The Renaissance

Romae, a guide to the ancient ruins of
Rome. InDe Componendis Cifrishe ex-
plores cryptography; in I Libri della
Famigliahe instructs readers on domestic
life and the education of children.

Alberti took a great interest in art and
architecture, and was one of the first crit-
ics to write extensively on the emerging
trends of the early Renaissance. His book
De Pictura was a manual on the art of
painting. Writing for the aristocratic pa-
trons of art in Italy, Alberti expounded on
the science of mathematics as the founda-
tion for the art of painting.De Pictura
contained a detailed explanation of linear
perspective, as first developed by Filippo
Brunelleschi, the architect who designed
the dome of the cathedral of Florence. In
Alberti’s view, the true aim of the artist,
whether painter or sculptor, was to create
harmony by imitating nature to the best
of his ability. This perspective represents
an important break from the medieval sen-
sibility that emphasized biblical themes
and devotion to the Christian faith.

Alberti’s appointments allowed him
time and freedom to pursue his studies
and writing. He was appointed as prior of
San Martino in the town of Gangalandi,
Tuscany, and in 1448 became the rector of
the parish of San Lorenzo in Mugello. In
1447 he became an inspector of monu-
ments for the pope, an appointment he
held until 1455. He was employed as a mu-
sician as well as an architect, and was ap-
pointed by Pope Nicholas V to restore the
papal palace and to design the Trevi Foun-
tain. Alberti designed the facade of Santa
Maria Novella in Florence, an important
symbol of early Renaissance architecture,
as well as the church of San Andrea and
the church of San Francesco in Rimini, a
work commissioned by Sigismondo Malat-
esta, the city’s ruler. San Francesco mar-
ried religious architecture with classical

motifs, including a triumphal arch and a

great dome in imitation of the ancient

Pantheon of Rome (the dome was never

completed, however, as work on the church

ended with the death of Malatesta in

1466).

San Francesco was the first structure

Alberti designed on the principles de-

scribed inDe Re Aedificatoria, his best-

known work.De Re Aedificatoriaheld up

ancient Roman architecture as a model for

his Italian contemporaries, and pro-

pounded principles of architecture that

Renaissance builders would follow for the

next two centuries. Modeled on the work

of Vitruvius, a Roman architect,De Re

Aedificatoriacovered town planning, build-

ing techniques, engineering, and aesthet-

ics. The book spread the ideas of the Flo-

rentine Renaissance to the rest of Italy and

remained a standard text on architecture

until the eighteenth century. To historians

Alberti represents the classic Renaissance

humanist, the universal man who applied

his talents and genius to many different

fields and who strived to achieve a classi-

cal harmony and balance in his works.

SEEALSO: architecture; Florence; human-

ism; Vitruvius

alchemy .............................................

Alchemy is the historic inquiry into the

nature of matter, a research undertaken by

many individuals in different cultures

around the world. Alchemists were chem-

ists, physicists, and philosophers, who had

as their ultimate goal the transformation

of ordinary matter into gold. They under-

took experiments, speculated on the com-

position of matter, and wrote treatises that

were notorious for their complexity and

their obscure, often made-up language.

During the Renaissance, the reputation of

alchemy