Translating Vitruvius and Measuring the Sky On Pe

Authors: Margarida Tavares da Conceição

Publish Date: 2011/02/25

Volume: 13, Issue: 1, Pages: 205-220

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Abstract

Pedro Nunes is usually associated with the theory of classicist architecture in Portugal mostly as a result of his declared intention to translate Vitruvius but over the course of his long career other important theoretical connections between his mathematical procedures and architectural knowledge emerged as well Although he was famous as a scholar and tutor of princes his work as a cosmographer shows his indirect contribution to architectural knowledge More specifically his teachings on the sphere and use of surveying instruments for measuring spatial coordinates in navigation provide important indications of the link with architecture These aspects are also demonstrated in his scientific works such as the Treatise on the Sphere and the Book of Algebra in Geometry and Arithmetic Though doubts persist as to his direct relationship with the Vitruvian tradition there is evidence of knowledge shared between the disciplines particularly the use of the sundial or nautical needle for orientation and the organization of space

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