The Four Books of Architecture

However, the Ancients did not use more than three column diameters for the spacing between columns, except in the Tuscan order, in which wooden architraves The horizontal beam spanning the top of the columns. were used; they made these intercolumniations The clear space between two adjacent columns. very wide. Nor were they less than one and a half diameters; they used this narrow spacing primarily when they made very large columns. But the spacings they approved of most were those of two and a quarter column diameters, and they called this the beautiful and elegant manner of intercolumniation.

It must be noted that there should be proportion and correspondence between the intercolumniations (or spaces) and the columns; for if thin columns are placed in large spaces, a great part of their appearance will be lost, because the vast amount of air between the gaps will diminish their perceived thickness. Conversely, if thick columns are made in narrow spaces, the tightness and constraint of the gaps will create a swollen appearance lacking in grace.

Therefore, if the spaces exceed three diameters, the columns should be made thick, equal to one-seventh part of their height, as I have observed below in the Tuscan order. If the spaces are three diameters, the columns should be seven and a half or eight "heads" long, as in the Doric order. If they are two and a quarter, the columns shall be nine heads long, as in the Ionic. If they are two diameters, the columns shall be nine and a half heads long, as in the Corinthian. Finally, if they are one and a half diameters, the columns shall be ten heads long, as in the Composite order. In these orders, I have taken care to provide an example of all these manners of intercolumniation, which are taught to us by Vitruvius in the aforementioned chapter.

The columns on the fronts of buildings must be even in number, so that an intercolumniation falls in the center. This central space should be made somewhat larger than the others so that the doors and entrances, which are usually placed in the middle, can be seen better; this applies to simple colonnades. But if Loggias A covered exterior gallery or corridor with arches. are made with pillars original: "pilastri" — here meaning square piers., they must be arranged so that the pillars are no less thick than one-third of the gap between pillar and pillar. Those at the corners should be two-thirds thick, so that the angles of the structure are solid and strong.

When they must support a very great load, as in very large buildings, they should be made as thick as half the gap, like those of the Theater of Vicenza and the Amphitheater of Capua; or two-thirds, like those of the Theater of Marcellus in Rome and the Theater of Gubbio (which now belongs to Signor Lodovico de' Gabrielli, a gentleman of that city). The ancients sometimes made them as thick as the entire gap, as in the Theater of Verona, in that part which is not built against the mountain. But in private buildings, they shall be made no thinner than one-third of the gap, nor thicker than two-thirds, and they ought to be square. However, to reduce expense and make the walkway wider, they may be made less thick on the side than they are on the front. To adorn the facade, half-columns or other pilasters may be placed in the middle of their fronts to support the cornice above the arches of the Loggia; these will be of the thickness required by their height, according to each order, as will be seen in the following chapters and drawings.

To understand these drawings (so that I do not have to repeat the same thing many times), it should be known that in partitioning and measuring the said orders, I have not used a specific or determined measurement unique to any city, such as a cubit, foot, or palm, knowing that measurements vary just as cities and regions vary. Instead, imitating Vitruvius—who divides the Doric order with a measurement derived from the thickness of the columns, which is common to all and called by him a Module—I too will use such a measurement for all the orders. The Module will be the diameter of the column at the bottom, divided into sixty minutes A "minute" is a fractional unit used for precision in architectural scaling., except in the Doric, where the Module will be half the diameter of the column, divided into thirty minutes; this is because it is more convenient for the divisions of that specific order. Thus, anyone can make the Module larger or smaller according to the quality of the building and use the proportions and profiles drawn for each appropriate order.

ON THE TUSCAN ORDER. CHAP. XIIII.

A decorative drop cap 'L' containing a figure in classical attire leaning against a square pedestal or column base, within a frame featuring architectural elements and a sky background.

THE TUSCAN ORDER, according to what Vitruvius says and what is seen in practice, is the most plain and simple of all the orders of Architecture; for it retains that primitive antiquity and lacks all those ornaments that make the others noteworthy and beautiful. This order originated in Tuscany, a most noble part of Italy, from which it still keeps its name.

The columns, including the base and capital, must be seven modules long, and they taper at the top by a quarter of their thickness. If simple colonnades are made in this order, the spaces can be made very large, because the architraves are made of wood. This is very convenient for use in Villas In this context, a working farm estate or country house., to allow for the passage of wagons and other rustic implements, and it is of little expense. But if doors or loggias are made with arches, one shall follow the measurements set