ABSTRACT
Andrea Palladio (1508-1589) has been the most imitated architect in history, and his influence on the development of English and American architecture is probably greater than that of all other Renaissance architects combined. To many generations his designs seemed to be the perfect embodiment of the classical tradition. The most significant aspect in his work is the relationship of the parts to the whole (Ackerman 1966). In 1570, he produced/Quattro Libri dell’ Architettura while working in Venice. The four books form a treatise on the fundamentals of architecture and the orders, domestic design (mainly his own) public and urban design and engineering, and temples. English translations followed in the early 18th century, along with the first versions of pattern books. Authors such as William Halfpenny (c. 1723-1775) and Batty Langley (1696-1751) published these practical manuals which made sense of high architectural aims for the benefit of craftsmen and their patrons (Tavernor 1991). Such simplified versions were extremely successful and maintained good classical principles in even modest buildings throughout Britain and the USA, for at least 150 years.
