Portfolio of Villard d'Honnecourt
Flying Buttresses (Bibliothèque nationale de France, Français 19093)
Like the Model Book of Rein in this section, this portfolio has frequently been described as a book that played a role in the dissemination of artistic knowledge, but its true function remains a matter of some debate. The close observation of contemporary buildings has invited speculation that Villard de Honnecourt may have been a master builder; the appearance of automatons on some pages also indicates an interest in hydraulics: but whether he was himself a maker of such things, or an artistic observer, is difficult to know.
Several drawings Reims Cathedral in northern France; among these, the elegantly depicted flying buttresses and window traceries suggest a keen interest in the latest structural innovations of the day. Animals appear regularly throughout the book, like the shaggy bear and elegant swan on fol. 4r; on another page Villard famously depicted a lion from life. In other instances, the animals are drawn from other artworks instead; for example, the bird atop a lectern on fol. 7r represents a bookrest in the shape of an eagle. The manuscript freely mixes diagrams, drawings, and designs, and its soft leather binding – beautifully replicated in this state-of-the-art facsimile – only enhances the impression of a curious artist gathering evocative images of his world.
This manuscript has been fully digitized and is available at the website of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.