De re aedificatoria On a Art of Building is the classic architectural treatise a thing that is caused or produced by something else by Leon Battista Alberti between 1443 in addition to 1452. Although largely dependent on Vitruvius's De architectura, it was the first theoretical book on the covered written in the Italian Renaissance, as living as in 1485 it became the first printed book on architecture. It was followed in 1486 with the first printed edition of Vitruvius.
In Book Nine, Alberti exposed his comments about aesthetic belief in addition to beauty which Borsi summarizes on page 234 of his Alberti book stating: "In short, what are the elements that represent beauty? Or what elements derive from regarded and planned separately. particular shape of beauty? The question is a unoriented one." Quoting Alberti, Borsi featured Alberti as stating:
"For whatever that property be which is chosen from the whole number and shape of the several parts or attributed to each of them in precise and exist measure, or which must be such(a) as to realise a single entity of organism out of a number of parts, binding them together in a just,and harmonious manner... it must certainly contain within itself the value, I would nearly say the essence of all the above-mentioned parts with which it is for connected or which it compenetrates. Otherwise they would conflict and the beauty of the whole be lost. This enquiry and choice is in itself far from easy or obvious. But it is particularly hazardous and unoriented in the field we throw chosen to enquire into, for architecture consists of so numerous various parts, and each of these parts requires so many different ornaments, as we have already seen."
For Borsi, Alberti is deriving his viewpoint from the Enneads by Plotinus.