Study Course on Early Modern Architectural Drawings in Rome (November 19–20, 2026): Work with unique original documents and gain new perspectives on the reception of antiquity and related research. Network with international experts and contribute your own ideas. Apply here👉🏻

“The studies by architects of the Cinquecento, which are preserved in the collections (…), have remained virtually unused until now, provide us with significantly further insight.”
- 1 C. Hülsen, The Septizonium of Septimius Severus, Winckelmann Program of the Archaeological Society of Berlin 46 (Berlin 1886), 6, https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.729 (April 13, 2006).

More than 100 years after the seminal publications by Thomas Ashby, Christian Hülsen, and Hermann Egger, which “unearthed” a large number of early modern architectural drawings and made them accessible to research, the study of this important form of classical reception and documentation is to be intensified and updated. For this reason, the DAI Rome, in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeological Sciences at Ruhr University Bochum, is offering a study course on the topic of architectural drawings from the 15th and 16th centuries. The course is led by Dr. Dennis Mario Beck (DAI Rome) and Dr. Barbara Sielhorst (Ruhr University Bochum). The following experts are also participating: Dr. des. Miriam Knechtel (DAI Rome) and Dr.-Ing. Heinz-Jürgen Beste (Rome) in the field of building research, and Prof. Dr. Arnold Nesselrath (Berlin/Rome) on Renaissance architectural drawings.

The course lasts two days. On the first day, at the DAI Rome offices, the specific aspects of early modern architectural drawings and their cultural-historical context will be discussed in detail and explored further through short presentations. On the second day, at the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica, selected drawings will be examined more closely and analyzed collectively.
The course is primarily aimed at early-career researchers in the doctoral or postdoctoral phase, as well as those in advanced master’s programs in archaeology, art history, architectural research, and history. Participants are expected to be willing to give a short presentation, preferably based on their own research on the topic.

Participants
• deepen their knowledge of early modern architectural drawings and engage in intensive discussion regarding the current state of research
• gain insight into the collection of architectural drawings at the DAI Rome as well as that of the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica
• will develop new research questions through discussion regarding the further study of the drawings and their significance for archaeology, art history, architectural history, and the history of science

If you are interested in participating in the course, please submit your online application by June 30, 2026, to barbara.sielhorst@rub.de.Your application should include a resume (two pages) and a letter of motivation (one page) that clearly explains your connection to the course topic. Please submit your documents as a single PDF file.The course languages are German, English, and Italian.

Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the organizing institutions.