Compass and rule : architecture as mathematical practice in England, 1500-1750 / Anthony Gerbino and Stephen Johnston ; with a contribution by Gordon Higgott

Gerbino, Anthony & Johnston, Stephen [author]

ISBN 10: 0300150938 / ISBN 13: 9780300150933

Published by New Haven [Conn.] ; London Oxford New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, 2009

About this Item

Fine cloth copy in an equally fine dust-wrapper. Particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Physical description; 208 pages : illustrations (some color), maps, plans ; 30 cm. Notes; Published to accompany the exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford from 16 June to 6 September 2009 and the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, from 18 February to 30 May 2010. Contents; Medieval drawing and Gothic tradition -- The paper revolution: the origin of large-scale technical drawing under Henry VIII -- The mathematical practitioner and the Elizabethan architect -- The Vitruvian model: Inigo Jones and the culture of the book -- Vision, modelling, drawing: Christopher Wren's early career -- Structure and scale: the office of works at St. Paul's -- Gentlemen, practitioners, and instrumental architecture -- Raised high, brought low: architecture and mathematics around George III -- Geometry and structure in the dome of St. Paul's cathedral / Gordon Higgott -- Catalogue checklist. Subjects; North, Roger 1651-1734. University of Oxford. Museum of the History of Science (Oxford, England) ; Exhibitions Yale Center for British Art (New Haven, Conn.) ; Exhibitions. Architecture England History ; Exhibitions. 1 Kg.

Seller Inventory # 405012

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Compass and rule : architecture as mathematical practice in England, 1500-1750 / Anthony Gerbino and Stephen Johnston ; with a contribution by Gordon Higgott
• Publisher: New Haven [Conn.] ; London Oxford New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300150938
• ISBN 13: 9780300150933
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Weight: 1 kilogram

About this title

Synopsis

The spread of Renaissance culture in England coincided with the birth of the profession of architecture, whose practitioners soon became superior to simple builders in social standing and perceived intellectual prowess. This stimulating book, which focuses in particular on the scientist, mathematician, and architect Sir Christopher Wren, explores the extent to which this new professional identity was based on expertise in the mathematical arts and sciences.

 

Featuring drawings, instruments, paintings, and other examples of the material culture of English architecture, the book discusses the role of mathematics in architectural design and building technology. It begins with architectural drawing in the 16th century, moves to large-scale technical drawing under Henry VIII, considers Inigo Jones and his royal buildings and Christopher Wren and the dome of  St. Paul’s, and concludes with the architectural education of George III.  Interweaving text and visual image, the book investigates the boundaries between art and science in architecture―the most artistic of the sciences and the most scientific of the arts.

 

Exhibition Schedule:

Yale Center for British Art (opens February 2010)

About the Author

Anthony Gerbino is a senior research fellow at Worcester College, Oxford. Stephen Johnston is Assistant Keeper at the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford.