Ferdinando Galli Bibiena - Direzioni a giovani studenti nel disegno dell’architettura civile - 1725

(ARCHITECTURE; ILLUSTRATED; FIRST EDITIONS) Ferdinando GALLI BIBIENA (1657-1743)
Direzioni a giovani studenti nel disegno dell’architettura civile. Nell’Accademia Clementina dell’Istituto delle Scienze, unite da Ferdinando Galli Bibiena, cittadino bolognese … In Bologna, per Lelio della Volpe, 1725
§ Small 4to (11,1x17,5x3 cm.); [12], 168 pp., signature *1-6, A-O1-6. 69 engraved plates. Contemporary boards, decorated paper on spine. Some foxing in places, first 55 pp. light waterstain on upper right corner. Good copy.
FIRST EDITION IN A REDUCED SIZE, expressely published by Galli Bibiena for his students at the Accademia Clementina in Bologna, previously published in 1711 in folio- size under the title of L'architettura civile, preparata su la geometria ... A second part, dealing with perspective, was added in later editions. Thanks to the divulgative character, the reduced size and moderate price, the work found favour in a broader audience with regard to the 1711 folio edition and was reprinted several times. Dicided in five parts, the present edition includes principles of practical geometry, the architectural orders according to Vitruvius, Serlio and Palladio, Galli’s own principles and the theory of architecture according to Vignola. “The pocketbook edition of Architettura civile, Direzioni ai giovani studenti, is dedicated to St, Catherine, the patron saint of the Accademia Clementina in Bologna. In his dedication, Ferdinando seeks to present architecture as a charitable activity of the wealthy, who can thus employ large numbers of craftsmen in virtuous work. His motives for this smaller-format publication are to remedy two shoals upon which students founder: lack of knowledge of geometry and lack of books. The chapters on geometry are almost identical to those in Architettura civile. In the Direzioni there are more elementary explanations; for instance, rather than explaining the pentagon as the first polygon, Ferdinando also discusses the triangle and the square …” (Millard). Ferdinando Galli Bibiena was the most famous member of the Galli Bibiena family, which produced several renown architects and scenographers; he was first active in the service of the Duke of Parma, afterwards he entered the service of the Archduke Carl of Habsburg in Barcellona and followed him in Vienna when he was appointed Emperor of Austria.
 Anna Cossioli Matroviti Galli Bibiena, Ferdinando In: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani; Riccardi I/1, 135; Millard Italian 46 (on a later, 2 volume edition).