“Where the gate drips near the Vipsanian Columns”. Aernout van Buchel Gathering Information on the Culture and History of Rome: the Pantheon

The Dutchman Aernout van Buchel lived in Rome between November and March 1587-1588. Visiting ancient and contemporary monuments, he recorded his impressions and knowledge in small notebooks. Several years later he worked these into a full report, expanding his notes with information from a wide range of scholarly sources.

Focusing on his description of the Pantheon, this paper traces Van Buchel’s sources. Some were visual (prints and book illustrations) but the great majority were literary, ranging from ancient Greek and Latin writings to contemporary scholarly publications. In general, he used recent history books and guides of Rome as a first introduction proceeding to more specialized works. On the whole, he consulted over two hundred sources, usually quite critically. In the case of the Pantheon, he closely followed various guidebooks, adopting some incorrect information on the building’s history and original dedication, but also adding valuable information based on personal observation. His reconstruction of the original position of the Pantheon in ancient Rome is surprisingly correct.