The material here first appeared in his 2001 PhD dissertation, says Temple (architecture, U. of Lincoln, England), then again as a series of research papers in various cities as he tested his ideas and gauged responses from other academics. Here he regroups the tempered and battle hardened ideas back into a unified treatise. He shows how the proposals for new ceremonial streets, bridges, public squares, and building during the pontificate of Julius II (1503-13) were motivated by a desire to remap and so transform the topography of the ancient and medieval city. This, he argues, was part of a larger scheme by humanists and artists in the papal court to promote Rome as another Jerusalem and a renewed imperial city. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Examining the urban and architectural developments in Rome during the Pontificate of Julius II (1503–13) this book focuses on the political, religious and artistic motives behind the changes. Each chapter focuses on a particular project, from the Palazzo dei Tribunali to the Stanza della Segnatura, and examines their topographical and symbolic contexts in relationship to the broader vision of Julian Rome.
This original work explores not just historical sources relating to buildings but also humanist/antiquarian texts, papal sermons/eulogies, inscriptions, frescoes and contemporary maps. An important contribution to current scholarship of early sixteenth century Rome, its urban design and architecture.
