M. VITRVVII POLLIONIS DE ARCHITECTVRA LIBRI DECEM, CUM COMENTARIIS DANIELIS BARBARI FIRST LATIN EDITION with DANIELE BARBARO's commentary

Venetiis, apud Franciscum Franciscum Senesem & Ioan. Crugher Germanum

Printed in Venice by Francesco de' Franceschi and Giovanni Chrieger, 1567.

Text in the original Latin. (not to be mixed up with the Italien edition published in the same year)
Barbaro follows closely the Philander edition (1552).
The plates are reduced copies of those found in the Marcolini edition (1556), and are attributed by Poleni and Cicognara to Johann Chrieger (Poleni p. 93; Cicognara 716)
birds-eye view of Venice on page 204 (r6verso), which not found in the earlier issues.
Description of the ideal human proportions on p 89 (H3), which influenzed da Vinci (Vitruvian man)
Woodcut initials at the beginning of each book are from a mythological alphabet of Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari (1538-1578)
136 woodcuts (many full-page, 2 folded - p 187 and 195/Q4 and R2)
Four of the text woodcuts are printed directly from the blocks used in the monumental 1556 Marcolini edition.
The Vitruvius text is printed in roman, with Barbaro's commentary in italic
Use of Greek type on pp. 359-62
Fourteen of the illustrations in this edition do not occur neither in the 1556 Marcolini edition, nor in the 1567 Italian edition, including the view of Venice on R6verso
Barbaro mentions that the original designs of the more important illustrations are the work of Andrea Palladio." (Mortimer, Italian, p.765)
Johann Chrieger who executed the woodcuts for this edition was a Pomeranian engraver working in Venice; he also produced excellent reduced versions of the Vesalius woodcuts for the 1568 edition of Vesalius

Daniele Matteo Alvise Barbaro (also Barbarus; 1514 - 1570) was an Italian translator of, and commentator on, Vitruvius. He also had a significant ecclesiastical career, reaching the rank of Cardinal. Barbaro studied philosophy, mathematics, and optics at the Univercity of Padua. Barbaro served the Republic of Venice as ambassador to the court of Elisabeth I. in London and as representative at the Council of Trent. He was also Patriarch of Aquileia. Barbaro's fame is chiefly due to his vast output in the arts, letters, and mathematics. A cultured humanist, he was a friend and admirer of personalities such as Andrea Palladio, Pietro Bembo and Torquato Tasso. His 'La pratica della perspettiva' (1568) contains one of the earliest descriptions of the use of a biconvex lens in the camera obscura to assist artists in the representation of scenes from nature He published an Italian translation with extended commentary of Vitruvius' Ten Books of Architecture, published as Dieci libri dell'architettura di M. Vitruvio (1556). He later published a Latin edition entitled M. Vitruvii de architectura (1567). The original illustrations of Vitruvius' work have not survived, and Barbaro's illustrations were done specially by Andrea Palladio. As well as being important as a discussion of architecture, Barbaro's commentary was a contribution to the field of aesthetics in general. El Greco, for example, owned a copy.

Vitruv: Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (1st century BC) Roman architect, engineer, and author of "De architectura" (On Architecture), a handbook for architects. Little is known of Vitruvius' life, except what can be gathered from his writings. He was born in Formiae, studied Greek philosophy and science and gained experience in the course of professional work. He was a military engineer under Gaius Julius Ceasar and was architect of at least one building for (a basilica at Fanum Fortunae). Late in life he completed De Architectura. The contents is divided into ten books:

1. Requirements for an architect; town planning; design, cities, aspects; temples.
2. Materials and their treatment. Greek systems.
3. - 4. Styles. Forms of Greek temples. Ionic. Corinthian, Ionic, Doric; Tuscan; altars.
5. Other public buildings (fora, basilicae, theatres, colonnades, baths, harbours).
6. - 7. Sites and planning, especially of houses, Construction of pavements, roads, mosaic floors, vaults. Decoration (stucco, wall painting, colours).
8. Hydraulic engineering; water supply; aqueducts.
9. Astronomy. Greek and Roman discoveries; signs of the zodiac, planets, moon phases, constellations, astrology, gnomon, sundials.
10. Machines for war and other purposes.

The books are based on Vitruvius's own experience, as well as on theoretical works by famous Greek . Leonardo da Vinci based his famous "Vitruvian Man" drawing on the description of the ideal human proportions in Chapter 1 of Book III. Also Dürer was inspired by Vitruvius. Vitruvius' De architectura libri decem ("Ten Books on Architecture") is the only complete work on architecture to survive from classical antiquity. It is the most important work of architectural history, having - after it's rediscovery - shaped architecture from the Renaissance to the present.
Source: Wikipedia

Folio, pages: 30 cm x 20 cm, Cover 21,5 cm x 30,5 cm
Modern leather with the spine from the earlier binding (17th century?), lettered in gilt and decorated
Pagination: [20], 375, [1] pp.
Signature collation: a6, b4, A-Z6, AA-GG6, HH8
Franceschi's woodcut "Pax" device on title and the final
Binding and endpapers renewed
Marginal repairs on the first 4 leaves (not affecting text)
Pages show some light browning and are a little wavy
dark spot on the fore-edge
generally clean and unmarked copy, very good condition