Frontispieces · 18th century
€ 170
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Good, given age. Paper edges a bit browned and one edge cut rough. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects and creases from handling. Please study scan carefully.
This image is an intricate frontispiece from a book by Jacques Barozzi de Vignole, known as Vignola, an influential 16th-century Italian architect who was one of the great architect theorists of the Renaissance. The title "Livre nouveau des cinq ordres d'architecture" translates to "New Book of the Five Orders of Architecture," which refers to the classical orders: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite.
The frontispiece is rich in allegorical imagery, displaying various figures and symbols that represent the art of architecture and the knowledge contained within the book. Such engravings served not only as decorative elements but also as symbolic representations of the content and importance of the work.
Engravings like this were typical in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, serving as ornate and didactic introductions to the subject matter of the book, often including references to the author's contributions to the field, and sometimes, as seen here, including verses addressing the reader.
