Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755
page |< < of 320 > >|
1be ask'd, there is none of us but would readily
ſay, that ſuch a Thing might be remedied and
corrected.
Indeed every one cannot propoſe
the Remedy, but only ſuch as are well practi­
ced and experienced that Way.
It is therefore
the Part of a wiſe Man to weigh and review
every particular thoroughly in his Mind: That
he may not afterwards be forced to ſay, either
in the Middle or at the End of this Work, I
wiſh this, or I wiſh that were otherwiſe.
And
it is really ſurprizing, what a hearty Puniſh­
ment a Man ſuffers for a Work ill managed:
For in Proceſs of Time, he himſelf at Length
finds out the Miſtakes he fooliſhly made in the
Beginning for want of due Reflection: And
then, unleſs he pulls it to pieces and reforms
it, he is continually repenting and fretting at
the Eye-ſore; or if he pulls it down, he is
blamed upon Account of the Loſs and Expence,
and accuſed of Levity and Inſtability of Mind.
Suetonius tells us, that Julius Cæſar having
begun a Structure at the Lake Nemorenſis from
the very Foundations, and compleated it at
vaſt Expence, pull'd it all down again, becauſe
it was not exactly in all reſpects to his Mind.
For which he is certainly very much to be
blamed, even by us his Poſterity, either for
not ſufficiently conſidering what was requiſite
at firſt, or elſe afterwards for diſliking thro'
Levity what might really not be amiſs.
I
therefore always highly commend the ancient
Cuſtom of Builders, who not only in Draughts
and Paintings, but in real Models of Wood or
other Subſtance, examin'd and weigh'd over
and over again, with the Advice of Men of the
beſt Experience, the whole Work and the Ad­
meaſurements of all its Parts, before they put
themſelves to the Expence or Trouble.
By
making a Model you will have an Opportunity,
thoroughly to weigh and conſider the Form
and Situation of your Platform with reſpect to
the Region, what Extent is to be allow'd to
it, the Number and Order of the Parts, how
the Walls are to be made, and how ſtrong and
firm the Covering; and in a Word all thoſe
Particulars which we have ſpoken of in the
preceding Book: And there you may eaſily
and freely add, retrench, alter, renew, and in
ſhort change every Thing from one End to
t'other, till all and every one of the Parts are
juſt as you would have them, and without Fault.
Add likewiſe, that you may then examine and
compute (what is by no means to be neglected)
the Particulars and Sum of your future Ex­
pence, the Size, Heighth, Thickneſs, Num­
ber, Extent, Form, Species and Quality of
all the Parts, how they are to be made, and
by what Artificers; becauſe you will thereby
have a clear and diſtinct Idea of the Numbers
and Forms of your Columns, Capitals, Baſes,
Corniſhes, Pediments, Incruſtations, Pave­
ments, Statues and the like, that relates either
to the Strength or Ornament.
I muſt not
omit to obſerve, that the making of curious,
poliſh'd Models, with the Delicacy of Painting,
is not required from an Architect that only
deſigns to ſhew the real Thing itſelf; but is
rather the Part of a vain Architect, that makes
it his Buſineſs by charming the Eye and
ſtriking the Fancy of the Beholder, to divert
him from a rigorous Examination of the Parts
which he ought to make, and to draw him
into an Admiration of himſelf.
For this Rea­
ſon I would not have the Models too exactly
finiſh'd, nor too delicate and neat, but plain
and ſimple, more to be admired for the Con­
trivance of the Inventor, than the Hand of
the Workman.
Between the Deſign of the
Painter and that of the Architect, there is this
Difference, that the Painter by the Exactneſs
of his Shades, Lines and Angles, endeavours
to make the Parts ſeem to riſe from the Can­
vaſs, whereas the Architect, without any Re­
gard to the Shades, makes his Relieves from
the Deſign of his Platform, as one that would
have his Work valued, not by the apparent
Perſpective, but by the real Compartments
founded upon Reaſon.
In a Word, you ought
to make ſuch Models, and conſider them by
yourſelf, and with others ſo diligently, and
examine them over and over ſo often, that
there ſhall not be a ſingle Part in your whole
Structure, but what you are thoroughly ac­
quainted with, and know what Place and how
much Room it is to poſſeſs, and to what Uſe to
be applied.
But above all, nothing requires
our Attention ſo much as the Covering, which
ſeems in its Nature, if I miſtake not, beyond
any Thing elſe in Architecture to have been
of the greateſt and firſt Convenience to Man­
kind; ſo that indeed it muſt be own'd, that
it was upon the Account of this Covering that
they invented not only the Wall and thoſe
other Parts which are carried up with the Wall
and neceſſarily accompany it, but alſo thoſe
Parts which are made under Ground, ſuch as
Conduits, Channels, Receptacles of Rain
Water, Sewers and the like.
For my Part,
that have had no ſmall Experience in Things of
this Nature, I indeed know the Difficulty of

Text layer

  • Dictionary
  • Places

Text normalization

  • Original
  • Regularized
  • Normalized

Search


  • Exact
  • All forms
  • Fulltext index
  • Morphological index