As already mentioned in the second exercise, the first book is dedicated to materials and building technique (the principles of geometry and perspective). The second book to the theory and practice of the five orders of architecture.
In Zanini’s first book there is a concise treatise on the principles of geometry and perspective derived from the works of Sebastiano Serlio, Daniele Barbaro and Cristoforo Sorte.
Interesting is Zanini’s description of the use of perspective in the design of the quadrilaterals for the ceilings of the rooms, which also includes the solution of the multiple vanishing points. Accordingly, I searched on Xenotheka for ‘geometry and perspective’ and my attention was drawn to Sebastiano Serlio’s book on Architecture Volume 1. In this book Serlio continues with a description of the ornamental splendour of the baths, temples, arches and palaces of ancient Rome. Serlio’s beautiful woodcut illustrations are reproduced in this edition. Zanini made the same reflections on the shape of arches and the use of metal trusses or the description of the assembly of wooden ribs and trusses, the production of Venetian terrazzo floors, marmorino plaster, lead sheet roofs, etc.
Since Zanini’s second book deals with the theory and practice of the five orders of architecture, I searched in Alice as topic: structure and as Alice’s brain: the Xenotheka Library and for searching: the five Order. It was clear that phrases from the books of Vitruvius, Vignola, Palladio and Serlio were suggested to me, all of whom were Zanini’s model and inspiration.
I chose the book – Regole delle cinque ordini d’architettura (1562, Rome) by Vignola because he became the leading architect of Rome after Michelangelo’s death and a few years later Zanini described Vignola’s second method without the attached illustration coming close to the masterly elegance of the original.
Vignola speaks exclusively of the five orders and their structure. In his book, he wanted to create rules based on ancient buildings because there were too many different texts by different authors. He finds a rule for the dimensions of the columns and was thus revolutionary, as well as the cornerstone of Zanini’s second book.