The exhibition AB ANTIQUO. European Architectural Culture and Antiquities of the Eastern Adriatic presents for the first time the fascinating story of the regional and European reception of the ancient heritage of the eastern Adriatic coast — through original drawings, prints, rare books and architectural treatises from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
The exhibition reveals how the Roman remains of Pula, Zadar, Salona and Split, situated along trade routes towards the Levant, inspired humanists, artists and architects across Europe for centuries. While the ancient monuments of Pula gained early international fame through architectural treatises, drawings and prints — from Italy to Great Britain — the heritage of Split and other Dalmatian sites resonated strongly within humanist and artistic circles, reaching a wide European audience especially through luxury illustrated books of the 18th century.
Particular attention is drawn to rare historical drawings by Renaissance and Baroque architects active on the eastern Adriatic, arriving from the Hvar Heritage Museum and the Abbatial Collection in Korčula, as well as rare copies of architectural treatises with notes by builders and architects from Croatian libraries — from the National and University Library in Zagreb to the Research Library in Dubrovnik, the Research Library in Zadar and the University Library in Rijeka.
AB ANTIQUO leads visitors through four centuries of fascination with eastern Adriatic antiquities and opens a new perspective on the role of the Adriatic in the history of European art and architecture.
