Download Sebastiano Serlio on Ancient Roman Theatres

Thomas K. Fagerholm
5/10/2010
Abstract
Sebastiano Serlio, one of history's great architects, preserved Roman antiquities,
including several Roman theatres, through his writings, drawings, and measurements. Much of
Serlio's book has been used over the ages as a resource to understand theatre construction of
the Roman era and the Renaissance. There remains a gap however, in the research pertaining
to those theatre structures Serlio examined. By identifying the four Roman theatre structures
in Serlio's third book examined in this paper, scholars may learn about the longevity, decay, and
preservation of ancient Roman theatres. In addition Serlio's drawings allow others to envision
these ancient theatres as they once were.
Sebastiano Serlio on Ancient Roman Theatres
One of history's great architects, Sebastiano Serlio, published five books on architecture.
One of his five books focused specifically on ancient roman structures, several of which were
theatres found throughout the Roman Empire. This paper serves to examine those entries
pertaining to theatre in The Third Booke of Antiquitie of Sebastiano Serlio's The Five Books of
Architecture. A great deal has been written on the history of Roman theatres and much of
Serlio's book has been used over the ages as a resource to understand theatre construction of
the Roman era and the Renaissance. There remains a gap however, in the research pertaining
to those theatre structures Serlio examined. Serlio names only one of the four Roman theatre
structures he examined. For the remaining theatres he gives the reader only the names of
towns near which he found them. Since the time of Serlio's book many of the old Italian names
have changed which has made locating the theatres difficult at best. One may speculate why
Serlio spent time documenting and publishing old Roman buildings. Part of an architect's
training in the Italian Renaissance was to make a pilgrimage to Rome and study ancient
buildings and ruins (Dep). This was intended to help novice architects achieve an
understanding of Vitruvius's writings and architectural elements which included arches,
columns, and pilasters.
While Serlio recorded a number of ancient buildings in his third book, including detailed
drawings of the coliseum in Rome, his documents on four Roman theatres are of the most
interest to theatre scholars. The structures include the Marcelius (Marcellus) Theatre in Rome,
theatre at Pola in Dalmatia (Pula, Croatia), the theatre at Ferenten (Ferento, Italy), and the
Scene of a Theatre between Fondi and Terracina Italy. Scholarly work can be found on the
importance of Serlio's five books but little has been written on the direct correlation in his third
book to modern day locations of the theatres he describes or about the measurements he took.
Each of these theatres will be examined in order to approximate a present day locale and
compare present day conditions to his assesments.
The Theatre of Marcellus is a well known historical landmark in Rome and its history has
been well documented. Over time it had been sold to private owners a number of times and
each time it was put to different uses including being converted into a fortress (Platner). Serlio
was in Rome when the Savelli family contracted Baldassare Peruzzi, a famous architect of the
time, to build a palace atop the scaena and galleries of the ancient theatre. Today the Savelli
Palace still sits atop the theatre and has been converted into upscale apartments. Serlio states
in his book that he befriended Peruzzi and witnessed some of the excavation of the original
theatre. Serlio may have gained an interest in the remains of antiquity from his time spent with
Peruzzi as James Laver in Drama: its Costume and Decor states that Serlio studied under
Peruzzi for a time in Rome (75-76). Bernard Hewitt comments in The Renaissance Stage
"Peruzzi had been the guiding spirit in the detailed study of the remains of antiquity, and he
had left his drawings to Serlio” (19). Serlio seems to have continued the work of his companion
Peruzzi. It was during the excavation of the foundations at the Theatre of Marcellus that he
learned of the ornate artifacts hidden in the rubble. He describes the area as "rich of
ornaments, all of stone, and made of Corinthia work, very well and richly wrought" (Serlio). In
addition Serlio provides a drawing of the theatre and elements of the scaena as he saw them
then. Although the exterior of this theatre is still visible today we can learn much about its
interior construction from the measurements Baldassare and Serlio took and the drawings
provided by Serlio.
The Roman theatre at Pola is found in the modern day city of Pula, Croatia. The Roman
theatre is often overshadowed by a Roman amphitheatre or coliseum found in the city. The
theatre is found near a fortress at the city center. It is interesting to note the changes of the
theatre from Serlio's drawings to its present state. In Serlio's drawings he depicts the rich
ornamentation of the scaena with columns and cornice work. Today little is left but the
foundations of the scaene. Many of the stone seats have been removed as well. It is noted in
Dalmatia the Quarnero and Istria by Thomas Graham Jackson that the building was mostly
intact in the first half of the sixteenth century. It was destroyed in 1636 and much of the stone
was used by Antony de Ville, a French engineer, to build the fortress that sits near it (Jackson
286). Four of the marble columns were used for the canopy of Saint Maria della Salute on the
Grand Canal in Venice (Jackson 302-303). It is fortunate that we have Serlio's record of this
theatre; it allows us to more easily envision what it would have looked like in his day and even
in ancient Roman times.
Serlio describes one of the theatres as "At Ferenten, an old Towne lying by Veterben".
The name Ferenten can easily be confused with the modern city of Ferentino south of Rome.
Ferentino lies along old Roman roads, is still inhabited, and recently parts of a Roman theatre
were unearthed within the city near the cathedral. When comparing drawings of the recently
discovered theatre in Frank Sear's book Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study to those found
in Serlio's book it is apparent that they are not the same (123). In addition, there apperars to
be no city or village near Ferentino that could represent Veterben.
Perhaps due to the translation into Dutch then English or perhaps as a result of time the
names Ferenten and Veterben have fallen out of use. Veterben can be difficult to translate but
most likely refers to the modern day city of Viterbo in Italy. Ferenten, if given that Veterben is
Viterbo, most likely refers to the ancient city of Ferento north of Rome near Viterbo. Ferento
was destroyed during a battle with Viterbo which left all the buildings destroyed. Perhaps this
is the reason Serlio refers to it as an "old town" and thus gives a subsequent landmark of
Viterbo. A comparison of Serlio's drawing with pictures of the structure and Sear's drawing
solidify the locale of this theatre. Documentation of the archeological site is found in an entry
in the 1911 copy of the American Journal of Archaeology (130).
The last structure is a scaena that Serlio observed from horseback between the Italian
cities of Fondi and Terracina. He described it as "so little to be seene of the Theatre, that I
measured it not: neither did I measure this part of the Scene, which is more decayed then it the
worth here" (Serlio). The picture he sketched on horseback is of a curved scaena. The only
Roman theatre ruins discovered to this day in the area are in the city of Terracina. Serlio
describes the remains as simply "substructures preserved; curved shape theatre visible in
outline of modern buildings" (138-139). It is difficult to discern from such little information
weather these are the remains of what Serlio observed. It seems from his descriptions that
even in his time there was little left and perhaps today they are lost completely, hidden in the
Italian countryside.
One of history's great architects, Sebastiano Serlio, preserved Roman antiquities,
including several Roman theatres, through his writings, drawings, and measurements. From
Serlio's writings on the four Roman theatre structures examined in this paper scholars can learn
about the longevity, decay, and preservation of ancient Roman theatres through further
research. His drawings allow others to envision these ancient theatres as they once were. They
serve to encourage the further search for missing artifacts within these sights and perhaps
guide in the search for other lost Roman theatres.
Works Cited
Bates, William N. "Archaeological News: Notes on Recent Excavations and Discoveriews; Other
News." American Journal of Archaeology (1911): 111-161.
Hewitt, Barnard, ed. The Renaissance Stage: Documents of Serlio, Sabbattini and Furttenbach.
Trans. John H. McDowell, George R. Kernodle Allardyce Nicoll. Coral Gables: University
of Miami Press, 1958.
Jackson, Thomas Graham. Dalmatia, the Quarnero and Istria. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1887.
Laver, James. Drama: its Costume and Decor. London: The Studio Publications, 1951.
Paintings, Department of European. Architecture in Renaissance Italy. 2000. 1 May 2010
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/itar/hd_itar.htm>.
Platner, Samuel Ball. A topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. London: Oxford University
Press, 1929.
Sear, Frank. Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.,
2006.
Serlio, Sebastiano. The Five Books of Architecture. New York: Dover Publications, 1982.