Alchemical Hands in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili

Why It Matters for the Hypnerotomachia

The HP's amphitheatre passages describe a classical performance venue with careful attention to proportions and spectatorship. Poliphilo observes performances from within the structure, making the amphitheatre a site where architecture, spectacle, and narrative converge.

Why It Matters in Scholarship

The amphitheatre description reflects knowledge of surviving Roman amphitheatres and Renaissance theoretical interest in theatre architecture. It contributes to the HP's broader demonstration that architecture is experienced through the body, not merely observed.

Key Passages / Evidence

• ... nor do the dimensions make sense in previous illustrations, as the additional 2-foot column, and niching, would allow only 2.68 feet per arch-space. Fig. 3.23) Elevation of... [O'Neill (Durham thesis)]
• ... the first pergola in the first ring of seating. This pertains to a universality in medieval thought, alluding to the transition from the specificity of the anima to the generality of the... [O'Neill (Durham thesis)]
• ... the uppermost member of the capital Entrance (hall) Adito p.352 y4v A restricted area within the cella of a Greek temple85 Agate Achates p.355 y6r A rock made of chalcedony and quartz... [O'Neill (Durham thesis)]

Source Documents

O'Neill (Durham thesis); O'Neill (authorship); Teaching_Eros_The_Rhetoric_of_Love_in_th; Word_Image_1998_jan_vol_14_iss_1_2_Bury_John_Chapter_III_of_the_Hypnerotomachia; Word_Image_1998_jan_vol_14_iss_1_2_Hunt_John_Dixon_Experiencing_gardens_in_the_H