The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 486 pages of information about The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2.

The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 486 pages of information about The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2.

On the left is a view of the exterior of the preceding plan.  It is accompanied by the following note:_

757.

This building is inhabited below and above; the way up is by the campaniles, and in going up one has to use the platform, where the drums of the four domes are, and this platform has a parapet in front, and none of these domes communicate with the church, but they are quite separate.

Pl.  XCVI No. 1 (MS. C. A. 16b; 65a).  Perspective view of a church seen from behind; this recalls the Duomo at Florence, but with two campaniles[Footnote 2:  Already published in the Saggio Pl.  IX.].

Pl.  XCVII No. 3 (MS. B. 52a).  The central part is a development of S. Lorenzo at Milan, such as was executed at the Duomo of Pavia.  There is sufficient analogy between the building actually executed and this sketch to suggest a direct connection between them.  Leonardo accompanied Francesco di Giorgio[Footnote 3:  See MALASPINA, il Duomo di Pavia.  Documents.] when the latter was consulted on June 21st, 1490 as to this church; the fact that the only word accompanying the plan is:_ “sagrestia”, seems to confirm our supposition, for the sacristies were added only in 1492, i. e. four years after the beginning of the Cathedral, which at that time was most likely still sufficiently unfinished to be capable of receiving the form of the present sketch.

Pl.  XCVII No. 2 shows the exterior of this design.  Below is the note:_ edifitio al proposito del fodameto figurato di socto (edifice proper for the ground plan figured below).

Here we may also mention the plan of a Latin cross drawn in MS. C. A. fol. 266 (see p. 50).

Pl.  XCIV No. 1 (MS. L. 15b).  External side view of Brunellesco’s Florentine basilica San Lorenzo, seen from the North.

Pl.  XCIV No. 4 (V.  A. V, 1).  Principal front of a nave, most likely of a church on the plan of a Latin cross.  We notice here not only the principal features which were employed afterwards in Alberti’s front of S. Maria Novella, but even details of a more advanced style, such as we are accustomed to meet with only after the year 1520.

In the background of Leonardo’s unfinished picture of St. Jerome (Vatican Gallery) a somewhat similar church front is indicated (see the accompanying sketch).

[Illustration with caption:  The view of the front of a temple, apparently a dome in the centre of four corinthian porticos bearing pediments (published by Amoretti Tav.  II.  B as being by Leonardo), is taken from a drawing, now at the Ambrosian Gallery.  We cannot consider this to be by the hand of the master.]_

C.  Studies for a form of a Church most proper for preaching.

The problem as to what form of church might answer the requirements of acoustics seems to have engaged Leonardo’s very particular attention.  The designation of_ “teatro” given to some of these sketches, clearly shows which plan seemed to him most favourable for hearing the preacher’s voice.

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The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 2 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.