Download or read book The Architectural Treatise in the Italian Renaissance written by Alina A. Payne and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1999-02-13 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vitruvius' Ten Books of Architecture was the fountainhead of architectural theory in the Italian Renaissance. Offering theoretical and practical solutions to a wide variety of architectural issues, this treatise did not, however, address all of the questions that were of concern to early modern architects. This study examines the Italian Renaissance architect's efforts to negotiate between imitation and reinvention of classicism. Through a close reading of Vitruvius and texts written during the period 1400-1600, Alina Payne identifies ornament as the central issue around which much of this debate focused.