Paris (1512) and Strasbourg (1541); the first Italian trans-
lation appeared in Venice in 1546, and French (1553) and
Spanish (1582) versions were also printed during the 16th
century. Alberti was employed by the pope on a number of
architectural projects in Rome but his most famous build-
ings are in Florence, Rimini, and Mantua. In Florence he
designed the Palazzo Rucellai (c. 1445–51), the classical
forms of its facade being influenced by the Roman Colos-
seum, and the main facade of Sta. Maria Novella
(1456–70); in Rimini the famous TEMPIO MALATESTIANO;
and in Mantua the churches of San Sebastiano (1460–70)
and Sant’ Andrea (c. 1470), in which the Tempio’s tri-
umphal-arch motif was again incorporated. Alberti’s hu-
manistic interests found expression in a number of prose
works, notably Della famiglia (On the family; 1435–41),
De iciarchia (On the ruler of his family; 1470), and the
first Italian grammar. Also a poet, mathematician, and en-
gineer, Alberti exemplified his own belief that “men can
do all things.” He died in Rome.
The first illustrated edition of De re aedificatoria
(1550) was Cosimo Bartoli’s Italian version that super-
seded the Venetian version of 1546. Giacomo Leoni
(1686–l746), a Venetian architect living in England, pub-
lished his English translation in 1726, with engravings
based on his own drawings after the woodcuts of the 1550
Bartoli edition. Leoni’s translation was twice reprinted in
the 18th century (1739, 1755), and the 1755 edition was
the basis of a photographic reprint edited by Joseph Ryk-
wert (London, 1955; New York, 1966, 1986). Rykwert’s
own translation (with Neil Leach and Robert Tavernor)
appeared under the title of On the Art of Building in Ten
Books (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1988).
Further reading: Franco Borsi, Leon Battista Alberti:
The Complete Works (Oxford, U.K.: Phaidon, 1977); An-
thony Grafton, Leon Battista Alberti: Master Builder of the
Renaissance (New York: Hill & Wang, 2000); Liisa Kan-
erva, Defining the Architect in Fifteenth-Century Italy: Ex-
emplary Architects in L. B. Alberti’s De re aedificatoria
(Helsinki: Suomamalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1998).Albertinelli, Mariotto (1474–1515) Italian painter
Albertinelli was born in Florence, where he trained under
Cosimo ROSSELLI. Through Rosselli he met Fra BARTOLOM-
MEO, with whom he collaborated for a number of years,
for example on the altarpiece of Sta. Maria della Quercia,
near Viterbo. Albertinelli also painted an Annunciation for
the Duomo in Volterra (1497), another now in the Accad-
emia, Florence (1510), and a Visitation (1503; Uffizi, Flo-
rence). His works show the influence of Perugino and
Leonardo da Vinci, as well as that of Fra Bartolommeo.Albert of Austria (Albrecht von Hapsburg)
(1559–1621) Archduke and coruler of the Spanish
Netherlands (1598–1621)
The youngest son of Emperor Maximilian II, Albert began
his career in the Church, being appointed cardinal at age- However, he later renounced his orders so as to marry
(1598) his cousin, the Infanta ISABELLA, to whom control
of the Spanish Netherlands was to be ceded. Albert and Is-
abella became corulers. Continuing Spanish attempts to
subdue the independent Dutch provinces to the north be-
deviled the first decade of the Archdukes’ reign, but in
1609 Albert prevailed upon the Spanish government to
agree to a 12-year truce. During this period the Archdukes
worked energetically to repair the ravages of war (al-
though Protestants in their territories continued to be ha-
rassed). Patronage of artists and musicians was part of
their program of reconstruction: Otto van VEEN and
RUBENSwere both close associates of Albert, Jan BRUEGHEL
was his court artist from 1609, and Peter PHILIPSwas his
court organist from 1597.
Albert of Prussia (1490–1568) Grand Master of the
Teutonic Knights (1511–25) and first duke of Prussia (1525)
Albert was the grandson of Elector Albert Achilles of Bran-
denburg and was chosen as grand master of the Teutonic
Knights in the hope that his uncle, the king of Poland,
would facilitate a settlement over east Prussia. These lands
had been held by the Knights under Polish suzeraintyAAllbbeerrtt ooff PPrruussssiiaa 77Leon Battista Alberti His architectural designs include the
facade of the west front of Sta. Maria Novella, Florence
(1456–70).
Anthony Kersting, London