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<p dir="ltr">I quattro libri dell'architettura</p>
<strong><strong><strong>Michael Brandon Seals
J. Lauer, Huma 1302 12:00 p.m.- 1:20 p.m.
<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/WhiBS9oONAMEFS5dtI9oyKp0Rj9l5pwy-dMxD_ZlNuQwY5JrYeNn9v7r3LqLs8QiT4NABhsgAPOhDyg7dLumtmSE6YGMfxWKSE4Akyp90ldooiP470g" alt="" width="435px;" height="580px;" />
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<p dir="ltr"> English architect Inigo Jones annotations in</p>
<p dir="ltr">Palladio’s Four Books on Architecture</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="http://inha.revues.org/3396">http://inha.revues.org/3396</a></p>
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Andrea Palladio (1508 – 1580), an Italian born architect who penned what is considered by some to be one of the greatest volumes ever published on the subject of architecture.  I quattro libri dell'architettura  (The Four Books of Architecture)(1570) has become the standard repository and reference for classic renaissance design, influencing artists, architects and designers from the 16th century to the present day. The Four Books of Architecture consists of four separately published editions each describing a complete set of rules that define the conception, design and aesthetics of a structure. Along with highly detailed woodcuts emblazoning the cover. This incredibly illustrated tome is further divided into rules and sub-rule sets, governing everything from the placement and shape of walls, roofs, arches, details, site, etc. Once referred to by Thomas Jefferson as “the Bible” (Center for Palladian Studies in America) this book has had more influence on design and architecture than possibly any other book of its period or since, the fact that it is still applicable to the present day is in itself a feat very few printed works of the time can muster, as well as the spawning of a movement entirely based off the published work, Palladianism, the style of Architecture based completely off the rules and illustrations from the The Four Books on Architecture. Preservation of this work is of the utmost importance due to its unique composition and clarity of information that transcends languages timelines and generations.

Typical of this period architects often would take their direction from the study of buildings of their antiquity especially those built by the Greco/Romans and many architects would often simply duplicate their forms as best they could adapting the overall composition to better suit their needs or discarding features they had no use for, such as a Roman bath house or social toilet. There were also surviving texts from the Roman empire including one from first century architect, Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, whose work  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Architectura">De Architectura</a> ("On Architecture") was thought of and is still known as one of the best preserved examples of Roman building and this would also go on to greatly influence palladio's work on the Four Books. (CPSA) However whereas most of his fellows looked to the surviving monumental roman structures such as the coliseum, or triumphal arch for the rhetoric to supply their language of construction. Palladio was able to distill his modus operandi from the form and structure of the classic Roman temple. He would go on to outline and define a more methodical approach to the design of a structure, where a large majority of the variables involved had sets of rules and sub rules,  in order to not only provide a functional and uniform scale but also to be aesthetically pleasing in the classical sense, and whereas the majority of his peers merely emulated the classic’s, refashioning and modifying them to fit their needs, Palladio created an innovative and unique style using the classic school as his metric all the while still satisfying patrons concerns regarding the local social and economic criteria of the time. With the formula for the systems and rules all clearly outlined, this was a book made not just for the architect but for patrons and builders as well as anyone interested in pursuing knowledge in the fields of architecture or construction. Highly praised at the time amongst peers and critics, however it was not until the widespread european distribution in the 1700’s that the Four Books really started to gain popularity and momentum, not only as a publication but as a distinct architectural style as well.

The Four Books of Architecture is thought of by many to this day to be a compendium of the thought process of renaissance builders of the period. In no other classic publication will you be able to find so clearly laid out formula and examples illustrating the classic sense of building design and construction, and in fact many modern books referring to the Greco/Roman or Renaissance period in architectural design end up citing The Four Books on Architecture extensively. Furthermore in the present day there are many organizations and societies dedicated solely to the further spread and understanding of the rules transcribed within the Four Books on Architecture, one very prominent organization The Center for Palladian Studies in America(CPSA) is dedicated to educating and furthering the works of Palladio and his influence in America, in addition to quantifying the effects the Four Books have had influencing further architectural styles of the past, however many CPSA volunteers are also dedicated to the preservation of palladian inspired structures of the American Renaissance.

Now I am by no means a as informed on the subject of architecture as I feel I should be however as a practicing designer and draftsman for a number of years now. I can fully appreciate the monumental undertaking this book was for the author as well as the publisher(s), the tooling alone required to print this weighty and illustrated volume must have been absolutely a very work of art in itself. In addition very rarely have I encountered a book with such depth of knowledge and any one of a thousand questions regarding the subject of scale to city planning can easily be answered due to the rule and sub rules such as helping to define the best orientation of a site or building pad in relation to the sun or the classical art of placing a structure so that prevailing winds naturally and efficiently provide natural climate control. This is a book I can easily see myself reading and studying again and again, each time finding some hidden gem of design left to me by my peers and counterparts from an era long passed.

A work such as this has the ability to provide future generations with a reference to the classical orders and design intent of the time in addition to being one of the only period written pieces on the subject that still survives. However The Four Books on Architecture is a rare work that has the ability to allow us not only to see the structures built by architects of antiquity but shines light on the standards and practices involved to create works of that caliber. By providing insight into how the men and women of our past came up with innovative solutions to their various dilemma, we too should be able to use this work to further understand the mindset of past cultures creators and creations, and nowhere else in print will you find a more complete treatise on the creation of buildings of classic design, a resource I feel would not exist if this publication were not to persevere into the twenty-second century. If this meaty tome full of renaissance knowledge was ever lost to us, would we ever be able to find a more pure example of the style form and function of the renaissance that is Palladio's The Four Books on Architecture.


Palladio, Andrea. I quattro libri dell'architettura (The Four Books on Architecture)
Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997. Print.

Vitruvius , Marcus. De architettura  (On Architecture)
1 AD. Morris Hicky Morgan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. London: Humphrey Milford. Oxford University Press. 1914. Print.

Center for Palladian Studies in America(CPSA). “Palladianism Timeline”
<a href="http://www.palladiancenter.org/timeline-Palladianism.html">http://www.palladiancenter.org/timeline-Palladianism.html</a>

Center for Palladian Studies in America(CPSA). “Palladio's Literary Predecessors”
<a href="http://www.palladiancenter.org/predecessors.html">http://www.palladiancenter.org/predecessors.html</a>

Center for Palladian Studies in America(CPSA). “Palladio's and his Books”
<a href="http://www.palladiancenter.org/palladiobooks.html">http://www.palladiancenter.org/palladiobooks.html</a>

Tavernor, Robert “Palladio's Four Books on Architecture”
Architecture Week, 19 July 2000.<a href="http://www.architectureweek.com/2000/0719/culture_1-1.html"> http://www.architectureweek.com/2000/0719/culture_1-1.html</a></strong></strong>