The Contribution of Muzio Oddi to the Lucca Walls: Unpublished Drawings and New Attributions

Engineer, architect, and mathematician Muzio Oddi (Urbino 1569-1639) is credited with an extensive collection of drawings that reflect his diverse technical, scientific, and artistic expertise. This notable and varied graphic collection, which has not yet been fully explored, includes a substantial portion housed in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. Within two large volumes, 213 drawings are attributed to Oddi, with about 142 confirmed as his and the remainder to artists active between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Many of these pertain to military architecture, particularly the city walls of Lucca. Oddi was appointed by the Republic as the Renaissance fortification project was nearing completion, overseeing work from 1626 to 1636. During this pivotal decade, he designed the completion of the 16th-century circuit, especially the western section with its three bastions, connecting walls, and a new city gate. Although the works were completed over the following decade, Oddi’s intervention marked a clear shift in strategy compared to the prior construction efforts. By comparing the unpublished Windsor documents with known ones from the Lucca State Archives, this study seeks to expand knowledge of Oddi’s work and his technical and engineering fortification model. The analysis has also led to unexpected attributions concerning the subject and authorship of some drawings, offering new interpretations of Oddi’s compositional and technical achievements in Lucca.