vitruvius (Cesare Cesariano, Como 1521)

This is a profusely illustrated edition of the most famous of antique texts on architecture. It was known throughout the Middle Ages, in multiple copies and probably versions.

Unfortunately, it reached the Renaissance without illustrations. For such a subject, this was a grave drawback - the more so since Vitruvius' Latin was not of the easiest (cf. Alberti's comment that 'The Greeks thought he was writing in Latin, and the Latins in Greek").

Although the dearth of original illustrations, and the difficulty of the language, meant impenetrability, it also gave marvellous freedom to the Renaissance. Various of the editors/illustrators of Vitruvius were able to see antique architecture in their own image, as it were; so that Renaissance editions of Vitruvius give us a clear picture of antique architecture in their own image, as it were; so that Renaissance editions of Vitruvius give us a clear picture of just how narrow was the renaissance' perception of some aspects of antique architecture.

The illustrator who provided these woodblocks very considerately labelled all of them, thereby relieving this (relieved) Web maintainer of the need to provide a database of them...

Click on an image to see the larger version of it.

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