Villard De Honnecourt

Introduction

The Sketchbook

Villard de Honnecourt's sketchbook was actually a portfolio made up of 33 parchment leaves bound together in a piece of brown pigskin. The parchment leaves are not all exactly the same size and vary from 23-24 centimeters in height to 15-16 centimeters in width. There is some question over how the portfolio was originally bound as well as how many if any pages are missing from the book. What is known is that no more than 8 pages are missing and none have been lost since the 18th century. Villard de Honnecourt's sketches found within fall into 10 distinct categories; animals, architecture, carpentry, church furnishings, geometry, humans, masonry, mechanical devices, recipes or formulas, and surveying.2 Villard made his drawings in no particular order and it is thought that the parchment was not easy to come by. This conclusion is drawn from the fact that we see some drawings on top of others that have been erased as well as the pages being crammed with all sorts of different drawings and subject on one piece of parchment.1

Drawing Style and Technique

When Villard de Honnecourt made a drawing he would first start by making a simple contour in lead point. From there he would apply a light sepia wash over top of his lines. Many of his drawing were only taken to this point while others were outlined further with dark lines of ink and then shaded in with lead. For many of his architectural drawings Villard would use the aid of a straight edge, pin-prick compass, or circular template. Villard's most interesting and intricate drawings are those he made of insects and the drapery of clothing adorned by humans. 1

Biography

Villard de Honnecourt was probably born in the small village of Honnecourt, which is south of Cambria, in Picardy, France. Villard's exact birth date and early life are unknown. Villard probably was educated in the Cistercian Order at a monastic school in Vaucelles, France, between 1225 and 1250 A.D. At this school he would have most likely been trained to be an architect. From here Villard's life becomes very unclear. Villard apparently traveled through many of the cathedral building-sites in 13th century France and recorded these in his sketchbook in great detail.3 We do not know for sure why Villard traveled to these sites, either he had a great deal of interest in the way they were built or he was in some way working on their construction himself. Included in the list of places Villard visited are the cathedrals of Cambria, Laon, Meaux, Reims, the abbey of Vaucelles in France, the cathedral of Lausanne in Switzerland, and the abbey of Pilis in Hungary. At each of these places Villard recorded what he saw being done there and his drawings give us historical reference to how these great buildings were made.4

The Pentagram

The pentagram, also commonly known as a five-pointed star, is used seven times in Villard's sketchbook. Three of these seven were used solely as a decoration alone. The remaining other four have often been studied since the pentagram is often of interest to those of sacred geometry. These final four Villard used as a guide for drawing or as a way of showing importance for the Golden Ratio which was used in Post- Hellenic architecture. While these are interesting suppositions deep context may not be derived from Villard's use of the pentagram since it was already a common symbol of the time having already been used on coins of the Roman Republic. Most interesting of all the pentagram pieces are the ones we find that Villard was using as a guide for drawing. The first one shows him using a pentagram to proportion the face correctly and the second shows a way of using the pentagram to proportion the body and show it in motion.4Villard de Honnecourt was an artist and superior intellect who lived in Picardy, France during the thirteenth century A.D. While we know very little about him, his work has been incredibly influential in ways that reach even up to modern day. Villard de Honnecourt is known only by his sketchbook of thirty-three pages filled with about two-hundred and fifty drawings. What we find inside of this sketchbook give us incredible insight into the life and the man that was Villard de Honnecourt.1

Inscriptions

Inscriptions are found alongside or below almost all of the drawings throughout Villard's sketchbook. They are all written very carefully and beautifully in the most common style of the 13th century. The language most of the text is written in is the Picard dialect of Old French which was common in Northern France at this time. A few brief words are written in Latin suggesting that Villard also knew this language. If he did know Latin he probably learned it during his time at the Cistercian monastic school as well as learning how to write there as well.1

Geometry

Much of the focus found in Villard's sketchbook is on geometric principles and how they relate to the natural world around us. People around this time often believed that geometry had a great deal to do with celestial spheres and the guiding of the heavens. Because of the notions emphasis was placed on learning more about geometry in hopes of being able to understand the natural world as well as unknown secrets. 4

Mechanical Devices

Besides being skilled in artistic rendering and architecture Villard de Honnecourt was also very mechanically inclined as well as inventive. In his drawings he illustrates to us mechanical principles as well as ideas to manage loads. Some of his sketches that are highly intriguing are plans for a saw that is powered by an overshoot waterwheel as well as a design for a perpetual motion machine. 4

Other Work

While there is no other proven work of Villard de Honnecourt's some speculations have been made to a correlation between his sketches and items found in the cathedrals that he was known to have been at. Because of Villard's sketches of windows, cross section supports, and church furnishings, it has been questioned as to whether or not he himself made some of these pieces. If that were the case then one can only speculate as to how many other pieces there may be of his throughout the many cathedrals that Villard worked at throughout his lifetime. 1

Historical Significance

Villard's drawings are a wonderful antiquity for modern man to be able to have. From it we learn something of the life and interests of a 13th-century artist. We also learn the methods this man used to create his drawings.1 Possibly more significant that anything else is that it sheds light upon how smart the people of that time were in there high levels of mathematics and in their knowledge of how to build wonderful architecture.

Ongoing Interest

There is much ongoing interest in that of the drawings and work of Villard de Honnecourt. Much work is still being done even now to find out more about the mystery of who this man was and if he contributed artwork that has yet to be identified as being his. There are even more speculations on why Villard even created his portfolio of sketches. Some believe that it is to reveal geometric secrets of the Gothic period while others have reason to believe that it was used as a shop manual of a North French building company.2 Most people are led to simply believe that Villard simply recorded what he did for his own memory and studies as well for his love of beauty and life. Aside from historical interest Villard's work is also widely studied and revered by Mason's because of his use of geometric patterns as well as the pentogram. 4

Conclusion

As anyone can see Villard de Honnecourt lived an inspiring and intriguing life. His knowledge of so many different studies has led him to be compared to that of the great Leonardo Da Vinci. The mystery found within Villard's life is so intriguing it keeps us wondering what other great accomplishment's he may have had on our world that haven't even yet been attributed to him. Maybe someday we will learn the complete story of the life of Villard de Honnecourt.

Works Cited

1. Carl F. Barnes Jr. "Villard de Honnecourt", the Artist and His Drawings", c. November 2006. www.villardman.net>

2. "Sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt", author unknown. c.1871-2007 Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/architecture/

3."Villard De Honnecourt." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 9 Apr. 2007 .

4."Villard de Honnecourt." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 23 Mar 2007, 04:13 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 10 Apr 2007 .