Chapter XV. Of the temple of Mars

AT the Piazza vulgarly called de i Pret, which is found in going from the Rotonda to the column of Antoninus, the remains of the following temple are to be seen; which, according to some, was built by the Emperor Antoninus, and dedicated to the God Mars.

Urs aspect is the alato a torme. The manner is thick of columns. The intercolumniations are one diameter and an half, The portico’s round it are so much broader than an intercolumniation, as the projections of the anti project from the remainder of the walls. The columns are of the Corinthian order. The base is Attick, and has a bastoncino under the cimbia of the column. The cimbia, or listello, is very small, and ‘succeeds thus very graceful. It made so small always when it is joined with a bastoncino over the torus of the base. It is also called bastone, because there is no danger of its breaking.

The capital is carved after the manner of olive leaves, and is very well contrived. The architrave, instead of an intavolato, has an half ovolo, and over it a cavetto; and the cavetto has very beautiful intaglio’s, and are different from those of the temple of Peace, and of the temple which we have said was on Monte Quirinale, dedicated to Jupiter.

Tug frize projects out one eighth part of its height, and is swelled in the middle. The cornice has its modiglion square, and over that the gocciolatoio, and has no dentello, which Vitruvius says ought to be made as often as modiglions are used; that rule, however, is to be seen observed in very few antient edifices,

Over the cornice in the sides of the temple, there is a small cornice, perpendicular to the front of the modiglions, and was made to place statues on, thar they might all be entirely seen, and that their legs and feet might not be hid by the projection of the cornice.

In the inward part of the portico there is an architrave of the same height of that without, but is different in this, that it has three fascia’s. The members that divide one fascia from the other are small intavolato’s, carved in the manner of small leaves, and archetti, and the lesser fascia is also carved with leaves. Besides this, instead of an intavolato, it has a fofaiolo over a gola diritta, worked very delicately in foliage. This architrave supports the vaults of the portico’s. The architrave, frize, and the cornice, are one of the five parts, and an half, or two elevenths of the length of the columns; and although they are less than a fifth part, they nevertheless admirably succeed, and with much grace, 96 FOURTH BOOK

The walls in the outward part are of peperino, and within the temple there are other walls of baked stone, that they might be the better able to support the vault, which was made with beautiful figures wrought with stucco.

These walls are coated with marble, and there were niches and columns round them for ornament.

Almost a whole flank of this temple is to be seen; I have however endeavoured to represent it whole, by means of what T could collect from its ruins, and from the doctrine of Vitruvius: and therefore have made five plates of it.

Pl 37. In the first I have designed the plan. 38. In the second the elevation of the front forwards. 39. In the third one part of the side without. 4. In the fourth one part of the side of the portico, and of the temple within. £1. In the fifth are the ornaments of the portico.