The Four Books of Architecture

...in the middle; so that the walls do not become ruinous, as has occurred and is seen in many walls on that side, especially that which faces the North.

ON THE METHOD USED BY THE ANCIENTS IN CONSTRUCTING

buildings of stone. Chap. X.

Decorative drop cap 'B' (translated from the Italian 'P' for 'Perche') featuring floral and foliate motifs.

BECAUSE it sometimes happens that the entire building, or a large part of it, is made of marble or large pieces of other stone; it seems appropriate in this place to say how the Ancients acted in such cases. One sees in their works that such great diligence was used in joining the stones together that in many places the joints original: "commensure" are hardly discernible. This is something anyone who desires firmness and perpetuity in a building, in addition to beauty, must carefully observe. From what I have been able to understand, they first squared and worked only those faces of the stones that were placed one on top of the other, leaving the other parts rough rustico|a style where the stone is left in its natural, unfinished state; and having worked them thus, they put them into the work. Because all the edges of the stones were "over-square" original: "sopra squadra"; meaning they left extra material on the edges rather than trimming them to a sharp 90-degree angle—that is, thick and solid—they could better handle and move them multiple times until they fit well, without danger of breaking the edges. If all the faces had been finished beforehand, the edges would have been either exactly square or "under-square" original: "sotto squadra"; cut at an acute angle, and thus very weak and easy to damage. In this way, they constructed all the buildings in a coarse or "rustic" fashion. Once the structure was finished, they would go about working and polishing the visible faces of the stones already in place. It is true, however, that elements like the roses between the modillions modillions|ornamental brackets found under a cornice and other carvings—which could not be conveniently done while the stones were in the wall—were carved while the stones were still on the ground.

Excellent evidence of this practice can be seen in various ancient buildings where many stones are found that were never finished or polished. The Arch near Castelvecchio in Verona, and all those other arches and buildings there, were made in this manner; this is easily recognized by anyone who notices the marks of the hammers and how the stones are worked. The Trajan Column in Rome and the Antonine Column were likewise made this way; otherwise, they could not have joined the stones so diligently that the joints would meet so perfectly where they cross through the heads and other parts of the figures. I say the same of those arches seen there. If the building was very large, such as the Arena of Verona, the Amphitheater of Pula, and similar structures, they worked only the imposts imposts|the structural blocks from which an arch springs of the vaults, the capitals, and the cornices to save the expense and time that would have been required; the rest they left rustic, attending only to the beautiful overall form of the building. But in Temples and other buildings requiring delicacy, they spared no labor in working them entirely, even rubbing and smoothing the flutes original: "canali" of the columns and polishing them diligently.

Therefore, in my judgment, one should not make rustic walls out of fired stone brick, nor the hoods of chimneys, which ought to be made most delicately. Beyond being an abuse of style, it would result in something appearing broken and divided into many parts which naturally ought to be whole. According to the size and quality of the building, it shall be made either rustic or polished; we should not do out of choice what the ancients did only when necessitated by the great scale of their works, especially in a building where total refinement is sought.

ON THE DIMINUTION OF WALLS, AND OF

their parts. Chap. XI.

Decorative drop cap 'I' (translated from the Italian 'S' for 'Si') with floral and foliate motifs.

IT must be observed that the higher walls ascend, the more they should be diminished tapered or thinned. Therefore, those that rise above the ground should be half as thick as the foundations; and those of the second floor should be thinner than those of the first by half a "quadrello" a small square unit of measurement, likely half a brick's width, and so on successively to the top of the building, but with discretion so that they do not become too thin at the top. The center of the walls above must fall plumb to the center of those below, so that the entire wall takes a pyramidal shape. However, if one wishes to make one surface or face of the upper wall flush with the wall below, this should be done on the inside; the floor timbers, vaults, and other supports of the building will prevent the wall from falling or moving. The setback original: "relascio" created on the outside should be covered with a belt-course original: "procinto", band, or cornice that circles the entire building; this will serve as an ornament and act as a bond for the entire structure. The corners, because they participate in two sides and serve to keep them upright and joined together, must be very firm, held by long, hard stones like reaching arms. Therefore, windows and openings should be placed as far from the corners as possible, or at least leave as much space between the opening and the corner as the width of the opening itself. Now that we have spoken of simple walls, it is appropriate to pass to the ornaments, of which none is greater for a building than that provided by columns, when they are situated in suitable places and with beautiful proportion to the whole edifice.