Practice into Theory: Philibert Delorme, the Premier Tome de l’Architecture (1567), and the Profession of Architecture in Early Modern France

The project analyses the connections between architectural theory and practice in fifteenth- to seventeenth-century France. The project focuses on Philibert Delorme’s architectural treatise, the Premier tome de l’Architecture (1567), in relation to: early modern architectural theory across Europe; French practice in the late medieval and early modern times and the modes of transmission of architectural knowledge before (or aside from) theory; and the emergence of a new professional figure of the architect as construed in the contemporary discourse across Europe and as experienced in French practice.

At right: title page of the Premier Tome de l’Architecture (1567)