The Renaissance Museum of Molins de Rei has been incorporating since July 29 the princeps edition of 'I quattro libri dell’architettura' by Andrea Palladio, on loan from the University of Barcelona.
The Renaissance Museum of Molins de Rei has received a unique loan: the original 1570 edition of Andrea Palladio's masterpiece, I quattro libri dell’architettura. The volume, coming from the CRAI Library of Ancient Funds of the University of Barcelona, will be on display starting July 29.
The copy replaces the Trattato della pittura by Leonardo da Vinci, which had been exhibited at the museum until now. The change responds to preventive conservation criteria applied to works on paper, which are particularly sensitive to light. The museum periodically renews its pieces to ensure their preservation and offer new content to visitors.
The loan is part of the collaboration between the Molins de Rei City Council and the University of Barcelona, which is also reflected in the UB Chair of Renaissance Studies in Molins de Rei. Since the museum's inauguration, works by Pere Miquel Carbonell, Sebastiano Serlio, Baldassarre Castiglione, and more recently, Leonardo da Vinci, have been on display.
A Fundamental Work of Renaissance Architecture
Published in Venice in 1570 by Domenico de’ Franceschi, I quattro libri dell’architettura is considered one of the cornerstone works of Western architectural theory. Andrea Palladio (1508-1580), one of the most influential architects of the Italian Renaissance, disseminated a model inspired by classical antiquity.
The treatise is divided into four books: architectural elements, domestic architecture, public works of antiquity, and Roman temples. The illustrations and drawings contributed to spreading the principles of classical architecture throughout Europe.
At the Renaissance Museum, the copy will be exhibited open to the fourth book, which shows reconstructions of the main Roman temples known to Palladio. More than an archaeological description, these plates represent an ideal interpretation of Roman architecture, conceived as a model of beauty, order, and proportion. This approach made the fourth book a reference for later architects and consolidated Palladio's prestige as a disseminator of the architectural legacy of antiquity.
The museum, located in Molins de Rei, thus offers a unique opportunity to contemplate one of the original editions of a book that marked the history of architecture. The piece will be available for viewing starting July 29, during the museum's regular hours.
