Modus reticulationis faciendae: The Practice of Projections in the Theoretical Work of Andrea Pozzo

During the Baroque period, the practice of reticulatio was instrumental to perspectival representation across applied arts, from architectural perspectives and large-scale anamorphoses to scenography. The grid was commonly used to transfer a perspectival drawing onto large surfaces such as walls, vaults, theatrical wings or ephemeral apparatuses. Among the masters of reticulatio, Andrea Pozzo occupies a prominent position. In the two volumes of Perspectiva Pictorum et Architectorum, he offers a significant account of contemporary practice, showing how this art could be adapted to different types of works. The allusive and opaque nature of his descriptions has prompted a closer examination of its operative dimension. By reconstructing the procedures described, together with their underlying projective principles, through a comparative reading of the two editions, it has been possible to identify refined projective solutions aimed at optimizing working processes within the practice.