Elementi d’Architettura civile ridotti in Compendio.
[22 x 16.5 cm], 95 (1) pp., with viii engraved plates (including frontispiece by Cristoforo dall’Acqua after Calepino). Bound in near-contemporary stiff vellum, title label retained from earlier binding. Inconsequential soiling to title and edges of a few leaves, but otherwise very good. Rare first and sole edition of this clear and systematic treatise on civil architecture, by Bergamo architect Nicolino de’ Calepio, of interest for the regional interpretation of classicizing forms. The treatise is divided into five parts, beginning with a discussion of building materials and other fundamentals such as taking measurements and drawing architectural plans. There follows a detailed section on the Orders—a topic in which Calepio seems to have a particular interest and that forms the subject of the nine engravings by dall’Acqua. Part three focuses on ornaments, including statues, balustrades, and fireplaces; part four is on the placement and construction of private homes, and the final section considers public projects such as roads, piazzas, churches, theaters, and hospitals. Calepio offers guidance on such things as the most effective proportions to use when mixing mortar and the specific considerations involved in the building of a hospital for contagious diseases. Nicolino Calepio (1724-1795) was an architect active in the Bergamo region, responsible for the design of churches in both Presezze and Seriate, as well as the Palazzo Secco Suardo in Bergamo.
Price: $1,450.00