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Novo Teatro di machine et edificii per varie et sicure operationi.

1607
Not on view
Zonca’s treatise typifies a new genre of books called the "theater of machines," which were collections of pictures and descriptions of innovative machinery and instruments. Featured here is a horse-powered windlass that hauls up a wooden crate containing supplies for binding the brick at the top of the structure. Vitruvius’s book on building devices impacted early modern engineers, who employed them in other sectors like mining, agriculture, and hydraulics. These books spotlight the technological advancements made in the architectural trade that would eventually pave the way for the Industrial Revolution.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Novo Teatro di machine et edificii per varie et sicure operationi.
  • Author: Written by Vittorio Zonca (Italian, 1568–1602)
  • Engraver: Engraved by Benjamin Wright (British, active 1596–1613)
  • Publisher: Published by Pietro Bertelli (Italian, active Padua, ca. 1571–1621)
  • Dedicatee: Dedicated to Rainuccio Gambarra (Italian, active 17th century)
  • Date: 1607
  • Medium: Plates: engraving
  • Dimensions: Overall: 11 5/8 x 8 1/16 x 9/16 in. (29.5 x 20.5 x 1.5 cm)
  • Classification: Books
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1934
  • Object Number: 34.6
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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