P. Bertoncini Sabatini – Abstract

In order to distinguish the highly complex linguistic-structural constructs of classical architecture, the theory of French architectural Classicism makes a distinction between ordonnances and ordres, the latter referring exclusively to trabeated columns which are much more simple in comparison to the former. The differentiation is not reflected in the Italian language which has no specific term for this semantic-aesthetic area, that is to say for ordinances. It was Antoine-Chrisostôme Quatremère de Quincy who was the last to sing the graces of Classicism in architecture and who set out this thesis in his monumental theoretical work.