PLAN, by this term is understood the drawings or re presentations of the intended structure ; they consist of three sorts : 1st, Skewing the shape, dimensions, and relative situation of the several apartments. 2d, Spew ing the appearance which the external faces of the edi fice will have when completed ; and 3d, Sections slu• ing the heights and mode of finishing the principal apart ments.
It will be readily perceived, that no fixed rules can be laid down for forming plans which shall, in all cases. be applicable. The architect, in making the design, must be regulated by the climate, the situation, the pur pose to which the edifice is to be appropriated, the na ture of the materials to be employed, and the custom-3 and habits of the people ; and the latter not only vary with their rank in society, but are continually changing in every rank, as must be evident to the reader from pe rusing the sketch we have given of the history of archi tecture. The utmost therefore we shall attempt, will be to produce and explain specimens from the works of the most celebrated architects, since the revival of Ro man architecture; and make some general observations upon the modes now practised in Britain.
In tracing the progress of the revival of Roman ar chitecture, it is necessary to remark, that in 1016, Bus cheto, a Greek of the isle of Dulichio, was employed to construct the cathedral of Pisa, which he did with mar ble columns and a dome. He had many disciples, and may be reckoned the founder of modern architecture in Italy. But the earliest specimen we shall produce, is the plan and section of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Mora at Florence, which will be found in Plate CLXXIII. It was begun in 1288, by Arnolf Lusii, a Florentine ar chitect, and left, after he died in 1300, for 120 years in an unfinished state, as no person could be found who would undertake to construct the dome. In 1420, Pi lipo Brunclleschi, having previously, with great dili gence, studied the remains of ancient architecture at Rome and Florence, proposed a scheme to complete that difficult work. He solicited the curators of the fabric to
have it examined by a convocation of Italian and Oltra monte architects, who complied with his requisition ; but these timid artists considered the project so extrava gant, that they hissed him out of the assembly. They proposed to raise a mound of earth interspersed with pieces of money, and on its top, when properly moulded, to turn the dome, and then to suffer the populace to re move the earth lira the money it contained. This miserable expedient was, however, rejected; and the persevering Brunelleschi, after haying returned to Rome, and again examined its ancient buildings, was recalled, and permit ted, after making some experiments upon a small scale, to commence his favourite project. He continued to direct the works for 20 years, and, before his death in 1440, had closed in the dome at the foundation of the cupola or lanthern, for which, and the globe and cross, he left de signs and instructions, and which were finished in 1456. From the pavement to the bottom of the cupola the height is 277 feet, the diameter of the dome is 133 feet, and it rises about four-fifths of this diameter. It is of au octa gonal form, and consists of two shells with a space be tween them, the tapering being very gradual. It was built without the aid of scaffolding. We have no account of the manner in which the two shells were connected, or what security it derived from hooping, though it is pro bable that precautions of this nature were adopted, after the practicability of the scheme had been so strongly dis puted. The complete success, however, had acquired the architect so much respect, that he was interred with