Portraits of Rulers : The Prince’s and Citizen’s residence in Platina’s de principe (1471) and de optimo cive (1474)

De Raedt, Nele [UCL]

During the 1470s, Bartolomeo Sacchi, better known as Platina, wrote two political advice books, each containing a description on the kind of residence a prince and a citizen should inhabit. Platina understood the residence of a ruler as a kind of portrait, one that should embody his socio-political position within the civitas, and that should correctly contribute to the establishment of his manly and virile character. This idea of the building as a signifier has direct implications for its design, including its location in the city, its size, and its adornments. This paper discusses the architectural design theories presented in each work in comparison with one another, problematizing the fact that Platina found it appropriate to model his prescriptions for the residence of the ideal citizen on the one of the prince (de optimo cive being largely modelled upon de principe). It argues that the inherent nature of the prince and citizen as rulers not only justifies Platina’s working procedure, but also his tendency to largely maintain what he had written for the prince in de optimo cive. It equally argues that the modifications made might be understood as a way of steering interpretation. For, while the building might be considered as a signifier, what it signifies for the beholder, is open for contestation.