Buvmeistars Ruperts Bindensu: Ietekmes un sasniegumi Rigas arhitektura 17. gs. gadsimta pedeja ceturksni

• Authors: Anna Ancane

Title variants

EN

MASTER BUILDER RUPERT BINDENSCHU: INFLUENCES AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF RIGA IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE 17TH CENTURY

• Languages of publication: LV

Abstracts

EN

Rupert Bindenschu (1645-1698) is the most prominent contributor to the Baroque architecture of Riga. Although everyone knows his major works - St. Peter’s Church tower and the Reutern House - his personality and other projects in Riga and elsewhere have yet to be fully examined. Rupert (sometimes called Ruprecht or Robert) Bindenschu was born in Strasbourg in 1645 to the family of carpenter Balthasar Bindenschu and Susanne Reinhold. For several generations all men of this family have been carpenters. Possibly, Bindenschu learned the first skills of this craft with his father in Strasbourg. No information is found on the young master’s further activities until 1671. Then he arrived in Riga from Reval (Tallinn) where he had participated in the construction of the Oleviste Church tower. In Riga Bindenschu became assistant to the city master builder Jacob Josten. In 1675, when Josten returned to Danzig (Gdansk), he was officially appointed to the post of city master builder and ‘art master’ (Kunstmeister). Assigned by the City Council, the master worked in Riga and carried out several tasks in Riga Patrimonial District. Bindenschu devoted much energy to the restoration of Riga after the great fire of 1677. Bindenschu’s post meant that he had to deal with a large number of commercial and technical buildings - barns, warehouses, barracks, windmills, fortification improvements as well as reconstructions of already completed public buildings. In 1678 Bindenschu repaired the Dom Cathedral tower. The 1780s and 1790s were the most prolific years in the master’s career. In 1680 he completed a Baroque tower with a gallery for St. John’s Church, restoring its interior three years later. In 1681 he built the balconies of the organ and altar parts. Bindenschu’s major works follow, such as the Reutern House project (1685), renovation of St. Peter’s Church tower (1688-1690) and façade (1692), the wooden Jesus Church in Riga’s St. John’s suburb, the Dannenstern House (completed in 1696), the house at 3 Mazā Grēcinieku Street (since 1683) and reconstruction of the Large Guild façade.

Keywords

EN

RUPERT BINDENSCHU; RIGA ARCHITECTURE; ST; PETER’S CHURCH; REUTERN HOUSE; DANNENSTERN HOUSE; DUTCH CLASSICISM; BAROQUE

• Publisher: Publishing House 'Neputns', Terbatas iela 49/51-8, Riga LV-1011, Latvia; www.neputns.lv
• Journal: Materiali Latvijas makslas vesturei
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 8
• Pages: 11-44

Contributors

author

Anna Ancane

• Institute of Art History of the Latvian Academy of Art, Akademijas laukums 1-160, Riga LV-1050, Latvia