Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
The importance of Cesare Cesariano in 16th-century architectural culture is linked almost exclusively to his activity as a scholar and architectural theorist. He is known as the author of the first printed translation of Vitruvius's De architectura. Valentina Burgassi reconstructs Cesariano’s technical interpretation of Vitruvius through a first systematic comparison of Book IX (Chapters 7-9) and Book X in the autograph Madrid manuscript 9/2790 and the 1521 vernacular edition. Focusing on gnomonics and time measurement, machines, hydraulics, military engineering, and construction practice, it reveals how the text and accompanying images transformed ancient knowledge for a Renaissance readership. The study shows how Cesariano bridged humanist scholarship and workshop expertise, while tracing the editorial changes that reshaped his project in print and its wider European reception.
- Reassesses Cesariano as a key mediator between humanist scholarship, construction practice, and the emerging culture of the Renaissance architect-engineer
- Reconstructs Cesariano’s technical project using text and images
Valentina Burgassi, Polytechnikum Turin, Italien
Valentina Burgassi is Assistant Professor of Architectural History at the Politecnico di Torino and holds the National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor in Italy (CEAR-11/A) and the qualification as Maître de conférences in France. An architect and specialist in architectural and landscape heritage, she earned a joint PhD from the Politecnico di Torino and the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Paris. She is an associate member of Histara (EPHE), co-founder of the Construction History Group at the Politecnico di Torino, and a former fellow of the Palladio Museum and the École française de Rome. Her research focuses on Renaissance architecture, construction history, military architecture, and technical knowledge. She is Action Chair of the COST Action EUROGLOSS (CA24102) and author of Il Rinascimento a Malta (Olschki, 2022).