Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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any Thing of a Plinth between theſe two Pe
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deſtals, the Height of that Plinth muſt be a
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third Part of the Height of the Pedeſtal itſelf;
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and this Interſpace muſt be filled up with the Fi
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gures of chearful Deities, ſuch as Victory, Glory,
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Fame, Plenty, and the like. </
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<
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>Some covered the
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upper Pedeſtal with Plates of Braſs, gilt. </
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<
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>The
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Pedeſtals and the Baſe being compleated, the
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next Work is to erect the Column upon them,
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and its Height is uſually ſeven Times its Dia
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meter. </
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>If the Column be very high, let its up
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per Diameter be no more than one tenth Part
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leſs than its lower; but in ſmaller Columns,
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obſerve the Rules given in the laſt Book. </
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>Some
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have erected Columns an hundred Foot high,
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and enriched all the Body of the Shaft with
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Figures and Stories in Relieve, leaving a Hol
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low within for a winding Stair to aſcend to the
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Top of the Column. </
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>On ſuch Columns they
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ſet a
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Doric
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Capital, but without any Gorge
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rine. </
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>Over the upper Cymaiſe of the Capital
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in ſmaller Columns they made a regular Archi
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trave, Freze and Cornice, full of Ornaments on
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every Side; but in theſe great Columns thoſe
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Members were omitted, it being no eaſy Mat
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ter to find Stones ſufficiently large for ſuch a
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Work, nor to ſet them in their Places when
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found. </
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>But at the Top of the Capital both of
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great and ſmall, there was always ſomething
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to ſerve as a Pedeſtal for the Statue to ſtand
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upon. </
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>If this Pedeſtal was a ſquare Plinth,
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then none of its Angles ever exceeded the Solid
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of the Column: But if it was round, its Dia
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meter was not to be more than one of the Sides
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of ſuch a Square. </
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>The Height of the Statue
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was one third of the Column; and for this
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Sort of Columns thus much may ſuffice. </
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<
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>The
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Structure of Moles among the Ancients was as
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follows: Firſt they raiſed a ſquare Baſement as
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they did for the Platforms of their Temples.
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>Then they carried up a Wall not leſs high than
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a ſixth, nor higher than a fourth of the Length
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of the Platform. </
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<
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>The whole Ornament of
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this Wall was either at the Top and Bottom,
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and ſometimes at the Angles, or elſe conſiſted
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in a Kind of Colonade all along the Wall. </
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<
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>If
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there were no Columns but only at the Angles,
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then the whole Height of the Wall, above the
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Baſement, was divided into four Parts, three of
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which were given to the Column with its Baſe
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and Capital, and one to the other Ornaments
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at the Top, to wit, the Architrave, Freze and
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Cornice; and this laſt Part was again divided
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into ſixteen Minutes, five of which were given
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to the Architrave, five to the Freze, and ſix to
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the Cornice and its Cymaiſe. </
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<
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>The Space be
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tween the Architrave and the Baſement was
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divided into five-and-twenty Parts; three
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whereof were given to the Height of the Ca
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pital, and two to the Height of the Baſe, and
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the Remainder to the Height of the Column,
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and there were always ſquare Pilaſters at the
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Angles according to this Proportion: The Baſe
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conſiſted of a ſingle Torus, which was juſt half
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the Height of the Baſe itſelf. </
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<
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>The Pilaſter at
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the Bottom, inſtead of a Fillet, had juſt
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the ſame Projecture as at the Top of the
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Shaft. </
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<
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>The Breadth of the Pilaſter, in this
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Sort of Structure, was one fourth of its Height;
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but when the reſt of the Wall was adorned
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with an Order of Columns, then the Pilaſters
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at the Angles were in Breadth only a ſixth
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Part of their Length, and the other Columns
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along the Wall borrowed all their Ornaments
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and Proportions from the Deſign of thoſe uſed
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in Temples. </
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<
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>There is only this Difference be
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tween this Sort of Colonades and the former,
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that in the firſt, as the Baſe is continued on
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from one Angle of the Wall to the other, at
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the Bottom, ſo alſo are the Fillet and Aſtragal
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at the Top of the Column under the Archi
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trave, which is not practiced where there are a
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Number of Columns ſet againſt the Wall;
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though ſome are for carrying on the Baſe quite
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round the Structure here as well as in Temples.
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<
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>Over this ſquare Structure which ſerved for a
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Baſement, roſe a round one of excellent Work
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manſhip, exceeding the Baſement in Height
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not leſs than half its Diameter, nor more than
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two thirds, and the Breadth of this Rotunda
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was never leſs than half one of the Sides of the
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Baſement, nor more than five ſixths. </
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<
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>Many
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took five thirds, and over this round Building
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raiſed another ſquare one, with a ſecond round
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over that, after the ſame Manner as the former,
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till the Edifice roſe to four Stories, adorning
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them according to the foregoing Deſcription.
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<
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>Neither within the Mole itſelf wanted there
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Stairs, or little Chapels for Devotion, or Co
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lumns riſing from the Baſement to the upper
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Stories, with Statues between them, and In
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ſcriptions diſpoſed in convenient Places.</
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