HIGH RENAISSANCE: DONATO BRAMANTE

AMMANI NAIR
A/2022/2008
III YR SEC A
High Renaissance: Donato Bramante

INTRODUCTION

Donato Bramante (1444 – March 11,

1514) was an Italian architect, who
introduced the Early Renaissance style
to Milan and the High Renaissance style
to Rome, where his most famous design
was St. Peter's Basilica.

His real name was Donato d'Augnolo and

he was born in Monte Asdruvaldo in
Urbino, in July 1444. He trained as a
painter in his hometown and studied
under the Early Renaissance masters
Mantegna and Piero della Francesca,
who was interested as a painter in the
rules of perspective. Fig 1: Potrait of Bramante

Around 1474, Bramante moved to Milan and built several churches. In 1477, he
painted the façade of the Palazzo del Podesta, Bergamo which demonstrated an
interest in architecture, as well as in perspective illusion.

In 1499 he went to Rome, where he spent the rest of his life. His Tempietto was the
first masterpiece of the High Renaissance. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, he
drew up plans for the immense Belvedere courtyard in the Vatican (begun c. 1505)
and the new St. Peter's Basilica (begun 1506), his greatest work. These ambitious
projects were far from complete when he died in 1514.

Despite the grand scale of the St. Peter's undertaking, Bramante worked on other
projects and played an important role in Julius II's plans for rebuilding Rome.

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TEMPIETTO

The Tempietto or "small temple" in Italian, built in 1502, is considered Bramante’s

first masterpiece of High Renaissance architecture. It was built to mark the
crucifixion spot of St. Peter in the courtyard of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome and was
commissioned by Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Fig 2,3: Plan and section of tempietto

The chapel is a domed rotunda, 8m in daiameter and 13 high, surrounded by co-

lumns. It is composed of two concentric cylinders--a wide low outer one and a tall
narrow inner one. The circular plan symbolizes divine perfection.

Unlike other fifteenth century Italian Renaissance architects who preferred the Ionic
or Corinthian orders, Bramante uses the Roman Doric order with emphasis on the
harmony of proportions, the simplicity of volumes and the sobriety of the Doric Order.

"For Bramante, the planning of the Tempietto must have

represented the union of illusionistic painting and
architecture he had spent his career perfecting. The
building, too small on the inside to accommodate a
congregation, was conceived as a 'picture' to be looked at
from outside, a 'marker', a symbol of Saint Peter's
martyrdom."— Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman.
Fig.4 View of the Tempietto

PALAZZO CAPRINI (HOUSE OF RAPHAEL)

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The Palazzo Caprini was designed by Bramante around 1505 for the apostolic
protonotary Adriano de Viterbo Caprinis. It was later purchased by the artist,
Raphael in 1517 and came to be known as the House of Raphael. On his death, at
the end of the 16th century, the building was incorporated in the
Palazzo dei Convertendi and then finally demolished in the 17th century

Fig.5 Façade of Palazzo Caprini

Built in the new street leading to the Vatican, it provided a perfect model for the small
palaces needed at that time. With this building Bramante introduced a move from
three stories to two stories and the more extreme contrast in stories, according to
use. Its sequence of rusticated ground floor with shops, applied Classical orders on
the first floor and its innovatory use of stucco-covered brick influenced domestic
architecture up to the 20th century. He engaged columns instead of pilasters, used
balustraded balcony which enhanced the transition and built in, nearly indiscernible,
string course seperating the ground level shop story.

ST. PETER’S BASILICA

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In 1505, Pope Julius II, in order to glorify Rome, made a decision to demolish the old
St Peter’s Basilica and replace it with something grander. Bramante won the
competition that was held to design the new St Peter’s Basilica

Fig.6,7 Bramante’s Elevation and dome of St. Peter’s Basilica

The foundation stone of Donators Bramante design was laid in 1506. This plan was
in the form of an enormous Greek Cross with a dome inspired by the Pantheon. The
main difference between Bramante's design and that of the Pantheon is that where
the dome of the Pantheon is supported by a continuous wall that of the new basilica
was to be supported only on four large piers.

Bramante's dome was to be surmounted by a

lantern with its own small dome. Bramante had
envisioned that the central dome be surrounded
by four lower domes at the diagonal axes. The

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equal chancel, nave and transept arms were each to be of two bays ending in an
apse. At each corner of the building was to stand a tower, so that the overall plan
was square, with the apses Fig 3: Plan of St. Peter’s Basilica projecting at the
cardinal points.

Pope Julius died in 1513 and Bramante was replaced. Major contributors were
Raphael and Michelangelo and was completed in 1590 by Giacomo and Fontana.

REFERENCES

http://www.nndb.com/people/700/000084448

http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/org/orion/eng/hst/renais/tempietto.html

http://www.answers.com

http://www.itgbramante.it

http://architecturetraveljournal.blogspot.com/2008/02

http://www.britannica.com

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com

http://www.greatbuildings.com

http://www.biographybase.com

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