The diffusion of architectural culture through treatises and manuals on the art of building in Denmark between the 18th and 19th centuries

This essay reflects on the methods by which architectural communication developed in Denmark between the 18th and 19th centuries, analysing the related transmission of models and theoretical insights expressed in professional practice. Thus, the focus will be placed on meaningful works in this sense, starting with the fine illustrated volume the Abecedario dell'Architectura Civile written by the painter and architect Carl Marcus Tuscher in 1743, following the critical re-reading of the Tanker om Smagen udi Kunsterne i Almindelighed by the sculptor Johannes Wiedewelt, and on to the re-examination of the manuals edited by the German architect Gustav Friedrich Hetsch, through which he aimed for a didactic cultural enhancement that would improve the artistic education of architects as much as of craftsmen and industrialists