F. Mentényi Klára szerk.: Műemlékvédelmi Szemle 1994/2. szám Az Országos Műemléki Felügyelőség tájékoztatója (Budapest, 1994)

TANULMÁNY - Hoppe László: Késő gótikus méretrend Hans Hammer vázlatkönyvéből

building. All sizes depend on the size of the first, starting fact of the construction, all other sizes emerge in the course of drawing. On the basis of the method the use of a special arbitrary measurement is presumable. There is authentic data concerning this in the sources, in the book of Hans Hammer. In one of the paragraphs of the descriptions we can find the mention of a measurement system with special characteristics. The starting fact is 13 feet, which is one old measure. Half of this is the „normal foot" (Alte Schue, Rechte Schue, Werckschue). The measure of one foot is consequently the 13/12 of human foot! It is unexampled that the starting measure must have been human - most probably his own - size. Other measures: 12 inches (Rechte Zoll) = 1 normal foot (Werckschue) 3 normal feet = 1 normal measure (Rechte Masstab) 4 normal measures = 1 old measure (Alte Masstab) 12 normal technical feet - 1 old measure There are other components however: 1/3 Rechte foot = 1 small foot (young foot, Junge Schue) 1 small foot = 4 inches (Rechte Zoll) 1 small foot = 12 small inches (Junge Zoll Masstab) 1 micro foot - 1 Rechte Zoll 1 micro Zoll = 1/12 micro foot On other places other methods of creating measure can be found. The concept is : the starting fact is the width of the hand. „That is one foot"- writes Hammer. Three and a half of this foot is equivalent to one technical foot (Werckschue). Then this should be devided to twelve parts and the inch is ready. In another paragraph other methods can be read. Here the middle knuckle of the middle finger should be taken, and the middle knuckle of the fourth finger. The width of both should be taken twelve times and this would be the foot (Werckschue), taken 24 times would be the measure (Masstab). Here there is a contradiction compared to facts before, as the two knuckles taken twelve are bigger than one foot, while the other value is rather near to the Rechte Masstab. Mentioning there Werckschue must be a mistake caused by the uncertainty in connection with the names of the measures, also seen in the former paragraph. Finally the foot should be divided into twelve parts and one part is the inch. It is interesting, that only three expressions can be found for naming measures of length: the inch, the foot and the masstab. The observation that the technical foot used in construction (Werckschue) is not similar to the size of human foot, but is slightly larger, its 13/12, is referring to the fact, that Hammer's rules are not totally arbitrary - he actually had measured his parts of body and compared them to measures used by him. The measures of small (1/3) and micro (1/12) might have replaced the missing smaller measure, but theoretically they might have served for 1/12 size drawing. Absolute size is independent of the usual, local measurements, it is the original system of the architect, which could be used - if necessary - without measuring means using his own body sizes.