A rare 1537 book from Simpson Library’s Special Collections holdings is currently on loan to the University of Virginia Art Museum for its exhibit, “Variety, Archeology, and Ornament: Renaissance Architectural Prints from Column to Cornice.” Titled “Regole generali di architetture sopra le cinque maniere degli edifice,” the book is written by the renowned Italian architect Sebastiano Serlio.
The exhibit focuses on the crucial role of prints in the transition from manuscript to printed architectural treatises during the Renaissance. Along with the library’s loan and the museum’s own holdings, the curators selected pieces from various other repositories, such as The Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale Center for British Art, noting that “the exhibition affords a unique opportunity for the study of rare books and prints drawn from several national libraries.” The exhibition will be on view at the University of Virginia Art Museum through December 18, 2011.
For more information about the exhibit, visit http://www.virginia.edu/artmuseum/on_view/exhibitions/Variety_Archeology_Ornament.php
