Vincenzo Scamozzi (2 September 1548 – 7 August 1616) was an Italian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and a writer on architecture, active mainly in

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a thr ...

and

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

area in the second half of the 16th century. He was perhaps the most important figure there between

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of ...

, whose unfinished projects he inherited at Palladio's death in 1580, and

Baldassarre Longhena Baldassare Longhena (1598 – 18 February 1682) was an Italian architect, who worked mainly in Venice, where he was one of the greatest exponents of Baroque architecture of the period. Biography Born in Venice, Longhena studied under the architect ...

, Scamozzi's only pupil. The great public project of Palladio's that Scamozzi inherited early in the process of construction was the

Teatro Olimpico The Teatro Olimpico ("Olympic Theatre") is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy, constructed in 1580–1585. The theatre was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and was not completed until after his death. T ...

at Vicenza, which Palladio had designed in the last months of his life.

Biography

Chiesa di San Lorenzo a Vicenza - Interno - Monumento di Vincenzo Scamozzi

Scamozzi was born in Vicenza. His father was the surveyor and building contractor Gian Domenico Scamozzi; he was Scamozzi's first teacher, imbuing him with the principles of

Sebastiano Serlio Sebastiano Serlio (6 September 1475 – c. 1554) was an Italian Mannerist architect, who was part of the Italian team building the Palace of Fontainebleau. Serlio helped canonize the classical orders of architecture in his influential trea ...

, laid out in Serlio's book. Vincenzo visited

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1579–1580, and then moved to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in 1581. In 1600, he visited France and left a sketchbook record of his impressions of French architecture, which first saw the light of day in 1959. Scamozzi is famous for having inherited several unfinished projects from

at the time of Palladio's death in 1580 and for bringing them to their completed form.

The Idea of a Universal Architecture

Scamozzi - Idea della Architettura Universale - 1615

Scamozzi's influence spread far beyond his Italian commissions through his two-volume treatise, ''L'idea dell'architettura universale'' ("The Idea of a Universal Architecture"), which is one of the last works of the Renaissance dealing with the theory of architecture. It was originally published with woodcut illustrations at Venice in 1615. Scamozzi depended for sections of his treatment of

Vitruvius Vitruvius (; c. 80–70 BC – after c. 15 BC) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work entitled '' De architectura''. He originated the idea that all buildings should have three attribut ...

Daniele Barbaro Daniele Matteo Alvise Barbaro (also Barbarus) (8 February 1514 – 13 April 1570) was an Italian cleric and diplomat. He was also an architect, writer on architecture, and translator of, and commentator on, Vitruvius. Barbaro's fame is chief ...

's commentary, published in 1556 with illustrations by Palladio; he also discussed issues of building practice. At that time, such treatises were becoming a vehicle for self-promotion. Scamozzi was aware of the potential value of publicity distributed through the established channels of the book trade and he included many of his own plans and elevations, as built, as they should have been built, and as idealized projects. His first book entitled ''Discorsi sopra l'antichita di Roma'' (Venice: Ziletti, 1583) had been quickly cobbled together with some illustrated commentary on the ruins of Rome, assembled in "the space of a few of days." According to his preface to the volumes, the images were stock productions that already existed. Over half were copied from a volume published by

Hieronymus Cock Hieronymus Cock, or Hieronymus Wellens de Cock (1518 – 3 October 1570) was a Flemish painter and etcher as well as a publisher and distributor of prints.

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in 1551. His major book came out one year before his death and was too late to influence his own success. Scamozzi's practice is sometimes spoken of as being a source of the

neo-Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

architecture as it was introduced by

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

, another follower of

's own example. Rudolf Wittkower referred to him as among "the intellectual father(s) of neo-classicism".

Piazza San Marco

Scamozzi moved to

in 1581, where he had been invited to design the '' Procuratie Nuove'' on the

Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; vec, Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (exc ...

itself. The '' Procuratie Nuove'' was built as a row of official housing for the Procuratorate of San Marco, presented as a unified palace front that continues the end facade of the Sansovino Library, with its arcaded ground floor and arch-headed windows of the first floor, but adding an upper floor to provide the necessary accommodation. In accomplishing this design, Scamozzi adapted a rejected project of Palladio's for a re-faced

Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme aut ...

, with colonnettes that flank the windows to support alternating triangular and arched pediments, upon which Scamozzi added reclining figures, to balance the richness of the Sansovinian decoration of the two lower floors. Eleven bays of this project were completed, and later were extended by Baldassare Longhena (Scamozzi's only pupil) to fill the whole south flank of the piazza.

Chronology of works

All but one of the following works are in the territory of the

: * 1568-1575: Villa of Girolamo Ferramosca, Barbano di

Grisignano di Zocco Grisignano di Zocco is a town in the province of Vicenza The Province of Vicenza ( it, Provincia di Vicenza) is a province in the Veneto region in northern Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza. The province has an area of 2,722.53 km� ...

(

Province of Vicenza The Province of Vicenza ( it, Provincia di Vicenza) is a province in the Veneto region in northern Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza. The province has an area of 2,722.53 km², and a total population of 865,082 (as of 2017). There a ...

) (with Gian Domenico Scamozzi) * 1569: Palazzo Godi,

(project, altered during later execution) * 1572-1593:

Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare is a patrician palace in Vicenza, northern Italy, designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, probably in 1572, and built after Palladio's death by Vincenzo Scamozzi. It is one of the city '' palazzi' ...

, Vicenza (reworked on a previous project by Palladio) * 1574-1615: Villa of Leonardo Verlato, Villaverla (Vicenza) * 1575: Palazzo Caldogno, Vicenza * 1575-1578: Rocca Pisana (Vettor Pisani Villa),

Lonigo Lonigo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy, its population counts around 16,400 inhabitants.Source: ISTAT - Bilancio demografico al 31/12/200 In its ''frazione'' of Bagnolo is the Villa Pisani, a Renaissanc ...

(Vicenza) * 1576-1579: Trissino-Trento (Pierfranceso Trissino Palace), Vicenza (with Gian Domenico Scamozzi) * 1580: Villa of Francesco Priuli, Treville di

Castelfranco Veneto Castelfranco Veneto ( vec, Casteło) is a town and '' comune'' of Veneto, northern Italy, in the province of Treviso, by rail from the town of Treviso. It is approximately inland from Venice. History The town originates from a castle built he ...

(

Province of Treviso The Province of Treviso ('' it, Provincia di Treviso'') is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso. The province is surrounded by Belluno in the north, Vicenza in the west, Padua in southwest, Venice in t ...

) (north wing) * 1580-1584: Villa Nani Mocenigo, Canda (

Province of Rovigo The Province of Rovigo (''Provincia di Rovigo'') is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rovigo. It borders on the north with the provinces of Verona, Padua and Venice, on the south with the province of Ferrara, ...

) * 1580-1592: Villa Capra "La Rotonda", near Vicenza (completed construction of

's structure for Mario Capra, and added stables, not completed until 1620) * 1581-1586: Church of San Gaetano Thiene,

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

* 1581-1599: Procuratie Nuove,

, Venice (continued with a different interior design by Francesco Smeraldi and completed in 1663 by Longhena) * 1582: Palazzo Cividale, Vicenza ttributed* 1582-1591: Library of San Marco, Venice (completion of

Jacopo Sansovino Jacopo d'Antonio Sansovino (2 July 1486 – 27 November 1570) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, best known for his works around the Piazza San Marco in Venice. These are crucial works in the history of Venetian Renaissance arc ...

's design) * 1584-1585:

, Vicenza (remodeling of structure designed by Andrea Palladio, wooden scene) * 1587-1596: Library of San Marco, Venice (the vestibule, ''Antisala'') * 1588: Villa Cornaro, Poisolo, Treville di Castelfranco Veneto (Treviso) (reconstruction) * 1588-1590: Teatro all'antica for Duke

Vespasiano I Gonzaga 250px, Vespasiano I Gonzaga. Vespasiano I Gonzaga, Duke of Sabbioneta (6 December 1531 – 26 February 1591) was an Italian nobleman, diplomat, writer, military engineer and condottiero. He is remembered as a patron of the arts and the founder ...

, Sabbioneta (

Province of Mantova The Province of Mantua ( it, provincia di Mantova; Mantovano, Lower Mantovano: ; Upper Mantovano: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua. It is bordered to the north-east by the Province of ...

) * 1590: Villa Contarini for Girolamo Contarini, Loreggia (Padua) (revised in construction) * 1590-1595: Church of

San Nicolò da Tolentino Nicholas of Tolentino ( la, S. Nicolaus de Tolentino, (c. 1246September 10, 1305), known as the ''Patron of Holy Souls'', was an Italian saint and mystic. He is particularly invoked as an advocate for the souls in Purgatory, especially during ...

, Venice * 1591-1593: Statuary of Venice Republic (museum), Venice * 1591-1594: Monastery and Church of San Gaetano Thiene,

* 1591-1595: Villa Cornaro for

Girolamo Cornaro Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome. It may refer to: * Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler * Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – af ...

, Piombino Dese (

Province of Padua The Province of Padua (''Provincia di Padova'') is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Padua. Geography It has an area of 2,142 km2, and a total population of 936,492 (2016) making it the most populated p ...

) (completion) ttributed* 1591-1597: Villa Duodo and Chapel of San Giorgio, Monselice (Padua) * 1592-1616: Palace of Galeazzo Trissino al Corso, Vicenza * 1594-1600: Villa of

Valerio Bardellini Valerio or Valério is a male given name in several languages, derived from the Roman surname ''Valerius'', which itself is derived from the Latin verb ''valere'' - "to be strong". ''Valerio'' also appears as a family name or surname. Valerio is ...

Monfumo Monfumo is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about northwest of Treviso. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,447 and an area of .All demographi ...

* 1596: Villa Ferretti for Girolamo Ferretti on the Riviera del Brenta, Sambruson del Dolo (Venice). The A. Everett Austin House in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, U.S.A. is an homage to the Villa Ferreti. * 1596-1597: Villa Cornaro for

, Piombino Dese (Padua) (added stable wing) Villa-Molin-3

* 1597:

Villa Molin Villa Molin is a patrician residence in the neighborhood of Mandria, in Ponte della Cagna, south of Padua, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It was designed for Nicolò Molin, a Venetian noble, by Vincenzo Scamozzi and completed in 1597. ...

, Mandria, (Padua) * 1597: Villa Priuli, Carrara (Padua) * 1597-1598:

Villa Godi A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

, Sarmego di

Grumolo delle Abbadesse Grumolo delle Abbadesse is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, north-eastern Italy. It is on SP24 provincial road. The ''frazione'' (hamlet) of Vancimuglio is home to Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 15 ...

(Vicenza) * 1601: Palazzo del Bò, Padua (university facade) * 1601-1606: San Giacomo di Rialto,

(altar of Scuola degli Orefici; with

Girolamo Campagna Girolamo Campagna (1549–1625) was a Northern Italian sculptor. Born in Verona, he went to Venice in 1572 and studied under both Jacopo Sansovino and Danese Cattaneo, and completed many of the latter's works. He was responsible for the f ...

) * 1601-1636: San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti Church and Hospital, Venice * 1604-1612: Cathedral of Sts. Rupert and Virgil,

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

, Austria (project; completed in 1614-28 by Santino Solari) * 1605: Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice (sacristy door; with

Alessandro Vittoria Alessandro Vittoria funerary monument - San Zaccaria, Venice Alessandro Vittoria (1525–1608) was an Italian Mannerist sculptor of the Venetian school, "one of the main representatives of the Venetian classical style" and rivalling Giambo ...

) * 1605-1616: Villa Duodo, Monselice (Padua) (six chapels for Via Romana) * 1607-1611:

San Giorgio Maggiore San Giorgio Maggiore ( vec, San Zorzi Mazor) is one of the islands of Venice, northern Italy, lying east of the Giudecca and south of the main island group. The island, or more specifically its Palladian church, is an important landmark. It h ...

(church), Venice (completion of Palladio's facade) * 1607-1616: Villa Cornaro al Paradiso, Venice (twin pavilions) * 1609: Domenico Trevisan Villa, San Donà di Piave * 1609-1616: Palazzo Contarini degli Scrigni, Santrovaso on the

Canal Grande The Grand Canal ( it, Canal Grande ; vec, Canal Grando, anciently ''Canałasso'' ) is a channel in Venice, Italy. It forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. One end of the canal leads into the lagoon near the Santa Luc ...

, Venice * 1610 Villa Contarini degli Scrigni detta Vigna Contarena (Este) * 1614: Palazzo Loredan Vendramin Calergi,

(east wing; demolished in 1659 and rebuilt in 1660)

Notes

Bibliography

* * * Bibliography of the ''Idea'': http://architectura.cesr.univ-tours.fr/Traite/Auteur/Scamozzi.asp?param=en
Charles Davis, ''Architecture and Light: Vincenzo Scamozzi’s Statuary Installation in the Chiesetta of the Palazzo Ducale in Venice''
in Annali di architettura n° 14, Vicenza 2002
Branko Mitrovic´ and Vittoria Senes, Vincenzo ''Scamozzi’s Annotations to Daniele Barbaro’s Commentary on Vitruvius’ De Architectura''
in Annali di architettura n° 14, Vicenza 2002
Konrad Ottenheym, ''A Bird’s-Eye View of the Dissemination of Scamozzi’s Treatise in Northern Europe''
in Annali di architettura, n° 18–19, 2007
Guido Beltramini, ''The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Scamozzi’s Idea della Architettura Universale in Palladian Territory''
in Annali di architettura, n° 18–19, 2007
Howard Burns, ''Inigo Jones and Vincenzo Scamozzi''
in Annali di architettura, n° 18–19, 2007 * Giles Worsley
''Scamozzi’s Influence on English Seventeenth-Century Architecture''
in Annali di architettura, n° 18–19, 2007 * Uvres d'architecture de Vincent Scamozzi, architecte de la République de Venise, 1764

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scamozzi, Vincenzo 1548 births 1616 deaths Architects from Vicenza 16th-century Italian architects Italian architecture writers Italian male non-fiction writers