His visual experiences of images of ruins and his architectural imagination result in illustrations of various types of building, in which his lines are both the mould and the material. During his travels, Palladio learned a lot by seeing and understanding these formations and he contextualises ruins against their original edifice, as they are often partially buried under centuries of debris. These constructional requirements are meticulously presented and anchored to specific architectural formations that deploy the technique вЂ“ he refers to вЂthe walls of Turin in PiedmontвЂ™ and вЂthe walls of Arena in VeronaвЂ™, for example. Different types of etchings for different formations of walls (1715) Different types of wood-cut marks for different formations of walls (1570)Д®ach illustration presents a different line composition, changing according to the construction material and building technique. PalladioвЂ™s written explanations are intricately intertwined with the visual presence of the illustrations they are interspersed between passages of text, acting like mortar, balancing word and image. The plates of the вЂSeveral Sorts of WallsвЂ™ can be seen as visual texts illustrating each step in the formation of walls. Il quattro libri dellвЂ™architettura (Venice, 1570). Illustrations and descriptions of different wall constructions. PalladioвЂ™s commentary begins with the вЂthings considered and provided before one begins to buildвЂ™ and starts by introducing materials and foundations, before turning to walls. The dual formation of building and image can be seen in the development of the first bookвЂ™s textual and visual narration.

Although the woodcut and print editions differ, illustrations in both can be regarded conceptually as вЂPalladioвЂ™s LinesвЂ™. In the 1715 edition, the engravings were refined by Bernard Picart, Michael Vandergucht and John Harris. In the first illustrations from 1570 and in Giacomo LeoniвЂ™s 1715 edition in English this dual formation is apparent. The work conveys both the formation of a вЂbuildingвЂ™ in construction terms but also the representational formation of the вЂimageвЂ™. The formation of this knowledge is documented within PalladioвЂ™s work textually and visually. The treatise projects the knowledge of both architectural form and its image. Andrea PalladioвЂ™s Il Quattro Libri dellвЂ™architettura (Venice, 1570) is a seminal document in the history and theory of architecture.

Palladio four books of architecture