Castel del Monte: Geometric Marvel of the Middle Ages

Munich / New York: Prestel, 1998. Hardcover. VG/VG (ex-library with labels and stamps on spine, block, inside front and rear covers and title page verso. Small tear to the paper along spine of inside front cover. Pages are otherwise clean.). Yellow cloth boards with blue spine lettering; color illustrated dust jacket with white and yellow lettering; mylar cover; 237 pp; color illustrated frontispiece; profusely illustrated in 55 full colr, 43 two color and 213 bw illustrations. "In the south of Italy stands one of the most beautiful and fascinating castles of the Middle Ages, commissioned by the brilliant Emperor Frederick II of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Castel del Monte is unique in the history of art and architecture, and the mystery surrounding its function and meaning has inspired the most varied theories, most of which are based on speculation rather than solid analysis. Heinz Gotze presents an in-depth study of this enigmatic structure and explores its singularity in the history of art and architecture. This illustrated book presents the reader with insights into the bastion's structure while exploring the cultural influences common to the entire Mediterranean region, including that of medieval Arabic geometry, and the effect these factors had on the conception and construction of Castel del Monte."- dust jacket. Contents include: I. Introduction -- II. Lines of Development of Hohenstaufen Architecture. 1. Early History. 2. Castel Maniace. 3. Augusta. 4. Castel Ursino. 5. Lucera. 6. The Gate to the Bridge of Capua. 7. Caserta Vecchia. 8. Prato. 9. Termoli. 10. Enna. 11. Osterlant / R. Spehr. 12. Castel del Monte -- III. The Language of Forms in Hohenstaufen Architecture -- IV. Castel del Monte: Design and Construction. 1. The Octagon. 2. The Eight-pointed Star. 3. The Ground-plan Design: General Remarks. 4. The Geometric Structure of the Plan. 5. The Geometric Construction and Measurements. 6. Spandrel Formation -- V. The Geometric System and Its Realization -- VI. Provenance of the Plan -- VII. Interpretation.