The Craftsman S Handbook Il Libro Dell Arte

Fifteenth-century handbook, written by a working artist of the day, reveals techniques of the masters in drawing, oil painting, frescoes, panel painting, gilding, casting, more. Direct link to artists of Middle Ages.

This book, a new translation (with introduction and notes) of Il Libro dell'Arte, marks a great step forward in our understanding of Cennino Cennini - his life and times - and the materials and techniques employed by artists in fourteenth century Italy. Over eighty years ago, D. V. Thompson presented his translation entitled The Craftsman's Handbook as a workshop manual aimed at readers who wished to produce a work of art by following Cennino's instructions. The present volume not only establishes more precisely what Cennino actually wrote, by correcting more than 400 errors in Thompson's text, but also includes the transcribed Italian text and very extensive notes on both the language and the technical descriptions. In addition, the author's most informative introduction places Cennino in context and accounts for the genesis of the libro dell'arte by reference to the society in which it was produced. This volume is a landmark text for students and professionals in the field of art history. Contents: Foreword; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Why a new translation?; Who was Cennino Cennini?; What is the Libro dell'arte?; The transmission and translation of the Libro dell'arte; Notes on the transcription; Notes on the translation; Il libro dell'arte: English translation and commentary and Italian transcription; Notes on substantive differences from Thompson's translation; Appendix; Bibliography.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"I have made it my concern to hunt out this technique for your study as I learned it by looking and listening." On Divers Arts, c. 1122, is the oldest extant manual on artistic crafts to be written by a practicing artist. Before Theophilus, manuscripts on the arts came from scholars and philosophers standing outside the actual profession. On Divers Arts describes actual 12th-century techniques in painting, glass, and metalwork, which the Benedictine author wished to pass on to those gifted by God with a talent for making beautiful things. Theophilus teaches, with rigorous attention to fact but also with great reverence the making of pigments for fresco painting, the manufacture of glue, the technique of gold leaf on parchment (the first recorded European reference to true paper), how to blow glass and design stained glass windows, how to fashion gold and silver chalices, and how to make a pipe organ and church bells. Precise instruction on enameling, chasing, repoussé, niello, and beaded wire work prove Theophilus's first-hand knowledge of his craft. While 90 percent of Theophilus's writing is sound technical knowledge, medieval folk lore occasionally spices his text: "Tools are also made harder by hardening them in the urine of a small red-headed boy than by doing so in plain water." But the magnificent fact of On Divers Art remains its status as the first technical treatise on painting, glass, and metalwork, for which actual specimens still survive. The editors have taken care to ensure both philological and technological accuracy for this authoritative edition of a medieval classic, a manual of great importance to craftsmen, historians of art and science, and all who delight in the making of the beautiful.