Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

< >
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/152.jpg" pagenum="128"/>
              that we have here ſaid of the outer Coat, or
                <lb/>
              Surface of the Wall may likewiſe ſerve as to
                <lb/>
              Pavements, of which we promiſed to ſpeak,
                <lb/>
              only that on Pavements we never beſtow fine
                <lb/>
              Painting nor ſuch good
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Moſaic
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              Work, unleſs
                <lb/>
              you will grant the Name of Painting to a Par­
                <lb/>
              get of various Colours poured into hollow little
                <lb/>
              Spaces ſeparated from each other by thin Par­
                <lb/>
              titions of Marble in Imitation of Painting. </s>
              <s>This
                <lb/>
              Parget may be made of red Oker burnt, with
                <lb/>
              Brick, Stone and the Droſs of Iron; and when
                <lb/>
              it is laid on and is thoroughly dry, it muſt be
                <lb/>
              cleared and ground down ſmooth, which is done
                <lb/>
              in the following Manner: Take a hard Stone,
                <lb/>
              or rather a Piece of Lead of threeſcore Pound
                <lb/>
              Weight, with its lower Surface perfectly ſmooth;
                <lb/>
              to each End of this faſten a Rope, by which
                <lb/>
              you muſt draw it backwards and forwards over
                <lb/>
              your Pavement, ſtill keeping it ſupplied with
                <lb/>
              Sand and Water, till it is rubbed exactly ſmooth,
                <lb/>
              and is poliſhed as it ought, which it never is
                <lb/>
              unleſs all the Lines and Angles of the Dies an­
                <lb/>
              ſwer and fit one another to the greateſt Nice­
                <lb/>
              neſs. </s>
              <s>If this Parget be rubbed over with Oil,
                <lb/>
              eſpecially that of Linſeed, it will get a Coat
                <lb/>
              like Glaſs. </s>
              <s>It alſo does very well to anoint it
                <lb/>
              with Lees of Oil, as alſo with Water in which
                <lb/>
              Lime has been quenched, with which you
                <lb/>
              ſhould rub it over often. </s>
              <s>In all our
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Moſaic
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
                <lb/>
              Works we ſhould avoid uſing the ſame Co­
                <lb/>
              lours too often in the ſame Places, as alſo too
                <lb/>
              frequent Repetitions of the ſame Figures and
                <lb/>
              Irregularity in the Compoſition of them. </s>
              <s>We
                <lb/>
              ſhould likewiſe take Care that the Junctures
                <lb/>
              are not too wide, but that every Thing be fit­
                <lb/>
              ted together with the utmoſt Exactneſs, that
                <lb/>
              equal Care may appear to have been uſed in all
                <lb/>
              Parts of the Work.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. XI.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the Ornaments of the Covering, which conſiſt in the Richneſs and Beauty
                <lb/>
              of the Rafters, Vaults and open Terraſſes.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>The Coverings too have their Beauty and
                <lb/>
              Gratefulneſs from the Contrivance of
                <lb/>
              the Rafters, Vaults and open Terraſſes. </s>
              <s>There
                <lb/>
              are Roofs yet to be ſeen in
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Agrippa
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              's Portico
                <lb/>
              with Rafters of Braſs, forty Foot long; a Work
                <lb/>
              wherein we know not which to admire moſt,
                <lb/>
              the Greatneſs of the Expence, or the Skill of
                <lb/>
              the Workmen. </s>
              <s>In the Temple of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Diana
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              at
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Epheſus,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              as we have taken Notice elſewhere,
                <lb/>
              was a Roof of Cedar, which laſted a vaſt
                <lb/>
              While.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pliny
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              relates that
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Salauces
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              King of
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Colchos,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              after he had overcome
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Seſoſtris
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              King
                <lb/>
              of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              made his Rafters of Gold and Sil­
                <lb/>
              ver. </s>
              <s>There are ſtill to be ſeen Temples covered
                <lb/>
              with Slabs of Marble, as, we are told, was the
                <lb/>
              Temple of
                <emph type="italics"/>
              feruſalem
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              with prodigious large
                <lb/>
              ones of ſuch wonderful Whiteneſs and Splen­
                <lb/>
              dor, that at a Diſtance the whole Roof appear­
                <lb/>
              ed like a Mountain of Snow.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Catulus
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was the
                <lb/>
              firſt that gilt the Braſs Tiles on the Capitol
                <lb/>
              with Gold. </s>
              <s>I find too that the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Pantheon,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              or
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rotonda
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              at
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Rome,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              was covered with Plates of
                <lb/>
              Braſs gilt; and Pope
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Honorius,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              he in whoſe
                <lb/>
              Time
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Mahomet
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              taught
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ægypt
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              and
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Africa
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              a
                <lb/>
              new Religion and Worſhip, covered the Church
                <lb/>
              of St.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Peter
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              all over with Plates of Braſs.
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ger­
                <lb/>
              many
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ſhines with Tiles glazed over. </s>
              <s>In many
                <lb/>
              Places we cover our Roofs with Lead, which
                <lb/>
              will endure a great While, ſhews very hand­
                <lb/>
              ſome, and is not very expenſive; but it is at­
                <lb/>
              tended with this Inconvenience, that if it is laid
                <lb/>
              upon a Stone Roof, not having room for Air
                <lb/>
              under it, when the Stones come to be heated
                <lb/>
              by the Rays of the Sun, it will melt. </s>
              <s>There
                <lb/>
              is an Experiment which may convince us of
                <lb/>
              the Truth of this. </s>
              <s>If you ſet a leaden Veſſel
                <lb/>
              full of Water upon the Fire, it will not melt;
                <lb/>
              but if you throw the leaſt Stone into it,
                <lb/>
              where that touches it will immediately melt
                <lb/>
              into a Hole. </s>
              <s>Beſides this, if it is not well
                <lb/>
              cramped and pinned down in all Parts, it is
                <lb/>
              eaſily ripped off by the Wind. </s>
              <s>Moreover it is
                <lb/>
              preſently eat into and ſpoilt by the Saltneſs of
                <lb/>
              Lime; ſo that it does much the beſt upon
                <lb/>
              Timbers, if you are not afraid of Fire: But
                <lb/>
              here again, there is a great Inconvenience arif­
                <lb/>
              ing from the Nails, eſpecially if they are of
                <lb/>
              Iron, inaſmuch as they are more apt to grow
                <lb/>
              hoter than Stone, and, beſides, eat away the
                <lb/>
              Lead all about them with Ruſt. </s>
              <s>For this
                <lb/>
              Reaſon the Cramps and Pins ought alſo to be
                <lb/>
              all of Lead, and muſt be faſtened into the
                <lb/>
              Sheets with hot Sodder. </s>
              <s>Under this Covering
                <lb/>
              you ſhould make a thin Bed of Aſhes of Wil­
                <lb/>
              low, waſhed and mixed with Chalk. </s>
              <s>Braſs
                <lb/>
              Nails are not ſo apt to grow hot or to ruſt, as </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum