LE FABRICHE E I DISEGNI DI ANDREA PALLADIO RACCOLTI ED ILLUSTRATI DA OTTAVIO BERTOTTI SCAMOZZI Opera Divisa In Quattro Tomi Con Tavole In Rame Rappresentanti Le Piante, I Prospetti, E Gli Spaccati; (with), LE TERME DEI ROMANI DISEGNATE DA ANDREA PALLADIO E REPUBBLICATE CON LA GIUNTA DI ALCUNE OSSERVAZIONI DA OTTAVIO BERTOTTI SCAMOZZI Giusta L’Esemplare Del Lord Conte Di Burlingthon Impresso in Londra L’Anno 1732.

5 volumes bound in four. First Edition by Rossi and a RARE complete copy of the Rossi printing of the architectural works of Palladio. Profusely illustrated throughout with 236 fine engravings. Book I with engraved portrait of Palladio as the frontispiece and 52 other finely engraved plates, many of which are folding. Book II with 51 beautifully engraved plates, many of which are folding. Book III with 52 engraved plates of which a number are folding. Book IV with 54 engraved plates. The RARE Volume V with an additional engraved portrait of Palladio at the front and 25 additional engraved plates of which most are folding. Quarto, handsomely bound at the time in three-quarter antique Italian calf over marbled boards, the spines with gilt bands and contrasting sepia and dark green morocco labels, lettered and numbered and decorated in gilt. viii, 128, 52 engraved plates; iv, 76, 51 engraved plates; iv, 60, 52 engraved plates; iv, 80, 54 engraved plates; portrait + 59, 25 engraved plates pp. An unusually fine survival, complete with the RARE 5th volume and beautifully preserved. The spines and bindings in very pleasing order, the text blocks and illustrations crisp, clean and unpressed. A fresh and handsome copy gently aged.

Edizione: an unusually fine and handsome copy of this rare book. the fifth volume is rarely encountered and sets of the four are often lacking a volume or a number of plates. this is an especially desirable copy, complete in all respects.<br> rossi’s printing of 1796-1797 is a fine and beautiful quarto edition of the master’s four books on architecture with additions provided in the fifth volume. palladio's designs and work to this day remain the central pillar of classical architecture and all architecture which followed. such early antique editions are truly scarce and here retains its original sophistication.<br> ‘palladio’s lasting influence on architectural style in many parts of the world was exercised less through his actual buildings than through this, his textbook. the book is divided into four sections: orders and elementary problems, domestic building, public building and own planning and temples. palladio’s style was directly inspired by roman classical models through the writings of vitruvius and alberti. its characteristics are those of classicism: symmetry, order, fixed mathematical relations of the parts to each other and to the whole, logic and monumentality. <br> palladio followed the rules of classical roman architecture more closely than any other architect.in spite of the vogue for the baroque and the fact that palladio left no immediate successors, his book exerted a powerful influence on contemporary architecture and classical ideals until the end of the eighteenth century.<br> as a practicing architect palladio worked mainly in vicenza, venice and the venetian countryside, especially along the brenta river. his villa capra (known as la rotonda) near vicenza became virtually a prototype of the palladian style, and it was widely and faithfully copied. at the end of his life he left plans for the tour de force of trompe l’oeil, the teatro olimpico in vicenza, which was finished by his pupil vincenzo scamozzi.’ pmm 92<br> in 1732-1733, ware’s english edition was produced with the assistance of lord burlington and it surpassed all earlier english editions in its faithfulness to the original. a very skilled draughtsman and engraver, ware exactly traced and engraved the plates for his edition from palladio’s original drawings in burlington’s collection. the additional fifth volume, here provided emanates from these drawings in lord burlington’s collection. as for the englishman ware (d. 1766)--he is reported "to have been originally a chimney-sweeper's boy whom an unknown patron found drawing with chalk at whitehall. he was sketching the elevation of the banquet house upon the basement walls of the building itself, and is said to have made similar sketches of the portico at st. martin's-in-the-fields" (dnb). he developed into an eminently competent architect, among whose works were counted chesterfield house, south audley street, of which philip dormer stanhope, fourth earl of chesterfield, took possession in 1749; he also built, for his own use, no. 6 bloomsbury square, which was inhabited later by isaac d'israeli.<br> rossi’s is an excellent presentation of palladio's magnificent work. a remarkably fresh and clean survival with plates beautifully struck and this copy with fine dark images. the text in excellent order as well.