|
BOOKS ON ARCHITECTURE
In 1608,
under the new title Geometrie et horlogiographie pratique,
Denise Cavellat published a new edition of the Petit traicte de
geometrie et d’horologiographie pratique by Jean Bullant,
published in 1562 by Guillaume Cavellat. Thus, more than forty years
after its first edition, Jean Bullant's work remained a reference. Save
a few small typographical and specific formatting details, the writings
of the Duke of Montmorency's architect were published with no changes.
This new edition gained by having a supplement drafted by Claude de
Boissière, a learned scholar from Grenoble. This author, also
known as the translator in 1582 of the Cosmography by Gemma, nicknamed
Frisius (1508-1555) was interested in mathematics, poetry, music and
horlogiography. In 1556, Guillaume Cavellat had published La propriété
et usage des quadrans by him. It is this opuscule which his daughter
Denise drew on in 1608 (p. 143). In it Claude de Boissière laid
out the work and practical applications of the mathematicians Oronce
Fine (1494-1555) and Pierre Apian (1495-1552). The latter was also known
as Pierre Bennewitz or Bienewitz. This appended contribution, written
in rather coarse French and lacking diagrams to describe the mechanisms
used, is particularly difficult to understand. In contrast, it highlights
the pedagogical qualities of Bullant's writing. At the end of the work
appears a text, with a diagram, probably by Oronce Fine, of an hydraulic
clock he invented. It ends with a table of contents for all the works
of the collection. Jean-Pierre Manceau (Tours) – 2009
Critical bibliographyJ.-P. Manceau, "La place des mathématiques dans les écrits de Jean Bullant et Philibert De l’Orme", Journal de la Renaissance, 6, 2008, pp. 161-172. P. Renouard, Imprimeurs et libraires parisiens du XVIe siècle,
Fascicule Cavellat, Marnef et Cavellat, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, 1986, p. 159, n°
186.
|
