Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Table of figures

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              *</s>
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              *</s>
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              <s>CHAP. IX.</s>
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              Of the Entablature, the Architrave, Triglyphs, Dentils, Mutules, Cavetto,
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              and Drip or Crona, as alſo of Flutings and ſome other Ornaments helong­
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              ing to Columns.
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              <s>Having fixed our Capitals, we upon
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              them raiſe our Architraves, upon the
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              Architrave the Freze, Cornice and other Mem­
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              bers of the Covering. </s>
              <s>In moſt of theſe Mem­
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              bers the
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              Ionians
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              and all others differ very much
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              from the
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              Dorians;
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              though in ſome Particulars
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              they agree. </s>
              <s>For Inſtance, it is a general Rule,
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              that the Thickneſs of the Bottom of the Ar­
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              chitrave ſhould be never greater than the Solid
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              of the Top of the Shaft of the Column, nor
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              ſhould the Breadth of the Top of the ſame
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              Architrave be greater than the Diameter of the
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              Bottom of the Shaft. </s>
              <s>The Cornice is that
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              Member which lies upon the Freze, and pro­
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              jects over it. </s>
              <s>In this too they obſerved the
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              Rule which we have already given, that the
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              Projecture of all Members that ſtood out from
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              the Naked of the Wall ought to be equal to
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              their Height. </s>
              <s>It was alſo uſual with them to
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              make their Cornice lean forwards about a
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              twelfth Part of its Width, knowing that this
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              Member would ſeem to be falling backwards,
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              if it were ſet up at right Angles. </s>
              <s>I here again
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              entreat thoſe who ſhall hereafter tranſcribe this
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              Book, and I do it in the moſt earneſt Manner,
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              that they would write the Numbers which I
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              ſet down with Letters at Length, and not with
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              numeral Characters, for the avoiding of more
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              numerous Errors. </s>
              <s>The
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              Dorians
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              then never
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              made the Height of their Architrave leſs than
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              half the Diameter of the Bottom of their Co­
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              lumn, and this Architrave they divided into
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              three Faſcias, under the uppermoſt of which
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              ran ſome ſhort Mouldings, in each whereof
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              ſtuck ſix Nails, which were fixed in thoſe
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              Mouldings with their Heads downwards, and
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              might at firſt be intended to keep the Freze
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              from retiring backward. </s>
              <s>The whole Height
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              of this Architrave they divided into twelve
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              Parts or Minutes, by which we ſhall meaſure
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              all the following Members. </s>
              <s>Four of theſe
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              Minutes they gave to the lower Faſcia, ſix to
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              the Middle one which is above it, and the other
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              two they left for the upper Faſcia; and of the
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              ſix Minutes given to the middle Faſcia, one
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              was allowed to the Reglet or Moulding under
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              the Tænia, and another to the Nails which
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              ſtuck in that Moulding. </s>
              <s>The Length of theſe
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              Reglets was twelves Minutes, and the Spaces
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              from one Reglet to the other were eighteen.
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              </s>
              <s>Over the Architrave for an Ornament they ſet
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              the Triglyphs, the Front of which, being raiſed
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              High and Perpendicular, projected over the
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              Architrave half a Minute. </s>
              <s>The Breadth of
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              the Triglyphs muſt be equal to the Thickneſs
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              of the Architrave, and their Height or Length
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              half as much more, ſo that this will be eight­
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              teen Minutes. </s>
              <s>Lengthways in the Face of theſe
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              Triglyphs we cut three Furrows at equal Diſ­
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              tance from each other, and hollowed at right
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              Angles, allowing the Breadth of the opening
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              one Minute. </s>
              <s>The Corners of theſe Furrows or
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              Channels muſt be cut away to the Breadth of
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              half a Minute. </s>
              <s>The Spaces or Metopes be­
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              tween the Triglyphs, where the Proportions are
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              elegant, are flat Tables exactly ſquare, and the
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              Triglyphs themſelves muſt be ſet perpendicu­
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              larly over the Solid of their Columns. </s>
              <s>The
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              Face of the Triglyphs project half a Minute out
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              from the Metopes; but the Perpendicular of
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              the Metopes muſt fall exactly upon the lower
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              Faſcia of the Architrave. </s>
              <s>In theſe Metopes it
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              is uſual to carve the Skulls of Oxen, Pateras,
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              Wheels, and the like. </s>
              <s>Over each of theſe
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              Triglyphs and Metopes, inſtead of a Cymati­
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              um, muſt run a Fillet of the Breadth of two
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              Minutes, over theſe a Cima-inverſa of the
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              Breadth of two Minutes, and above that a Plat­
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              band of the Breadth of three Minutes, which is
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              adorned with little Eggs, in Imitation, perhaps,
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              of the ſmall Stones which ſometimes burſt out
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              between the Joints of a Pavement through the
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              too great Abundance of Mortar. </s>
              <s>In theſe we
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              fix the Mutules of the ſame Breadth as the
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              Triglyphs, and of the ſame Height as the Plat­
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              band, placed directly over the Heads of the
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              Triglyphs and projecting twelve Minutes. </s>
              <s>The
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              Heads of the Mutules are cut Perpendicular,
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              with a Cymaiſe over them. </s>
              <s>Over the Mutules
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              runs a ſmall Cima of three Quarters of a Mi­
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              nute. </s>
              <s>In the Plat-fond of the Entablature be­
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              tween the Mutules we carve a Roſe or a Flower
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              </s>
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