u. - MANUSCRIPT FORTIFICATIONS & ARCHITECTURE - 1600

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Manuscript treatise on civil and military fortifications

Manuscript on paper – Italy, mid-17th century
With numerous geometric drawings and two heraldic initials.

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I. Codicological description and materials

It is a valuable paper manuscript from the 17th century, written in brown ink, belonging to the technical literature on civil and military fortifications.

The code is presented in a wide oblong format (approximately 240 × 360 mm), typical of technical treatises intended for practical use by engineers, military architects, and defense officers, as it is particularly suitable for rendering plans, profiles, geometric tables, and proportional schemes.

The binding is made of coeval cardboard, covered in marbled paper, now naturally worn by time but still intact, indicating prolonged use and continuous consultation, as often happens with treatises used in a professional context.

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II. Collation, internal structure, and material content

The manuscript consists of:
65 pages, numbered and fully written.
15 final or interleaved blank pages, probably intended for further additions.
Numerous fine ink geometric drawings up to page 35.
Decorative initial capital letters (historiated initials) executed by hand.

The writing is uniform, executed with an expert hand, with a regular and steady ductus, and shows the usual clarity of military engineering treaties intended for operational consultation.

The geometric figures – circles, regular polygons, proportional triangles, tracing lines, intersection schemes, and bastioned curvatures – are drawn with particular technical precision, using fine pens and a compass. This confirms the professional origin of the manuscript: it was most likely created by a military engineer in service or by a civil architect employing the advanced methods of the science of baroque fortifications.

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III. The content: the science of fortifications in the seventeenth century

The treatise addresses key themes of modern bastion fortification, which in Europe became prominent between the 16th and 17th centuries and reached its mature form in the works of the great Italian and French masters.

Although not dated, the content clearly falls within the framework of the doctrines developed by:
Giacomo Lanteri
Bonaiuto Lorini
Zanchi
Specklin
up to the most advanced models of the early 1600s that will lead to modern fortification.

Among the topics covered are:
Geometric principles applied to the construction of fortifications.
Proportions and angles of the bastions.
calculation of shooting distances
Design of sides, curtain walls, parapets, and counter-guardrails.
• criteria for active and passive defense;
Relationships between civil fortifications (city walls) and military border fortresses.
Hydraulic engineering notes, often related to defensive works (ditches, flooding, river diversions).

The strictly technical nature of the text, combined with the presence of geometrical figures of extraordinary precision, places it in full harmony with the treatises that preceded or accompanied the era of the great military engineers of the 17th century, such as Vauban, without showing their later innovations.

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Function and destination of the manuscript

This is not a theoretical text intended for academic speculation.
It is an operating manual, a work tool.

The large format, the use of precise figures, the presence of white sections for subsequent additions, and the modular structure indicate that:
The manuscript was conceived as a personal compendium.
It probably belonged to a military engineer serving at a fortress.
It could be used as a guide for land surveying, defense tracking, and angular calculation of artillery.

The two ornate initials are a refined clue: it is not a simple technical notebook, but a volume carefully prepared with formal care and intended to be preserved.

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V. Historical and cultural context

The mid-17th century is a period of increasing professionalization of military engineering. Italy, the cradle of modern fortification between the 15th and 16th centuries, continues to be a fundamental training center, although it is gradually complemented by the French school.

Manuscript works like this
they circulated in the Italian states (State of Milan, Serenissima, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Papal States)
Confidential material was transmitted among engineers, often not intended for printing.
They contributed to the technical training of captains, duci of the square, and civil architects.

The 17th century was the century of the consolidation of Europe's great fortress towns, and the military engineer was a figure of absolute prestige. This manuscript fully belongs to that tradition.

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VI. Historical and Collectible Value

The manuscript has a value.
Historical, as evidence of the engineering techniques of the time;
• technical, for the precision of diagrams and schematics;
Artistic, for the ornaments and for regular and refined calligraphy.
Bibliophile, as an example of a large-format handwritten technical treatise, now rare, not derived from printed works but probably compiled as an independent text.

The fact that you present original figures, not copied from typographic tables, further enhances their uniqueness.

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VII. Conclusion

This manuscript treatise on civil and military fortifications is a document of great charm and historical significance, a direct testimony of the technical knowledge that guided the design of European defenses during the height of the Baroque era.

It is a book.
Majestically technical
rich in applied geometry
Authentic expression of 17th-century Italian military engineering.
a unique piece by an expert hand
is extraordinarily representative of the constructive intelligence of the era.

For the bibliophile, the collector, or the historian of military architecture, this manuscript is of absolute importance, capable of narrating – with nothing but the power of the line drawn by pen – the entire world of science and art of modern fortification.

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Shipping terms and conditions

The item will be carefully packed to ensure optimal protection, with insured express shipping that will allow you to receive the book within just 24 working hours in EU countries and only 72 working hours in non-EU countries. Please note that any customs duties will be the responsibility of the buyer.