The Four Books on ArchitectureThe Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio was one of the most influential figures that the field of architecture has ever produced. For classical architects, the term Palladian stands for a vocabulary of architectural forms embodying perfection and beauty. Of even greater significance than Palladio's buildings is his treatise I quattro libri dell'architettura (The Four Books On Architecture), the most successful architectural treatise of the Renaissance and one of the two or three most important books in the literature of architecture. First published in Italian in 1570, it has been translated into every major Western language. This is the first English translation of Palladio in over 250 years, making it the only translation available in modern English. Until now, English-language readers have had to rely mostly on a facsimile of Isaac Ware's 1738 translation and the eighteenth-century engravings prepared for that text. This new translation by Robert Tavernor and Richard Schofield contains Palladio's original woodcuts, reproduced in facsimile and positioned correctly, adjacent to the text. The book also contains a glossary that explains technical terms in their original context, a bibliography of recent Palladio research, and an introduction to Palladio and his times. The First Book discusses building materials and techniques, as well as the five orders of architecture: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. Palladio describes the characteristics of each order and illustrates them. The Second Book discusses private town houses and country estates, almost all designed by Palladio. The Third Book discusses streets, bridges, piazzas, and basilicas, most of ancient Roman origin. The Fourth Book discusses ancient Roman temples, including the Pantheon. |
Contents
List of Woodcuts from the 1570 Edition | 60 |
Part elevation of the facade of Palazzo Chiericati | 83 |
Palazzo Thiene Vicenza ground plan and sectional elevation | 89 |
Villa Almerico near Vicenza in plan and halfelevation halfsection | 95 |
House of the ancients in plan and long section | 101 |
Part sectional elevation through the atrium of the Carità | 107 |
A Corinthian hall with halfcolumns in partial plan and sectional elevation | 115 |
An Egyptian hall in partial plan and cross section | 128 |
The ancient basilica in plan | 201 |
The palaestrae and xysti of the Greeks in plan | 208 |
The Temple of Peace at Rome in plan | 222 |
The Baptistry of Constantine in plan and half elevation and half sectional elevation | 275 |
Details of the capital base entablature and soffits of the portico of the Temple of Jupiter Sta | 281 |
The Pantheon in plan | 287 |
Section through half of the interior of the Pantheon | 293 |
The ornaments of the tribune of the Temple of Bacchus in elevation | 299 |
Villa Saraceno at Finale di Agugliaro in plan and elevation | 134 |
Villa Thiene at Cicogna di Villafranca Padovana in plan and elevation | 141 |
Villa Serego at Santa Sofia near Verona in plan and sectional elevation | 145 |
A project for a palazzo on a site in Venice in plan and elevation | 154 |
Half of the Vicentine foot subdivided into inches and minutes | 164 |
A view and constructional details of Caesars bridge across the Rhine | 174 |
The covered timber bridge at Bassano del Grappa in partial plan and elevation and in cross | 181 |
two woodcuts each showing | 188 |
The public squares of the Greeks in plan | 195 |
Details of the portico of the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli | 305 |
The temple below Trevi in plan with ornamental details | 311 |
The temple at Assisi in elevation and part plan | 317 |
Illustrations of Palladios Architectural Terms | 340 |
BOOK | 346 |
BOOK | 356 |
English and Italian Glossary by Richard Schofield | 379 |