L’ordine corinzio nei disegni di Francesco di Giorgio Martini

This contribution offers a detailed exploration of an interdisciplinary research project focused on developing an original method for interpreting the drawings in the manuscript versions of Francesco di Giorgio Martini’s Treatise on Architecture. The research primarily centers on the Ashburnham 361 manuscript, housed at the Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence. This work pays special attention to the drawings in the chapter on columns found in the mentioned manuscript. These drawings serve as examples Martini uses to illustrate his translation or vernacular version of Vitruvius’ Architecture. Upon closer examination, these images reveal the extensive technical and artistic knowledge that Francesco di Giorgio possessed. By using the Corinthian capital as the guiding theme of this work, it is possible to trace this extensive knowledge, which was prevalent in medieval art and architecture, particularly in Siena, the author’s homeland, as well as in Tuscany and throughout central Italy.