Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Page concordance

< >
Scan Original
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/025.jpg" pagenum="14"/>
              to have made a Monſter with Limbs diſpro­
                <lb/>
              portionable: Variety is without Diſpute a very
                <lb/>
              great Beauty in every Thing, when it joins and
                <lb/>
              brings together, in a regular manner, Things
                <lb/>
              different, but proportionable to each other;
                <lb/>
              but it is rather ſhocking, if they are unſuitable
                <lb/>
              and incoherent. </s>
              <s>For as in Muſick, when the
                <lb/>
              Baſe anſwers the Treble, and the Tenor agrees
                <lb/>
              with both, there ariſes from that Variety of
                <lb/>
              Sounds an harmonious and wonderful Union
                <lb/>
              of Proportions which delights and enchants
                <lb/>
              our Senſes; ſo the like happens in every thing
                <lb/>
              elſe that ſtrikes and pleaſes our Fancy. </s>
              <s>Laſtly,
                <lb/>
              theſe Things muſt be ſo executed, as Uſe or
                <lb/>
              Conveniency requires, or according to the
                <lb/>
              approved Practice of Men of Skill; becauſe
                <lb/>
              deviating from eſtabliſhed Cuſtom, generally
                <lb/>
              robs a Thing of its whole Beauty, as conform­
                <lb/>
              ing to it, is applauded and attended with Suc­
                <lb/>
              ceſs. </s>
              <s>Nevertheleſs, tho' other famous Archi­
                <lb/>
              tects ſeem, by their Practice, to have deter­
                <lb/>
              mined this or that Compartition, whether
                <lb/>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Doric,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              or
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Ionic,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              or
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Corinthian,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              or
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Tuſcan,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              to
                <lb/>
              be the moſt convenient of any; yet they do
                <lb/>
              not thereby tie us down to follow them ſo
                <lb/>
              cloſely, as to tranſcribe their very Deſigns into
                <lb/>
              this Work of ours; but only ſtir us up by
                <lb/>
              their Inſtructions to produce ſomething of
                <lb/>
              our own Invention, and to endeavour to ac­
                <lb/>
              quire equal or greater Praiſe than they did.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>But of theſe Things we ſhall ſpeak more di­
                <lb/>
              ſtinctly in their proper Places, when we come
                <lb/>
              to conſider in what manner a City and its
                <lb/>
              Members ought to be diſpoſed, and every
                <lb/>
              thing neceſſary for the Convenience of
                <lb/>
              each.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>CHAP. X.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="head">
              <s>
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Of the Columns and Walls, and ſome Obſervations relating to the Columns.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>We are now to treat ſummarily of the
                <lb/>
              Diſpoſition of the Wall. </s>
              <s>But here I
                <lb/>
              muſt not omit what I have obſerved among
                <lb/>
              the Ancients; namely, that they conſtantly
                <lb/>
              avoided drawing any of the outer Lines of the
                <lb/>
              Platform quite ſtrait, ſo as to let any great
                <lb/>
              Length go on without being interrupted by
                <lb/>
              the Concavity of ſome curve Line, or the In­
                <lb/>
              terſection of ſome Angle; and the Reaſon
                <lb/>
              why thoſe wiſe Men did this is plain, that the
                <lb/>
              Wall, having, as it were, Props joined to it to
                <lb/>
              reſt againſt, might be ſo much the ſtronger.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>In treating of the Walling, we ſhould begin
                <lb/>
              with the moſt noble Parts of it. </s>
              <s>This Place
                <lb/>
              thereſore naturally leads us to ſpeak of the Co­
                <lb/>
              lumns, and of the Things belonging to them;
                <lb/>
              a Row of Columns being indeed nothing elſe
                <lb/>
              but a Wall open and diſcontinued in ſeveral
                <lb/>
              Places. </s>
              <s>And having occaſion to define a Co­
                <lb/>
              lumn, it would not be at all improper to ſay,
                <lb/>
              that it is a certain ſtrong continued Part of
                <lb/>
              the Wall, carried up perpendicular from the
                <lb/>
              Foundation to the Top, for ſupporting the
                <lb/>
              Covering. </s>
              <s>In the whole Compaſs of the Art
                <lb/>
              of Building, you will find nothing, that either
                <lb/>
              for Workmanſhip, Expence or Beauty, de­
                <lb/>
              ſerves to be preferred before the Columns.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>But theſe Columns having ſome Particulars in
                <lb/>
              which they differ from one another; in this
                <lb/>
              Place we ſhall ſpeak only of their Agreement;
                <lb/>
              becauſe that regards the Genus of them; but
                <lb/>
              as to their Difference, which relates to their
                <lb/>
              Species, we ſhall handle it in its proper Place.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>To begin therefore as we may ſay from the
                <lb/>
              Root, every Column has its Foundation; this
                <lb/>
              Foundation being brought up to a Level with
                <lb/>
              the Plane of the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Area,
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              it was uſual to raiſe
                <lb/>
              thereupon a kind of little Wall, which we
                <lb/>
              ſhall call the Plinth, others perhaps may call
                <lb/>
              it the Dye; upon the Plinth ſtood the Baſe,
                <lb/>
              on the Baſe, the Column; and over the Co­
                <lb/>
              lumn the Capital; their Proportion was, that
                <lb/>
              from the middle downwards, they were ſome­
                <lb/>
              what bigger, and from thence upwards grew
                <lb/>
              more and more taper, and that the Foot was
                <lb/>
              ſomething larger than the Top of all. </s>
              <s>I make
                <lb/>
              no doubt, that at firſt the Column was in­
                <lb/>
              vented to ſupport the Covering. </s>
              <s>Afterwards
                <lb/>
              Men's Thoughts being ſtirred up to worthy
                <lb/>
              Attempts, they ſtudied, tho' themſelves were
                <lb/>
              mortal, to make their Buildings in a Manner
                <lb/>
              immortal and eternal; and for this Reaſon
                <lb/>
              they made Columns, Architraves, Intabla­
                <lb/>
              tures, and Coverings all of Marble. </s>
              <s>And in
                <lb/>
              doing theſe Things, the ancient Architects al­
                <lb/>
              ways kept ſo cloſe to Nature, as to ſeem, if
                <lb/>
              poſſible, never to have conſulted any Thing
                <lb/>
              but mere Convenience in Building, and at the
                <lb/>
              ſame Time made it their Care, that their
                <lb/>
              Works ſhould be not only ſtrong and uſeful, </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum