Catalogue of the Drawings - The Sir Banister Fletcher Library, Royal Institute of British Architects

Oct 28, 2026

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Catalogue of the Drawings from The Sir Banister Fletcher Library of the Royal Institute of British Architects, authored by John McAndrew and associated with Antonio Visentini. The text explains major categories of architectural drawings and the development of orthographic projection from Renaissance practices to established book illustration. It highlights Visentini’s atelier in Venice around 1740, its specialized methods, and the market network supported by Joseph Smith, including the collection and circulation of architectural books and views.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages133

Reading Time5 h 35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Categories of Architectural Drawings

Origins and Spread of Orthographic Projection

Architectural Representation in Books and Prints

Visentini’s Atelier and Venetian Market

Joseph Smith’s Role and Collections

(oer Catalogue of theDrawings Drawings Collection of the Royal Institute of Britisb Arcbitects ANTONIOVISENTINI by John McAndrew # THE SIR BANISTER FLETCHER LIBRARY,ROYALINSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS Copyright 1974 by Royal Institute of British ArchitectsAll rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted,in any form or by anymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording or otherwise,without the prior permission of D.C.Heath Ltd. Published 1974 by D.C.Heath Ltd,1 Westmead,Farnborough,Hants,England 0576159999(complete set) 0576155659(this volume) Designed and produced by Design for Print Ltd,London NV1Texi printed in Hungary by Franklin Nyomda,BudapestPlates printed in England by Cotszwoda Colotype Co.Lid,Voton-under-Edge FOR RENATO PADOAN Soprintendente ai Monumenti A.ND FRANCESCO VALCANOVERSoprintendente alle Gallerie ed alle Opera d'Artetwo true friends who are the great heroesin the saving of Venice Most architect's drawings may be assigned to one of a few main cate-gories:sketches made in developing the design of a building to be built;sketches of something already built showing it more or less as it appearsto our eyes;or,quite diferent from either,plans,sections and elevations,the precise orthographic projections which are now the usual architect's'working drawings',records of buildings presented in a proportionate,measurable and abstract idiom not showing our eyes how a buildinglooks but through our eyes telling our minds how it actually is(orthos=straight or correct +grapbos=drawing). This type of drawing,first mentioned by Raphael,came haphazardlyinto being in the Renaissance and first achieved systematic orderlinessin Rome,most often in drawings of ancient monuments.By the timeSerlio had published his Arcbitettara(1537 &c)it was an establishedpractice.Antoine Lafrery soon began to print scores of plates of Romanbuildings in direct elevation,not from any theoretical preference butbecause he found it simple and informative.The Venetian humanistDaniele Barbaro held perspective drawing less accurate than orthograph-ic,and he may have influenced(or been influenced by?)his friendPalladio who,as far as we know,did not draw in perspcctive whetherrecording old buildings or inventing new ones.For Palladio,plans anddirect elevations must have seemed ideal because with them he could setdown clearly not only the simple ratios he preferred in his own worksbut also,for the antique buildings he so revered,he could lay out schema-tically his proportionate conjectures of the full design,based on thefractioned bits which were all that was there for his hungry eye to see. This was found also to be an effective way of showing buildings inbooks and prints,usually famous monuments or,more rarely,unbuiltprojects answering some particular interest.Virtually all the importantarchitectural books of the Renaissance in Italy were published first inVenice,and orthographic projection soon became the natural mode fortheir illustrations,as it still was in the mid-eighteenth century when thedrawings considered in this catalogue were made. The range of their subjects suggests that another popular kind ofarchitectural representation may have influenced them as well.Since thesixteenth century,views of much-visited cities had begun to appearfairly often in guidebooks and,from the end of the seventeenth,sets ofprints of the chief buildings and squares had begun to be isued for saleto travellers.Around 1740 Antonio Visentini of Venice began to organ-ize work in this already profitable field,making use of a corps ofassistants or pupils,not just for prints of ordinary views (vedate)likethose of his contemporaries and not,like most vedute,forillustrationsin perspective.His atelier specialized in drawings of individual buildingsin strict orthographic projection.Already collections of similar drawingswere being made in Rome and occasionally in other cities;but now

FAQs

What main categories of architectural drawings does the catalogue describe?

It distinguishes design sketches for buildings to be built; sketches of already built works showing them as they appear; and plans, sections, elevations—orthographic projections used as working drawings.

How did orthographic projection become established in the Renaissance?

The text traces its early, partly haphazard emergence, then systematic order in Rome, supported by published plate series and evolving practices associated with figures such as Raphael and later architects.

What role did Joseph Smith play in the market for Visentini’s drawings?

Joseph Smith, based in Venice and active as a collector and dealer, funded and enabled networks through his circle and dealings, providing access to books and supporting the circulation of architectural material connected with Visentini.

Oct 28, 2026

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