|
Facts
Notable Acquisitions
French and Italian
Studies
 
Contents
Forward
Introduction |
Francesco de Vieri, called Il Verimo Secondo.
Discorsi... Delle maravigliose opere di Pratolino & d'Amore
[& Il terzo rationamento dell'arti].
Florence: Giorgio Marescotti, 1586.
Francesco de Vieri (1547-1590) held the chair in Platonic philosophy at the University of Pisa, and authored works in various subjects, including philosophy, alchemy, and astronomy. This title has three parts, the largest consisting of a description of the Medici countryside villa and gardens at Pratolino, outside of Florence. Vieri describes the fabulous garden with its waterworks, ponds, statues, and fountains. It also was known for its magnificent aviaries, grottoes and an automated oaktree. This work preserves the original vision of the garden, as the villa was sold and remodeled in the baroque style in the seventeenth century with the garden going through a long period of decline. Some of the original statues were moved to the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The book continues with a treatise on love with the author taking Petrarch's treatment of Laura as his ideal, and concludes with a treatise on the author's theories of art, in particular from the Florentine viewpoint and expression. |
|
|
