The Kunstbibliothek (Art Library) maintains one of the most important collections of material relating to European architecture, comprising more than 50,000 drawings and prints, and some 400 architectural models. These range from the late 15th century to the second half of the 20th century.
Its holdings of German, French and Italian architectural drawings from the Baroque and Neoclassical eras are particularly rich, with masterpieces by Francisco Borromini, Filippo Juvarra, Balthasar Neumann and Giovanni Battista Piranesi. There are also extensive collections of sketches and materials from the estates of outstanding Modernist architects, including Joseph Maria Olbrich, Heinrich Tessenow, Erich Dieckmann and Erich Mendelsohn.
The Ornamental Engravings Collection ‒ a compilation of templates for all genres relying on the applied arts, especially architecture ‒ is closely related to these holdings on architectural history. This collection reflects the history of object and spatial design from the late Middle Ages to the modern era. The spectrum of the Ornamental Engravings Collection encompasses ornament, architecture, applied arts, decoration, depictions of nature, and symbolic images, as well as templates for paintings, drawings, calligraphy and typography, and printing art. Key areas of focus include treatises on architecture and perspective; the art of fireworks; writing master books; goldsmithing; landscape and fortress design; and Baroque ceremonial and stage architecture.
The historical roots of the Architecture and Ornament Collection can be traced to the era of the Industrial Revolution, when the Kunstbibliothek was still an educational arm of the Kunstgewerbemuseum. Its courses were aimed at young, creative people training to work in the booming field of applied arts ‒ including architects, but also furniture and industrial designers. In parallel, the study of sources within the historical sciences became more important, and the still-emerging subject of art history was established as an academic discipline – developments that led Peter Jessen, the Kunstbibliothek’s first director, to create future-oriented working conditions there. Today, the Architecture and Ornament Collection remains an important resource for researchers in art history and cultural studies. It serves as a reservoir of ideas for anyone seeking inspiration from the design concepts of previous centuries.
The objects from the Collection can be viewed in the Study Room. Prior registration is required.
The digital database only provides access to sections of the Architecture and Ornament Collection. If you cannot find certain objects on there, get in touch with the Kunstbibliothek by telephone or e-mail.
Only some sections of the Architecture and Ornament Collection can be researched using the digital database. If you are unable to find particular objects, please contact the Kunstbibliothek directly by phone or e-mail.
Phone: +49 30 266424101
E-Mail: kb[at]smb.spk-berlin.de