Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
Text
Text Image
Image
XML
Thumbnail overview
Document information
None
Concordance
Figures
Thumbnails
Table of figures
<
1 - 30
31 - 60
61 - 90
91 - 92
[out of range]
>
<
1 - 30
31 - 60
61 - 90
91 - 92
[out of range]
>
page
|<
<
of 320
>
>|
<
archimedes
>
<
text
>
<
body
>
<
chap
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>
<
pb
xlink:href
="
003/01/173.jpg
"
pagenum
="
142
"/>
they agreed, from an Imitation of Nature,
<
lb
/>
namely, that the Tops of the Shafts of all Co
<
lb
/>
lumns ought to be thinner than they were at
<
lb
/>
Bottom. </
s
>
<
s
>Some laid it down as a Rule, that
<
lb
/>
they ſhould be a fourth Part thicker at Bottom
<
lb
/>
than at the Top. </
s
>
<
s
>Others conſidering that
<
lb
/>
Things always ſeem to loſe of their Bigneſs in
<
lb
/>
Proportion to the Diſtance from which they
<
lb
/>
are viewed, very prudently adviſe that ſuch
<
lb
/>
Columns as were to be of a great Length,
<
lb
/>
ſhould be made ſomewhat thicker at the Top
<
lb
/>
than thoſe that were ſhorter; and for this Pur
<
lb
/>
poſe they gave the following Directions. </
s
>
<
s
>The
<
lb
/>
Diameter of the Bottom of a Column of fifteen
<
lb
/>
Foot high, ſhould be divided into ſix Parts,
<
lb
/>
whereof five ſhould be given to the Diameter
<
lb
/>
at the Top. </
s
>
<
s
>Of all Columns from fifteen to
<
lb
/>
twenty Foot high, the lower Diameter ſhould
<
lb
/>
be divided into thirteen Parts, eleven whereof
<
lb
/>
are to be allowed to the Thickneſs at the Top;
<
lb
/>
all Columns from twenty to thirty Foot high,
<
lb
/>
muſt have ſeven Parts at the Bottom, and ſix
<
lb
/>
at the Top; thoſe from thirty to forty Foot,
<
lb
/>
muſt have fifteen Parts Thickneſs below and
<
lb
/>
thirteen above: Laſtly, thoſe amounting to
<
lb
/>
fifty Foot height, muſt have eight Parts at the
<
lb
/>
Bottom, and ſeven at the Top. </
s
>
<
s
>According to
<
lb
/>
the ſame Rule and Proportion, as the Column
<
lb
/>
grows ſtill longer, the larger Diameter we muſt
<
lb
/>
allow to the Top of its Shaft: So that in theſe
<
lb
/>
Points all Columns agree. </
s
>
<
s
>Not that I can
<
lb
/>
ſay, upon thoſe Meaſurements which I have
<
lb
/>
taken of ancient Structures, that theſe Rules
<
lb
/>
were always ſtrictly obſerved among the
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Ro
<
lb
/>
mans.
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
head
">
<
s
>CHAP. VII.</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
A neceſſary Rehearſal of the ſeveral Members of Columns, the Baſe, Torus,
<
lb
/>
Scotia, Liſts, Die, and of the ſmaller Parts of thoſe Members, the Plat
<
lb
/>
band, Corona, Ovolo, ſmall Ogee, Cima-inverſa, and Cymatium, both up
<
lb
/>
right and reverſed.
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>We ſhall here take a ſecond Review of
<
lb
/>
the ſame Things relating to Columns,
<
lb
/>
which we conſidered in the laſt Book; not in
<
lb
/>
deed in the ſame Method, but in another no
<
lb
/>
leſs uſeful. </
s
>
<
s
>For this Purpoſe, out of thoſe Co
<
lb
/>
lumns which the Ancients made uſe of in their
<
lb
/>
publick Buildings, I ſhall take one of a middle
<
lb
/>
Proportion between the Biggeſt and the Leaſt,
<
lb
/>
which I ſuppoſe to be of about thirty Foot.
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
<
s
>The biggeſt Diameter of the Shaft of this Co
<
lb
/>
lumn, I ſhall divide into nine equal Parts,
<
lb
/>
eight of which I ſhall aſſign to the biggeſt Di
<
lb
/>
ameter of its Cincture at the Top: Thus its
<
lb
/>
Proportion will be as eight to nine, which the
<
lb
/>
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Latins
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
call a Seſquioctave. </
s
>
<
s
>In the ſame Pro
<
lb
/>
portion I ſhall make the Diameter of the Di
<
lb
/>
minution at Bottom, to the largeſt Diameter
<
lb
/>
of the Shaſt, making the latter nine and the
<
lb
/>
ſormer eight. </
s
>
<
s
>Again I ſhall make the Dia
<
lb
/>
meter of the Cincture at the Top to that of
<
lb
/>
the upper Diminution, as ſeven to eight, or in
<
lb
/>
the Proportion which the
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Latins
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
call Seſqui
<
lb
/>
ſeptimal. </
s
>
<
s
>I now proceed to the Deſcription
<
lb
/>
of thoſe Members wherein they differ. </
s
>
<
s
>Baſes
<
lb
/>
conſiſt of theſe following; the Die, the Torus
<
lb
/>
and the Scotia. </
s
>
<
s
>The Die is that ſquare Mem
<
lb
/>
ber which is at the Bottom of all, and I call it
<
lb
/>
by this Name, becauſe it is ſquare on every Side,
<
lb
/>
like a flat Die; the Toruſſes are thoſe Cuſhi
<
lb
/>
ons, upon one of which the Column reſts, and
<
lb
/>
the other ſtands upon the Die; the Scotia is
<
lb
/>
that circular Hollow which lies between two
<
lb
/>
Toruſſes, like the Hollow in the Wheel of a
<
lb
/>
Pully. </
s
>
<
s
>All the Meaſures of theſe Members are
<
lb
/>
taken from the Diameter of the Bottom of the
<
lb
/>
Shaft; and firſt the
<
emph
type
="
italics
"/>
Dorians
<
emph.end
type
="
italics
"/>
gave the following
<
lb
/>
<
arrow.to.target
n
="
marg20
"/>
<
lb
/>
Proportions for them. </
s
>
<
s
>They made the Height
<
lb
/>
of the Baſe to be half the Diameter of the Bot
<
lb
/>
tom of the Shaft, and the Plinth or Die, as
<
lb
/>
broad at moſt every Way as one Diameter and
<
lb
/>
a Half of the Column, and as one Diameter
<
lb
/>
and a Third at leaſt. </
s
>
<
s
>They then divided the
<
lb
/>
Height of the whole Baſe into three Parts, one
<
lb
/>
of which they aſſigned to the Height of the
<
lb
/>
Die. </
s
>
<
s
>Thus the Height of the whole Baſe was
<
lb
/>
three Times that of the Die, and the Breadth
<
lb
/>
of the Die was three times the Height of the
<
lb
/>
Baſe. </
s
>
<
s
>Then excluſive of the Die they divided
<
lb
/>
the Reſt of the Height of the Baſe into four
<
lb
/>
Parts, the uppermoſt of which they gave to the
<
lb
/>
upper Torus. </
s
>
<
s
>Again, what remained between
<
lb
/>
the upper Torus and the Die at Bottom, they
<
lb
/>
divided into two Parts, one of which they al
<
lb
/>
lowed to the lower Torus, and the other they
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
</
p
>
</
chap
>
</
body
>
</
text
>
</
archimedes
>