Venice and Vitruvius

In about 35-25 B.C.E., the Roman architect Vitruvius produced his encyclopaedic ten-book summary of the principles of Hellenistic architecture, "De architectura" ("On Architecture"). These ideas have stimulated architects ever since. In the mid-16th century, the architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) and the humanist Daniele Barbaro (1513-1570) looked to the city of Venice in order to understand and interpret Vitruvius' text, which was still in need of clarification and which would enable them to solve contemporary architectural problems. Barbaro and Palladio found in the city's medieval and Renaissance streets, palaces, churches and towers living principles that enabled them to interpret the ancient ones. By 1556, Barbaro incorporated his and Palladio's observations into their Commentaries on Vitruvius, and two distinctly new editions for different audiences followed a decade later. Margaret D'Evelyn has gathered evidence from published and unpublished versions of the Commentaries to document how Palladio's understanding of Vitruvius influenced Barbaro. This engrossing volume also charts the invention of the illustrated architectural book and how major architect-authors, Leon Battista Alberti, Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Cesare Cesariano, Sebastiano Serlio, and Guillaume Philandrier, contributed to its development - demonstrating how Vitruvius shaped the way the city of Venice was viewed.