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BARTOLI, Cosimo. - Del Modo di Misurare le Distantie, le superficie, i corpi, le piante, le provincie, le prospettive, & tutte le altre cose terrene, che possono occorrere a gli huomini, secundo le vere regole d'Euclid, & de gli altri piu lodati scrittori.

Title: Del Modo di Misurare le Distantie, le superficie, i corpi, le piante, le provincie, le prospettive, & tutte le altre cose terrene, che possono occorrere a gli huomini, secundo le vere regole d'Euclid, & de gli altri piu lodati scrittori.
Description: Venice, Francesco Sanese 1589. Small quarto 18th(?) century half vellum; 145,[3] leaves, elaborate woodcut title, medallion portrait of Bartoli, numerous woodcut illustrations, diagrams, 2 folding plates, tables. Occasional spots, a very good copy. ¶ Second edition of this handy book on surveying, measuring, and perspective demonstrating the quadrant, astrolabe and compass, particularly relative to architecture. Kemp (in The Science of Art) points out that the methods of triangulation and instruments described here are still in 'essentially their mediaeval form' though the instruments were 'mediaeval instruments of considerable elaboration and precision'. First published in 1564 this edition uses the same wood blocks and the famous woodcut title which Sanese used for Alberti, Vitruvius and other architectural books. Bartoli's reliance on Alberti is natural enough as he was the translator of several of his books but he hasn't neglected many sources, classical or modern. Best known now as a preceptor of Alberti's theory, Bartoli himself is deserving of more attention. He crops up everywhere in Florentine history, as academician, linguist, music historian (and as an instrument maker in one reference I found), provost of the baptistery, and as architect of the now 'four star accomodation' of Hotel Palazzo Ricasoli. Whether Bartoli would be pleased that his building has survived at all is hard to guess and you will understand why if you look at the images of the Palazzo which are easily found on the internet.

Keywords: science architecture renaissance Italy mathematics technology surveying measurement perspective

Price: AUD 2850.00 = appr. US$ 1971.83 Seller: Richard Neylon, Bookseller
- Book number: 2895