Martin p. SS
123 Pliny. Natural Hutory XXXVll.ii. p. 167
124 According to Prof. Joseph Rykwert. Paired Corinthian
columns appearonthecxedraeofBrunelleschi' 5 Duomoin
Florence (1445-605).
125 lnthe Baroque periodthis symbol will further develop into
the ellipse form with ils two geometric centres.
126 Colonna with his fctish forthe spherical hinge of language
likely bad in mind the writer Porphyry, whose exegesis of
Homer's famous passage onthe Cave of the Nymphs from
the Odyssey was of staple interest to the Neoplatonie
philosophers, andnot without resonanceinthis narrative. ln
the tbird century, Porphyry wrote an cxegesis of this frag-
ment, allegorizing the symbolism of the cave in Platonie
and Gnostie ternIS. See Appendix A.
127 VI [e ili R] Popelin p. 64
128 VI [b ii L.R] Martin p. 34Popelin p. 42
129 V (e iili R]
130 Hcrscy. TM Lost Meaning ofClassieal Architecture. p. 64
131 V (e v L] Popcn p. 7172 The caulcole is the stalk rising
from the lcaves ofa Corinthian capital to support a volute.
132 IV [e ii L] Martin p. 51
133 Vitruvius. The Ten Books on Architecture nI. 1.1 p. 72
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(
134 IV [c ii L] Popelin p. 66
135 Fieino. De Vila Trip/ici. m.21.160
136 Ficino. De Vila Tripci. m.21.161
137 Fieino. De Vita Trip/ici. m.22.l65
138 V [c iiii R] Popelin p. 67-68
139 Onans. Bearers ofMeaning. Chapler xv.
140 Fieino. De Amore. VI.15.136-7
141 V [c v L] Martin p. 54 Popen p. 70
142 V[c vR]
143 Vitruvius The Ten Books on Architecture X. 1. p. 283
144 V [c vi R] Martin p. 57
145 Vasari. On Technique. p. 42
146 '-nJe way to truth and wisdom is 'terra marique' beset with
peril: 'mari: the two mueilaginous humours, 'phlegmasive
pituita' and 'nollia melancholia' lurk like Scylla and
Cbarybdis; 'terra,' therc lower, lite three monsters, Venus,
Bacchus andCeres, and finally "dusky Recale' ." Panofsky.
Salum and MelllCholy. p.267 n. Coitus overthrows the
brain, wbichis andexhauststhespirits. Bacchusand
Cems encourage the overconsumption of wine and food,
and the influence ofHecate keeps scholus awake aIl night
50 that theysleeppastthedawn, Ibis insomniaandinversion
being harmful to thoughL Fieino De Vila Triplici l, 3 and l,
7.
147 Pliny. Nalllral Bistory. XXXVII.xxxvi.
148 V [c vili L] Martin p. 59
149 VI [d L-R] Popelin p. 86-7
150 VI [d v L]
151 Couliano. Eros and Magic in the Renaissance. p. 37
152 Ficino. De Vita Triplici. m.1.86-7
153 Ficino. De Vila Triplici. m. 1.88 As our soul flourishes
especially in the heart, as the centre, 50 in the Sun does the
animamundi, whichhas forty-eight figures (thezodiac plus
thirty-six).There are 360grades or stages, ineachofwhich
are many stars with which images are made.
154 Fieino. De Vita Triplici. m.1.89
155 Fieino. De Vita Trip/ici. m. 1.88
156 Freud.The Interpretation ofDreams. p. 156
157 V [c v L] Popelin p. 76
158 From the Greek meaning serpenL
159 V [d L] Martin. p. 60
160 V [c vi L] Popen p. 72
161 VI [d ii R] Popelin p. 88
162 JosephCampbell, p. 87The Mythic InlQge. Alfred1eremias
Die We/tansc/uuumg Mr Sumerer.
163 Porphyry, "De Antro Nympharum" in Gregory.TM
Neoplatoflts.
164 Pliny. Natural Hutory. XXXVI.71.123
165 According ta the inheritanee of negative theology, man's
relation to the divine was irrational.
166 Ficino. De Amore. V1.l.107
167 Fieino. De Vila Trip/ici. U1.26.180
168 VemanL Monals and Immonals. p. 141
169 Pico. On tM Imagination p. 55
170 Fieino. De VU.3.158
171 Pico. On the Imagination p. 53
172 Picodella Mirandola. Oration on the DignityofMan. p. 28
173 Picodella Mirandola. Oration on the Dignity ofMan. p. 26
174 Picodella Mirandola. Orationon the Dignity ofMan. p. 27
175 Robert Graves, The White Goddess. p.14
176 VI [d ii R] Popelin p.88
177 VI [d ii R] Popelin p. 88
178 Fieino. De Amore. VI.9.124
179 Fieina. De Vita Triplici. DI.17.143
180 Fieino. De Vita TriplicL lli.20.15S
181 Fieino. De Vita TripUci. m.20.l57-S
182 Virgil. VI, p. 147
183 VI [d iii R] Martin p.6S
184 VI [d iii R] Martin p. 65
185 1ung. Psyclaology and p. 250 Sendivogius.
"Nowm Lumen" in MUStJt!UIft HermeticUtn.
186 VI [d i R] Popelin p. 91
187 Porphyry, "De Antro Nympharum"
IS8 Porphyry, "De Antro Nymphamm'
189 The dame form plicating the heavens, which appears
frequendy intheHypMrotOlllQChm, was assimilated by the
Romans aCter their conquest of the Middle EasL
190 Nicholas ofCusa De Virone Dei. inJoseph Campbell The
with a Thousand Faces.
191 Walkington.The Optick Glasse ofHumors. p. 48
192 VI [d L-R] Martin p. 66
193 VI [d R] Martin p. 67.
194 Freud. Introductory UclUres on P:rychoanalysis. p. 336
195 VI [d v Rl Martin 68.
196 Plato. The Phaedrus. Sacrales.
197 s trois p/rinDges, Guillaume de Deguileville. c. 1400;
Vie l, Vie Il,lale fourteenth century, ear1y fifteenth century,
fint haIfoffifteenth century. Pophilois no more inUtopia
than Alice is, in Through the Looking Glass.
198 Fieino. De Vila TriplicL 1.10.20
199 Fieino. De Vita Triplici. 1.10.20
200 Ficino. De Vita Triplici. 0.2.39
201 Ficino. De Vita TriplicL 0.S.52
202 As Wind bas noted, the woodcuts alone show more than
eiply variations on the theme of the lente, the
coicidence of opposites.
203 The interwovendolpbin and anchor was adopted by Aldus
Manutius as bis trademark.
204 Semee. The SlIlVival of the Pagan Gods. p. 120 ln the
fifteenth century text, Johannes Ridovalensis identifies
161

(
Satum with Prudence, and the goddess Juno, as bis daugh-
ter, as Memory.
205 VI [d vi R] Martin p. 69
206 VU [e ii R]
207 Ininterestingparallelismto the five Pandavabrothers ofthe
Hindu epic oforigins T ~ Ma1ulbharata. who n:present the
five senses while their shared wife. Draupadi is the mind.
208 Vitruvius. T ~ Ten Books on Architecture. m. 2. 6 p. 74
209 vm[e iiii R] Martin p. 79
210 VII [e ii L] Martin p. 78
211 Reina. De Vita Triplici. 111.16.142
212 VII [e ii L] Martin p. 78
213 VII [e iiii L] Manin p. 78
214 Pico. Oralion on the Digniry ofMan. p. 21
215 Pico. Orarion on the Dignity ofMan. p. 22
216 Longus Daphnis and Chloe. 1.4, p. 20
217 Ricoeur. The Conflictoflnterprelalions. p.315
218 Reina.
219 Reino observedthat the gods areinthe psyche; forJung. the
psyche is the same as god.
220 Freud The Interpretation ofDreams. p. 171n.
221 von Franz. Interpretation ofApuleius' Golden Ass. p. ISI
222 Jung. Psyclrology AndAlcMmy p. 3910.
223 Wind. Pagan Mysteries in lhe Renaissance p. 177
224 VU [d viii R] Martin p. 72-3
225 VU [d viii R] Martin p. 74
226 The Gospel according to Thonuls (Gnostic) 98:28-30
227 Fieino. De Vita Triplici. m.l0.114
228 VU [e L] Martin p. 74
229 Reina. De Amore. VI. 10. 127
230 Alberti On the Art ofBuilding in Ten Boola. 1.1 p. 7
231 Fieino. De Amore. V1.10.127
232 VII [e L] Martin p. 74
233 VIII [e v L-R] Martin p. 80
234 VIII le v R] Martin p. 81
235 Vitruvius. The Ten Books on Architecture. 1. 2. S p. 15
236 VIII le vi L] Martin p. 82
237 VIII le vi L] Martin p. 82
238 VIII [ e v R-e v L] Martin p. 82-3
239 Pico. On the ImtJgination. p. S9
240 The Emerald Tablet, see Appendix B
241 Jung. Psyclrology and AlcMmy. p. 228-9
242 Sendivogius. "Novum Lumen" Musaeum Henneticum,
Vol. ned. A. E. Waite.
243 Jung. PsyclrologyandAlchemy. p. 319n. HoghelandeinDe.
alcbimia. diff., Theatrum Chemicum
244 Jung. Psychology andAlcMmy. p.238n. Philalethes, inthe
Musaeum Henneticum
162
245 Hugo de Folieto.
246 Apuleius. The GoldmAss. p. 61
247 VIn [e vii R]
248 ,.Any ineident is comic that caUs our attention to the
physical in a person when it is the moral side that is
concemed." Bergson. On Laughter. In f ~ comedy calls
attention to a divergence between the physical and the
moral.
249 Jung. Psychology and Alchemy. p. 23S "In Turbam
philosophorumexercitationes." Art. Auri/.. 1. p. 167
250 Xenophon. trans. Pieino.
251 VIn [e v L] Lead roof: [d viii L]
252 Sense deception identifies something with something else
which it is not essentJJly; the ambiguity or double-sense of
which generates laughter. in the rhetorical tropes, irony. or
black: humour.
253 vm[e viii R] Martin p. 87
254 Virgil. Aeneid. X
25S VIII [fi L] Martin p. 92-3
256 VIII [f L] Martin p. 89
257 VOl [f L] Martin p. 90
258 VemanL Mortals andlmmortals. Quintilian.lnstit. 6.2.29.
259 "Largely a Platonic and Stoic heritage to the mediaeval
period. thetendencygrewtoseeinphantasya power. for the
most part subjective, wbich operad witb unreality, as in
dreams - one might say the higher, more tieely creative
power; and ta sec in imagination ratber the reproductive
power, closclycorresponding with theobjectsofsense- the
AristoteliantvtClGl... Pico. On lhe Imagination p. 36-7
n.
260 Pico. On the Imaginalion. p. 41
261 Pico. On lhe [maginalion. p. 31
262 Pico. On the Imagination. p. 31.
263 Pico. On the InlQginalion. p. 29
264 VIII [f ili Rl Martin p. 93
265 VIII [f ili R] Martin p. 93
266 vm[fili Rfiiii L]
267 A motif derived from Nicholas of Cusa De Ludo Globi.
268 IX [f L-R]
269 Fieino. De Amore. V.4.89
270 Jung. Psychology and Alchemy. p. 277 Ruland. Lexicon
alchemiae.
271 Fieino.DeAmon. VI.3.107-9
272 Pico. On the [nlQginalion. p. 43
273 IX [f R-f v L] Martin p. 96
274 IX [f v L] Martin p. 97
275 "Lapis lazuli wbich is orthecolour ofazurite is regarded as
a male variety." Pliny. Natural History. xxxvn.xxxviii.
p.263
276 IX [fv R] Martin p. 98
277 Panofsky. Studies in lconology.

(
278 IX lf vi L] Martin p. 99
279 B&oaldc de Yerville. Reauil sliganographique.
280 IX [g i L] Manin p. 107
281 Fieino. De Amore. IV. 6. 80
282 Fieino. De Amore. IV. 6. 80
283 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. 1.16.25
284 Fieino. De Amore. IV. 6. 80
285 Fieino. De Amore. VI. 9. 121
286 Graves. The White Goddess. p. 263-4
287 IX [g vi L] Manin p. 111
288 Alberti. On lheArtofBuildingin TenBoolcs. VU.1O.p.220
289 X [g viii L] Martin p. 115
290 X [g viii L] Martin p. 115
291 X [g viii R] Martin p. 115
292 X [g viii R] Martin p. 116
293 The Golden Ass. p. 50-1
294 X [h R] Martin p. 117
295 X [g v R-g vi L]
296 1be name of the tirst meaning reason or logos. of the
second, divine will or desire.
297 X [h ii L] Martin p. 118
298 Fieino. De Vira Trip/ici. m.15.134 This emphasis on the
material is another bridge between magic and alchemy.
which is the transmutation of matter.
299 X [h L] Martin p. 118
300 X [h R] Martin p. 119
301 X [h R] Martin p. 120
302 Including the bath house and palace. this makes six loci in
total.
303 Jung. Psychology andAlchmly p. 252
304 1be universe has a four-part hierarchy: Cosmic Mind. or
N O \ ) ~ mens mundana, intelkctus divinus sive angelicus.
Inconuptible and stable. but multiple. containing the pure
forms oftheideas andintelligences. Cosmic Soul. or VUXTl.
anima1fIIIIIdana. is areaimofpurecauses. incorruptiblebut
with self-induced motion, identical with the nine celestial
spheres: the empyrean. the fixed stars andthesevenplanets.
Nature or theterstrial woddis a corruptible compoundof
form andmatter wbichcandisiotegrate wbentbesecompo-
nents are parted. It maves in connection with the celestial
world with which it is linked by the world spirit. Maner is
fonnIess and lifeless. and has sbape. movement and exist-
ence ooly when united witb form. The cosmic mind com-
pares to Saturn; the cosmic soul. to Jupiter. Panofsky.
SnuJes in lconology. p. 132
305 Bachelard. La Te"e et ks Rveries du Repos. p. 215
306 Fieino. De Vita Triplici. m.15.134
307 Ricoeur. The Conflict of/nlerprelations. p. 289
308 Alberti On theArtofBuildingin Tell Books. VU. 10. p. 220-
221. ""'Ibis was bis theatre, which had a stage arranged in
thrce storeys with 360 columns.... The lowest storey ofthe
163
stage was of mamie. and the middle one ofglass while
the top storey was made of gilded panels." Pliny Natural
HUlory XXXVI.xxiv p. 89
309 X [h iii L] Martin p. 120
310 X [h iii L] Martin p. 120
311 Pliny. Natural History. XXXVl.lxviL157
312 X[hiiiL-R] Martinp. 121
313 X [h ii R-h ii L] Martin p. 122
314 X lb iiii L] Martin p. 124
315 Fieino. De Vita Triplici. m.23.169
316 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. m.23.169
317 Fieino. De Vila Trip/ici. m.23.169
318 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. 01.25.177
319 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. 10.25.177
320 X lb iiii R] Martin p. 125
321 X lb iiii R] Martin p. 125
322 X [b iiii R] Martin p. 125
323 X [h ii R-h v L] Martin p. 125 Retlective duplication
naturaily mates no distinction as to material truth. flatten-
ing round vision into a visual plane. and recaUs
Brunelleschi's early perspective experimentation: ""At the
centreofthe pietureofthe Baptisterytherewas asmal1 bole
whicb opened ioto a funnel on the back of the panel. The
viewer stood behind the panel and looked through the
tunnel al a mirror held al ann' s lengtb in front of it. The
mirror retlected the painting.... [The viewer] saw ooly the
paintingas reflected in the mirror. bis entire rangeofvision
beingtaken up by the paintedimage.... Moreover. sinthe
upper half of Brunelleschi's panel was left coated with
silver. it reflected the doucis and sunlight of the real sky
which. in the mirror image. appeared to surround the
painted Baptistery." Gadol. Leon Battista Alberti. p. 25
324 X[h vL]
325 X [b iiii R] Popelin p. 206
326 X [h v L] Popelin p. 208
327 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. m.II.123
328 X lb v L-R]
329 Pico. Dration 011 the Dignity ofMan. p. 60-1
330 Pico. Ora,;oll on the Dignity ofMan. p. 67
331 X lb v R- b vi L] Martin p. 128
332 X [h vi L-R] Popelin p. 213
333 Jung. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. p.
173
334 X [h v R] Martin p. 131
335 Fieino. De Amore. IV.2.73
336 Joyce. Finnegans Wake p. 92
337 Popelin. p. 220
338 Fieina. De Amore. VI, 9.
339 Fieino. De Amore.
340 Fieino. De Amore. VI. 5. 113
c
341 Fieino. De Amore. VI, 8, 119
342 Fieino. De Amore. VI.ll.130
343 Fieino. De Amore. VI, Il, 130
344 X [h viii R] Popelin. p. 222
345 Jung Psychology andAlchemy p. 159
346 Rosarium Philosophorum. quoted in The Mythic Image. p.
256
347 Vitruvius.1MTen Booles onArchitectuTe. V.6.9 '''The Plan
orthe Theatre." p. ISO
348 X [i L] Martin p. 137
349 Virgil. Ae1U!id. X p. 254. 260
350 Jung. Psychology andAlchemy. p. 2S7nArtisAurifeTtU.lI.
p.214
351 Jung. Psychology andA/chemy. p. 2S7n AnisAurifeTae.lI.
p.243
352 Jung. Psychology andAlchemy. p. 260 Dom. "Philosophia
CbeDca" in Thealrum Chemicum Britannicum.
353 Jung. PsychologyandAlchemy. p. 270cil. Thomas Norton.
WOrdinall", Mu.saeum. Henn. p.519
354 TuriJa Philosophorum.
355 Petrus Bonus. ANew Pearl ofGreat Priee.
356 This may he likencd lo die relationship belWeen pro-
gramme and built form in architecture.
357 Jung. Psychology AndAkhemy. p. 331
358 Jung. Psycho/ogy And Alchemy. p. 331 Vigenre. Theatr.
chem. VI
359 Fieino. De Vi'a Triplici 1. 5
360 Dom. Physica T ~ g i s t i .
361 Jung. The Psychology ofthe Transference.
362 XI [i vi L] Martin p. 144
363 XI [i vi R] Martin p. 145
364 XII [i vi R]
365 Pieino. De Amore. 0.6.52
366 Pieino. De Amore. VU. 10.166
367 Plato. Phaedrus p. 64
368 XII [i viii L] Martin p. 148
369 Fieino. De Amore. VU.4.159
370 Pieino. De Amore. VU.l.154
371 Pieino. De Amore. 0.8.56
372 Pieino. De Amore. 0.8.57
373 Pieino. De Amore. 0.8.56
374 Pieino. DeAmore. Vll.2.15S-6 Sacrates. arguablythe ethi-
cal madel for Western philosophy, is described as 'the
picture of love,' but that picture is of a melancholic rebel.
His pcrson is described as thin, dry, and squalid, that is, a
man melancholy by nature, it is said. and hairy, thin from
fasting, and tilthy from neglccL ln addition. nakcd, mat is
covercd with a simple and old cloak. Walking without
shoes.... Humble and lownying. Without a home Sleeping
on doorsteps. on the road. undcr the sky. Always ncedy.
164
Manly. Bold and high-spirited. Vehement. Eloquent. He
ambushes the beautiful and the good. A crafty and keen-
scentcd bunter. A trapper. Zealous of prudence. Philoso-
phizing all his life. Sorcerer. enchanter. magieian and
sophist Midway betwcen wisdomand ignorance. Sacrates
was aman without aplace to dwell. aman without orienta-
tion, in short, aman without architecture.
375 Melony Ward: "'The Mythic Facade: Albert Speer and the
Aryan Type," unpublishcd paper.
376 Jung. Symbols ofTrmasformation. p. 207
377 xm[k iiii L] Popelin p. 262. Martin p. 154.
378 Fieino. De Amore. IV.5.77
379 Fieino. De Amore. V1.3.109
380 Fieino. De Vira Triplici. [11.10.118
381 Shakespeare. The Tempesl.
382 Ovid Mettlmorphoses Il. 832.
383 XIV [k iiii L] Martin p. 154
384 XIV [k vi L] Manin p. 158
385 The lWO youths savcd the lire of Simonides ofCeos when
a roofcoUapsed. so that he could idenlify the dcad by their
places at dinner.
386 Virgil. Aeneid. VI
387 XIV [k vi R] Martin p. 164
388 Spence. Encyclopaedia ofOccultism.
389 XIV [k vi R) Martin p. 164
390 XIV [l R] Martin p. 166
391 Ovid. The Metomorphoses p. 113
392 XIV [l L] Martin p. 168
393 XIV [l i R] Martin p. 171
394 XIV [l i R] Martin p. 171
395 XIV [l ii R-l v L] Martin p. 173
396 XIV [l ii R} Martin p. 172
397 Apuleius. TIre Golden Ass.
398 XIV [l v L] Martin p. 174
399 XIV [l v L] Martin p. 175
400 Virgil. Aeneid VI. 169
401 Shakespeare. Hamlet. Il, 2
402 X [h vi L] Martin p. 129
403 von Franz. Creation Mylhs. p. 238
404 Ernst Cassirer. The lndividual and the Cosmos in Renais-
sance PlUlosophy. p. 42. describing the philosophy of
Nicholas of Cusa.
405 VI lb vii L] Popelin p. 49
406 XV [1 v R] Martin p. 176
407 Vico The New Science p. 4 13.
408 Pieino. De Vila Triplici. m.22.166
409 Fieino. De Vira Triplici. 1.4.7
410 Panofsky et al. Satum and Melancholy. p. 154n.
411 Panofsky et al. Satum and Melancholy. p. 154

(
412 Possibly for this reason he was an emblem of prudentia.
413 Panofsky et al. Satum andMelancholy. p. 188
414 Panofsky et al. Satum and Melancholy. p. 212
415 Panofsky. Satum and Me/Qncholy. p. 84 Constantine
Africanus.
416 XV [l vi R] Martin p. 177
417 XV [1 vi R] Martin p. 177
418 XVI [1 viii R] Manin p. 180
419 Cocteau.Orpheus.
420 UIlrich Langer, Invention, Death and Self-Definitons in
tM Poelry ofPierre th Ronsard
421 XIV [1 viii L] Manin p. 179
422 XIV [1 viii L] Manin p. 180
423 XVI [m L-R] Manin p. 181
424 Jung. Psychology and AlcMmy. p. 335
425 XVI [m ii L] Martin p. 182
426 XVI [m R] Martin p. 182
427 XVI [m iii L] Martin p. 183
428 XVI [m i L] Martin p. 183
429 XVI [m ii L] Martin p. 182-3
430 Jung. Psychology and AkMmy. p. 167, Rosarium. Art.
Aurif., D, p. 214
431 Hermes Trismegistus. The Emerald Tablet. Sec Appendix
B.
432 Jung. Psychology and Alchmay. p. 278
433 Vico. The New Science. p. 2641 699
434 Couliano. Eros and Magic in the Re1llJsQllce. p. Il
435 Couliano. Eros and Magic in lhe Renaissance. p. 5
436 Vico. The New Science. p. 2641 699
437 Finnegans Wake. 1939, fulfills the pltential of this posi-
tion. The depth of Joyce's language exists in the Ouid
dream-space created by ambiguous signification. At the
same time, the colIapse of archetypal imagery and the
cyclicallemporalityofmythontothe worldofeverydaylife
demonsttates the unity of matter and hislory through the
world spirit.
438 Vico. The New Science. p. 265 699
439 XVII [m ii L] Martin p. 184
440 Ovid The Metamorphoses p. 329
441 XVII (m ii R] Martin p. 185
442 XVII [m vi L] Martin p. 188
443 Graves. The Greek Myllu: 1. p.71
444 The BriJuuJllranyaka Upanishad describes the horse as a
cosmology. The horse represenls libido, and animal spirit;
and ils sacrifice, that oflibidinal instinct andanimal nature.
The horse-sacrificealso symbolizes the reunificationofthe
world.
445 Jung. Psychology AndA/cMmy p. 460.
446 Vitruvius. The Ten Booles on Architecture. I.VU.l p. 31
Temples of Venus, moreover, should be al the harbour.
165
447 XVII [m v L] Martin p. 190
448 Dom. Theatnun. Chmz. 1.
449 ..Again. wbile ten is naturally perfect, as being made up by
the fingers oftheIWo palms, Platoalsoheldthat tbis number
wasperfectbecauseteniscomposedoftheindividualunits,
called by the Grecks Vitruvius. The TmBooks
on Architecture. III. 1.5 p. 73
450 XVII [m v R-m viii L] Martin p. 191-2
451 XVII [m viii L-R] Martin p. 192
452 XVII [n L]
453 XVD(nL]
454 "agli sensi dei animo'
455 XVII (n R]
456 Alberti. Della Pittura. p.77
457 Alberti. Della Pittura. p.81
458 Viuuvius. The Ten Booles on Architecture. VII. 8.1 p. 215
""Cinnabar and Quicksilver."
459 Optical correction geared toward the spectator having a
perfect image, for the purpose of pleasure, or the perfect
phantasmic impressionon the soul. necessaryto reproduce
a thing in the world?
460 "'The sleps in front must he ananged so that tbere shall
always he an odd number of them; for thus the right foot.
with whichonemounts the first step. will aIsohe the first to
reach the level of the temple itself." Vitruvius. The Ten
Booles on Architecture. m. 4.4 p. 88
461 Heraclitus, called "'The Dark."
462 Vasari. On Technique. (1550) p. 96 35. "Anideal Palace."
463 XVII [n R] Martin p. 192-4
464 The four rivers of Hades correspond ta the elements: Styx
to earth, Cocytus ta waler, Acheron lo air and Phlegethon
to fire.
465 xvn [n L] Martin 194
466 Hersey. The Lost Meaning ofClassical Architecture. p. 40
467 See Appendix B, The Emerald Tablet.
468 By extension, Colonna read "meanng' in life through
phenomenologica1 experience.
469 See Appendix B, The Cave oflhe Nymphs.
470 Ficino. De Amore. V.5.92
471 XVII [n L-R]
472 Alherti.On IheArtofBuildingin TenBooles. VD,17.p.243
473 Dentils. and ecmnus or egg-and-tongue.
474 xvn [n R-n ili L] Martin p. 194-5
475 XVU [n ili L] Manin p. 198
476 XVII [n ii L-R]
477 Heinrich Zimmer, in Kenyi, Essays 011 a Science of
Mythology p. 20
478 XVII [n R-n v R] Manin p. 198-200
479 XVII [n vi L-R]
480 Ficino. De Vita Triplici. 01.11.125

481 Ficino. De Vila Triplici m.ll.l25

482 Jung. Psychology and Alchemy. p. 2S4
483 XVII [n vii L] Martin p. 201-2
484 Lodestone, or magnctite is naturally of ocgonal crystal
StnletUre.
485 XVII [n vii R- n viii L] Martin p. 202
486 Ficino. De Vila Triplici U1.26.179
487 Fiano. De Vila Triplici 10.26.179
488 XVII [0 L] Martin p. 205
489 Panofsky. Studes in Iconology. p. 227 Pico.
490 Fiano. De Vila Triplici m.5.103 Note the similarityto the
a1chemical operations.
491 Kerenyi. Essays on a Science ofMYlhology p. 16
492 XVII [ 0 ii L] Martin p. 206
493 A devolCC of the Etruscan goddess of luck. Nortia.
494 Pliny. Natural Hislory. XXXVI.xlvi. p. 131
495 XVII [0 ii L] Manin p. 20S
496 XVII [0 Hi LI Martin p. 209
497 XVIII [0 v RI Martin p. 213-4
498 XVIII (0 vi L] Martin p. 214
499 Poseidon or Neptune is lord of the earthquake, which
Coreshadows crossing the ocean. 1beshaking is character-
istic also of the obtaining of oracles.
500 xvm[p L] Martin p. 219
SOI Virgil. Aeneid. 1 p. 29 King Acolus notoriously gave his
daughters in marriagc to his sons; this resonatcs with the
hieros gamos of mystic sister and brother.
502 xvm[p R] Manin p. 220
503 XVIII (p ii L] Manin p. 220
504 V'argil. Aeneid. VI p. 160
SOS XVIII (p Hi L] Martin p. 222
506 Virgil. Aeneid. VI, 163
507 XIX (p vi R] Martin p. 22S
50S XIX (p vii L] Manin p. 229
509 XIX [p vii R] Martin p. 230
510 XIX [p vii R] Martin p. 231
511 Virgil. Aeneid. VI, p. 151
512 XIX (p viii L] Martin p. 232
513 XIX [p viii L] Martin p. 232
514 Artephius. Text found in cyberspace.
515 Ashmole ed. Thealrum Chemicum Brilannicum. ''Theatre
oCa TerresCrial Astronomy" p. 138
516 Substances used in the a1chemical process.
517 XIX [q L] Martin p. 234
518 Liber Canonis, Venice 1555, paraphrased in
Panofsky et al. Satum and Mt!lancholy. p.IOI n.
519 XIX [q L] Martin p. 234
520 XIX [q R] Martin p. 235
166
521 lung. Symbols olTransfomIQlion. p. 365
522 XIX [q R] Martin p. 235
523 XIX [q ii L] Martin p. 237
524 XIX [q L] Martin p. 237 The ironic placement of this
commentcanhardlybcaccidental, andpoints upPolipbilo' s
real problem: not understanding the parameters of the
relationship of bis self 10 what he sees in his dream. 1
imagine our crudite amorist having a good laugh in sorne
ancicot dusty library. After all. it was his dream too.
525 XIX [q ii R- q i L] Manin p. 238
526 "He whose emotions incline him to melancholy ... bas a
sense of the sublime... AlI the sensations of the sublime
possess for him a greater fascination than the transient
channs of the beautiful." Kant. Observations on lhe
oflhe Beauliful and lhe Sublime.
527 St. John of the Cross. The Poems. p. 20
528 Couliano. Eros and Magic in Ihe p. 21
529 Aristode. De Anima m. 3. p. 217
530 XIX [q iii L]
531 XIX [rii R)
532 XIX [r ii L] Martin p. 258
533 XIX [r iili R] Martin p. 262
534 A mnarkable coUy of perspective into theology.
535 Venus. in Ovid TM MelDmOrphoses. p. 231
536 XIX [r iili R] Martin p. 264
537 FiciDO. De Vila Triplici. 0.15.65
538 Ficino. De Vila Triplici. ".15.65
539 Polizzi. ed. Le Songe de Poliphile. Note p. 454
S40 XIX [r v L] Martin p. 265
541 Ficino. De Amore. m.l.64 The ltalian translation reads "a
certain instinct for joining and uniting.'
542 XIX [r vi R] Martin p. 266
543 XXI [s vi R] Martin p. 274
544 XIX [r viii R] Martin p. 268
545 XIX [r viii R] Martin p. 269
546 I.e. prowand stem. "'Then the bowsprit got mixed with the
ruddcr sornetimes:l A thing, as the Hellman remarlced, 1
Thal frequently happens intropical climes, 1When a vessel
is. 50 10 speak. 'snarked'... Carroll. The Hunting ollhe
SlUlrlc. p. 57
547 XX [5 iii L] Martin p. 271
548 Virgil. TM Eclogues.
549 XX [5 R] Martin p. 271
550 XX [5 i R] Martin p. 272
551 FiciDO. De Amon. m.3.67-S .
552 Alberti. On the An oIBui1Jing;n Te,. Books IX. 10.317
553 Jung. Psychology and Alchemy. p. 234, "In Turbam
philosopborumexercitatione5," An. Aurif., l, p. 167
554 IIIn the Tantric books of mediaeval and modem India the
abode of the goddess is called Mani-dvpa, "The Island of
(.
Jewels' . Her coucb-and-lhrone is d1ere. in a grove of wisb-
fulfilling ttees. The beacbes ofthe isle are ofgolden sands.
1beyare laved by the still waters ofthe ocean ofthe nectar
of immortality.sbe is the wood creatrix. ever motber.
ever virgin. Sbe ... is the liCe ofeverytbing that lives. Sbe is
also the death of everything that dies. The whole round of
existence is accomplisbed within ber sway .... She is the
womb and the tomb.... Thus she unites the 'good' and the
'bad,' exhibitiogthetwo modes oftheremcmbered mother,
not as persona! ooly, but as universaJ. The devOlee is
expected to contemplate the two with equaI equanimity."
JosephCampbenTM WilhA Thousand p. 113-
4
5S5 Heinrich Zimmer. Mylhs and Symbols in Indian Art and
CiviliZJUion. p. 202-3
SS6 XXI [s vii L] Martin p. 275
557 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. lli.4.97
558 An examination ofthe tree iconography in use would fin a
trunk. but agood source to consult is Robert Graves' TM
White Goddess, as Graves' exegesis of poetic myth is
concemed with the aneient symbolic tradition of a tree-
language used to iovoke the goddess.
5S9 XXI [s vii L] Martin p. 276
560 XXI [t ilii L] Martin p. 281
561 XXI [t R] Martin p. 278
562 XXI [t vi L-R] Popelin Vol. O. p. 148
563 Vitruvius The Tell Booles on Architecture V. 9.5 p. 156
564 XXI [t vi R] Popelin Vol. n, p. 149
56S Fieino. De Vita Triplici. W. 16. 140
566 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. W. 16. 138
567 Heino. De Amore. 1.3.39
568 Ficino. De Vila Triplici. m.13.127
569 Heino. De Vila Triplici. m.16.141
570 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. W.18.l51
571 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. m.20.157
572 Heino. De Vita Triplici. lli.17.144
573 Ficino. De Vila Triplici. m.19.I53
574 By the Baroque period the part or fragment would 'geneti-
cal1y' contain the whole master plan in its fragmentary
state.
575 Plato Phaedrus p. 55
576 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. m.8.l09
577 Fieino. De Vila Triplici. m.8.IIO
578 Fieino. De Vila Tripci. m.S.lI0
579 Benjamin. TM Origins 01German Tragic Drama. p. 2S
5S0 XXI [u L] Popelin Vol. U, p. 156
5S1 XXI [u L] Popelin Vol. U, p. 15S
S82 XXI [u R] Popelin Vol. n, p. 160
583 MusaeUlft. Herm. in Jung. Alchemical Studies. p. 82
584 XXI [t i R] Martin p. 2S0
585 Aurelia Occulta, cited in Jung. Alchemical Studies. p. 218
586 Rabelais. Gargantua and Pantagruel.
587 Ficino. De Vila Trip/ici. m.lS.l33
588 XXI [t R-t v L) Manin p. 284
589 Alberti On the Art olBuilding in Ten Books lX.4. 299-300
590 Ficino. Vila Triplici. Ul19.153
591 XXI [t v R] Martin p. 284
592 XXI [t vii L- R] Martin p. 285
593 XXI [u L] Martin p. 287
594 XXI [u ii L-u iii L] Martin p. 289-291
595 XXI [u iii L] Martin p. 291-2
596 XXII [x v L] Martin p. 30S
597 Campbell The Mythic Image, p.I65 Empedocles. fragment
26.
598 XXII [y iii R]
599 Book 2, IV [e Hi L] Martin p. 369
600 XXII (y L] Martin p. 311
601 Semee. The Survival olthe Pagan Gods. p. 120
602 XXII [y L] Popelin Vol. n, p. 217
603 Hersey. TheLosIMeaningofClassicaIArchiteclure.p.130
604 XXII [x v L) Martin p. 305
605 XXII [x iiii L] Popelin Vol. n, p. 198
606 Vitruvius. The Tell Books on Architecture. V. 1.3 p. 132
607 XXII [y ii L] Popelin Vol. n, p. 227-8
608 Plata. PhMdrus. p. 80
609 Plato. Phaedrus. p. 55-6
610 Fieino. De Amore. VI.ll.131
611 1bese patterns of organization of relationships existing in
polentia in the mind-body complex, emerge in essential
fonns such as social sttueture,language, mythology, reli-
gious concepts. symbolism and dream imagery which are
thus 'Datural alIegories' of each other.
612 Jung. Psychology and Alch4my. p. 238n. eit. Philalethes,
"MetaUomm metamorphosis" in Mu.saeum Hermelicum.
613 XXII [y ii L] Martin p. 313
614 XXII [y ii R] Martin p. 313-4
615 1. e. eircular.
616 Panopolis, 3rdcentury ADGnosticalchemist The Vision of
Zosimes. m, i, S eited in Jung, Alchemical Studies. p. 64
617 XXII [y Hi L] Martin p. 314-5
618 XXII [y iiii L-R) Martin p. 316
619 XXII [y ii R] Martin p. 316
620 XXII [y ii R- Yv L]
621 XXII [y v L)Martin p. 317-8 Popelin np. 230
622 Ars Chemica.
623 Bachelard. Airand Dreams. p.21.
624 Jung. Symbols ofTransformation. p. 126
625 Buddhist trans. Edward Conze. London: Pen-
guin 1960 ln the entry ioto the theatre Poliphilo has made
this realization.
167
. ~
(
626 XXII [y v R] Popelin p. 231
627 Alberti. On tMAnofBuilding in Ten Books. 1.1. p. 7
628 XXII [y v R] Martin p. 318-9
629 XXII [y vi R)
630 Alberti. On tMArtofBuilding in TenBooks. VII,lO.p.219
631 XXII [y vi R) Martin p. 320
632 Martin Ruland. Luicon a/chemiLle, sive Diclionarium
alchemisticum. Frankfwt-am-Main 1612
633 XXII [y vii L] Martin p. 321
634 XXII [y vii R] Martin p. 3212
635 XXII [y v RI Martin p. 319
636 Proverbs 9, 1
637 XXIII [y vii R) Martin p. 323-4
638 XXlU [y viii R-z L] Martin p. 324
639 XXIII [z L)
640 The Moon.
641 Satum, Jupiter. Venus, Apollo, Mars, Mercury, Diana.
642 XXIII (z L] Martin p. 324-5
643 Ovid. The Metamorphoses. III p. 78 Where Actaeon saw
Diana at her bath.
644 Wind. Pagan Mysteries in lhe Renaissance. p. 169. "Of
Darkness an egg, from the whirlwind conceived, was laid
by the sable-plumed Nigh[, And out of that egg, as the
Seasons revolved, sprangLove, the eottancing, thebright."
AristophancsinTheBird.sdesaibinganOrphiecosmogony,
quotedinWmd op. cil. Theostrichegg was al50 anemblem
of Duke Federigo da Montefeltro.
645 This parallels the most erudite assumptions of contempo-
rary scientists on the identityofgravity with light, the spirit
andsubstanceofthe world. at the intersectionofmatter and
energy: our own natural model for the miracle of transla-
tion.
646 mJ1EP (is like) mIN8HP (a spark) KHAHeMOt (rupture, rap-
ture, fascination, relate<! to Ilemo.. magic)
647 XXIII [z R)
648 XXIII [z RI Martin p. 325-6
649 Picino. Theolog. Plalon., X.7. Opera.
650 Jung. Alchemical Sludies. p. 152
651 xxm [z R] Popelin Vol. U, p. 248
652 Panofsky. Studes in Iconology. p. 141
653 Dante, The Purgalorio. xxvm, 28-30 The description of
the Eatthly Paradse.
654 xxm[z ii L] Manin p. 326-7
655 Pico. On lhe Imagination. p. 51-3
656 Ficlno. De Vila Triplici. II.20.81
657 xxm[z ii R]
658 Bachelard. La Te"e el les Rveries du Repos. p. 329.
659 The two brcasts of the pelican are an alchemical symbol.
660 XXIII [z ii Rz i L] Martin p. 327-8
661 Ovid. The Melamorphoses. p. 125 Calliope's song in the
168
contest of the Muses: the subject of lhe songs is the
punishment of the hubris of thase mortals who attempt to
match the perfection of the gods in the ans.
662 xxm[z iii RI Martin p. 328
663 XXIII [z iii R) Martin p. 329
664 Plato Timaeus 4.31 p. 44
665 Description is a fonn ofcomparison; metaphor is the basis
of comparative knowledge, 50 that history is used as a
metaphor for poetic imagery and myths in the Hypnerolo-
machia.
666 XXIII [z ii L] Martin p. 329
667 Heraclitus, fragment 46.
668 XXIII [z iiii L-R]
669 Ficino.DeAmore. Vll.7.164
670 XXIII [z iii R] Martin p. 330 Epilepsy, known also as the
falling sickness, symbolized the ecstasy and epiphany of
divine inspiration, forthe apparentclarityoftruth initiating
an attack.
671 Vaughan. Euphrates. p. 117
672 XXIII [z iiii RI Martin p. 330
673 Ficlno. De Vila Triplici. m.2.93
674 xxm[z iiii RI Martin p. 331
675 Fieino. De Amon. 1.3.66
676 xxm[z v L] Popelin D p. 262 The passion of Aphrodite
and Ares resuIted in the birth of severaI deities: Eros and
Anteros (reciprocallove). Deimus and Phobos (ferror and
Fear) and Harmonia. Harmonia was the mother ofSemele,
mother of Dionysius or Bacchus.
677 XXIV [z v R]
678 XXIV [z vi L] Popelin II p. 265
679 XXIV [z vi L] Martin p. 332-3
680 Polizzi. ed. Le Songe de Poliphile. p.464 Note.
681 XXIV [z vi RI Manin p. 333
682 XXIV [z vi RI Martin p. 333
683 XXIV [z vii RI Martin p. 334
684 XXIV [z viii L]Martin p. 334
685 Georg Simmel. Philosophische KU/lur.
686 Ovid. The Metamorphoses. X
687 XXIV [z vii R]
688 Alberti. On lheArtolBuildingin TenBooks. VD.16.p.240
689 Alberti. On theArtolBuildingin TmBooks. VU, 17.p. 242
690 XXIV [ z vi L] Martin p. 334-5
691 Vico. The New Science. p. 71 186.
692 Ficlno. De Amon. V.l.83-4
693 Alberti. On Painting. p.73
694 Alberti. On Painting
695 XXIV [z viii R] Martin p. 337
696 Campbell. TM Hero Wilh A Thousand Faces. p. 142
697 XXIV [z ix L] Martin p. 338
698 Virgil. Aeneid. VI, p. 169
699 XXIV [z ix R] Martin p. 339
700 Jung. Psychology and Alchemy. p. 86
701 Jung. Psychology and Alchemy. p. 274 Roland Lexicon
alchemitu.
702 IV [B vii R] Martin p. 364
703 Blake. ''1be Marriage of Heaven and HeU"
704 XIII [F iii L] Martin p. 407
70S XIII [F iii L] Martin p. 407
706 Apuleius. The Golden Ass.
707 xm [F iii R]
708 Longus Daphnis and Ch/oe. Il. 6 The description of
mischievous Eros.
709 Jung. Psych%gy andA/chemy. p. 23 Maria Prophetissa.
710 Jung. Psychology and A/chemy. p. 297
711 Plato. Tinraeus. 20.52.712
712 Ricoeur "'1be Function of Fiction in Shaping Reality."
713 Vitruvius. The Ten Booles on Architecture. VU. 5.1 ""The
Decadence of Fresco Painting'" p. 132
714 Ricoeur. "'The Function of Fiction in Shaping Reality" in
Man and Worldno. 12.1976
715 Vitruvius. The Ten BooksonArchitecture. 1. 1.3p. S"'The
Education of the Architeet"
716 Hildegarde von Bingen. Causae et Curae.
717 Gerard Dom. Speculativa pmlosophia.
718 Vitruvius. The TenBooksonArchitecture. IX.I.l4p. 261
719 Wind. p. 9 Plotinus. The Enneads. VI ix 34
720 TranslationofPorphyry. "DeAntroNympharum". in The
NeoplDtonists, John Gregory. ed. London: Kyle Cathie
1991
721 Quoted in TItus Burckhardt. A/chemy: Science of lhe
Cosmos. Science ofthe Souf. Longmead: Element Books
1986
169
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