Alberti, Leone Battista
,
Architecture
,
1755
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muſt never be leſs than four Foot; if fifty Cu
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bits, five Foot; if ſixty Cubits, ſix Foot, and
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ſo on in the ſame Proportion. </
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<
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>Theſe Rules
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relate to Towers that are plain and ſimple:
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But ſome Architects, about half Way of the
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Height of the Tower, have adorned it with a
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Kind of Portico with inſulate Columns, others
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have made theſe Porticoes ſpiral all the Way
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up, others have ſurrounded it with ſeveral Por
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ticoes like ſo many Coronets, and ſome have
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covered the whole Tower with Figures of Ani
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mals. </
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<
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>The Rules for theſe Colonades are not
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different from thoſe for publick Edifices; only
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that we may be allowed to be rather more
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ſlender in all the Members, upon Account of
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the Weight of the Building. </
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<
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>But whoever
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would erect a Tower beſt fitted for reſiſting
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the Injuries of Age, and at the ſame Time ex
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tremely delightful to behold, let him upon a
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ſquare Baſis, raiſe a round Superſtructure, and
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over that another ſquare one, and ſo on, ma
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king the Work leſs and leſs by Degrees, ac
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cording to the Proportions obſerved in Co
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lumns. </
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<
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>I will here deſcribe one which I think
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well worthy Imitation. </
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<
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>Firſt from a ſquare
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Platſorm riſes a Baſement in Height one tenth
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Part of the whole Structure, and in Breadth
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one fourth Part of that whole Height. </
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<
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>Againſt
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this Baſement, in the Middle of each Front
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ſtand two Columns, and one at each Angle,
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diſtinguiſhed by their ſeveral Ornaments, in the
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ſame Manner as we juſt now appointed for Se
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pulchres. </
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<
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>Over this Baſement we raiſe a ſquare
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Superſtructure like a little Chapel, in Breadth
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twice the Height of the Baſement, and as high
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as broad, againſt which, we may ſet three,
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four or five Orders of Columns, in the ſame
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Manner as in Temples. </
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<
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>Over this, we make
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our Rotondas, which may even be three in
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Number, and which from the Similitude of
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the ſeveral Shoots in a Cane or Ruſh, we ſhall
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call the Joints. </
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<
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>The Height of each of theſe
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Joints ſhall be equal to its Breadth, with the
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Addition of one twelfth Part of that Breadth,
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which twelfth Part ſhall ſerve as a Baſement
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to each Joint. </
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<
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>The Breadth ſhall be taken
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from that ſquare Chapel which we placed up
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on the firſt Baſement, in the following Man
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ner: Dividing the Front of that ſquare Chapel
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into twelve Parts, give eleven of thoſe Parts to
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the firſt Joint; then dividing the Diameter of
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this firſt Joint into twelve Parts, give eleven of
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them to the ſecond Joint, and ſo make the
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third Joint a twelfth Part narrower than the
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ſecond, and thus the ſeveral Joints will have
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the Beauty which the beſt ancient Architects
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highly commended in Columns, namely, that
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the lower Part of the Shaft ſhould be one ſourth
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Part thicker than the upper. </
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<
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>Round theſe
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Joints we muſt raiſe Columns with their proper
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Ornaments, in Number not leſs than eight, nor
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more than ſix: Moreover, in each Joint, as al
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ſo in the ſquare Chapel, we muſt open Lights
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in convenient Places, and Niches with the Or
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naments ſuitable to them. </
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<
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>The Lights muſt
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not take up above half the Aperture between
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Column and Column. </
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<
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>The ſixth Story in this
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Tower, which riſes from the third Rotonda
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muſt be a ſquare Structure, and its Breadth and
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Height muſt not be allowed above two third
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Parts of that third Rotonda. </
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<
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>Its Ornament
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muſt be only ſquare Pilaſters ſet againſt the
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Wall, with Arches turned over them, with
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their proper Dreſs of Capitals, Architraves and
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the like, and between Pilaſter and Pilaſter, half
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the Break may be leſt open for Paſſage. </
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<
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>The
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ſeventh and laſt Story ſhall be a circular Por
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tico of inſulate Columns, open for Paſſage
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every Way; the Length of theſe Columns, with
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their Intablature, ſhall be equal to the Diame
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ter of this Portico itſelf, and that Diameter
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ſhall be three fourths of the ſquare Building,
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on which it ſtands. </
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<
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>This circular Portico ſhall
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be covered with a Cupola. </
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<
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>Upon the Angles
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of the ſquare Stories in theſe Towers we ſhould
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ſet Acroteria equal in Height to the Archi
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trave, Freze and Cornice which are beneath
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them. </
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<
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>In the lowermoſt ſquare Story, placed
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juſt above the Baſement, the open Area within
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may be five eighths of the outward Breadth.
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<
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>Among the ancient Works of this Nature, I
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am extremely well pleaſed with
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Ptolomey
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's
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Tower in the Iſland of
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Pharos,
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on the Top of
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which, for the Direction of Mariners, he placed
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large Fires, which were hung in a continual
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Vibration, and kept always moving about from
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Place to Place, leſt at a Diſtance thoſe Fires
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ſhould be miſtaken for Stars; to which he ad
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ded moveable Images, to ſhew from what Cor
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ner the Wind blew with others, to ſhew in
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what Part of the Heavens the Sun was at that
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Time, and the Hour of the Day: Inventions
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extremely proper in ſuch a Structure.</
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