Vignola, Giacomo Barozzi da.

8vo (156 x 103mm.), text in Russian, ff. [23] (numbered ff. 2, 3-12pp., f. 13, 5, 6, 8, 17-20, 23-25, 28-31, 38), illustration: engraved frontispiece portrait, 100 plates (numbered 1-88, 90-101), all with captions in Russian, lacking title-page and plate 89, disbound; sold not subject to return

not in Drage or the standard architectural literature

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

first russian edition of Vignola's architectural treatise and the first architectural treatise published in russian. "It thus played a critical part in the Petrine revolution in Russian building techniques and norms. But it did so only after Peter and his collaborators had struggled to make it comprehensible to its intended readers - initially, the Russian students and assistants of the European and especially Italian architects recruited to build St Petersburg" (J. Cracraft, The Petrine Revolution in Russian Culture (2004), p.274). It was translated by the Italian architect Giovanni Maria Fontana (who designed the Menshikov Palace in St Petersburg) and one hundred copies were ordered to be printed by Peter the Great. It proved popular and was quickly reprinted in 1712 and 1722.

There was another purpose and effect of the publication of Vignola in Russian than the mere divulgation of architectural principles. "There can be little doubt that the detailed illustrations or figury provided in the Russian editions of Vignola's tract mightily assisted the transmission from Italy to Russia of the vocabulary and verbalised concepts of architecture in the Renaissance tradition. At the same time, it deserves emphasizing, the very act of translating Vignola's verbal building instructions and architectural descriptions facilitated the transition in Russia from Slavonic to Russian: from a heavily Slavonicized Russian or Russified Church Slavonic (Russo-Slavonic), where such discourses were virtually unknown, to a newer, simpler, more vernacular 'civil' language capable of embracing this as well as the other arts and sciences of contemporary Europe" (Cracraft, pp.275-276).

very rare at auction: we have been able to trace only seven other copies, all held by Russian institutions: the Russian State Library, the Russian National Library (3 copies, one defective), the State Public Historical Library in Moscow and the Russian Academy of Sciences Library (2 copies). It is plausible that this is in fact the second edition of 1712; when compared with a copy of an opening of the 1712 edition illustrated in Cracraft (p.345), the text appears to have an identical setting (the 1712 edition may well have used sheets left over from 1709), but the plate (reproduction permitting) seems rather worn compared to the present copy, indicating a later use.