ALL' ANTICA

All' Antica: translation

An Italian term used to indicate the use of an ancient vocabulary to create a painting, sculpture, or building. In the Renaissance,Filippo Brunelleschiwas the first to reintroduce the Greco-Roman vocabulary to architecture. Not only are the repetitive arches and columns in hisOspedale degli Innocenti(1419-1424) based on ancient Roman examples, but so is his approach to architecture. The order, balance, and mathematical symmetry he applied to the structure are the principles the Romans also used. His designs inspired Masaccio's architecture in thefrescoof theHoly TrinityatSanta Maria Novella, Florence(1427). In sculpture, it wasNicola Pisanowho first experimented with theall'anticavocabulary. Some of the reliefs in the pulpit he created for the Baptistery of Pisa (1255-1260) reflect his careful examination of ancient sarcophagi.