Rome Scholarship in Architecture

My research project investigated the relationship between classical architecture and epigraphy, examining the placement and topology of letterforms in architectural objects. A primary interest of the research was the treatment of letterforms as architectural elements, detached from their political, social, and historical interpretation. The work focused on the geometry, proportion, spacing, and placement of letters within the epigraphic field as components of architectural composition.

The project explored the longstanding classical preoccupation with proportion, numerical order, and systems of necessary relations. Drawing upon the writings of Vitruvius, it considered how architectural meaning has historically been structured through interconnected formal systems, where individual elements derive significance through their relationship to a larger whole. Within this framework, inscriptions were examined as ornamental and compositional devices, comparable to mouldings, capitals, and other architectural details.

Rather than attempting to reconstruct ancient inscriptional methods or uncover a hidden numerological order, the project positioned the letterform within the broader tradition of classical design. Drawing upon James Gibbs’ Rules for Drawing the Several Parts of Architecture (1732), the research applied architectural methods of classification, measurement, and proportional analysis to the generation and arrangement of letterforms. Through the study of classical examples, the project sought to produce an appendix to Gibbs’ seminal work with a new set of principles governing the integration of inscriptions within classical architecture.