Hunched Curves in the Vatican: The Vestibule Arch of the Pio Clementino Museum, Between Stereotomy and Anamorphosis

Researches in the field of architecture and paintings have always faced the problem of modelling and representing hunched surfaces or, more in generai, double curvature surfaces. In the seventeenth and especially in the eighteenth century the experiments in this area of interest bring to the construction and representation of virtuous artefacts. There are two main explanation: first reason is the spread of architectonical treatises about stereotomy able to suggest many study cases of intersection among surfaces and complex vault system. The second reason is connected to painting: virtuous anamorphic images allow to visualize twisted and deformed shapes before theirs realization. A key scientist in this field is the French Minim Friar Charles Plumier (1646-1704), mostly known for his works about botanic but also for his treatise L 'art de tourner en perfection (Paris 17 49). Plumier has also indirect relation with Francesco Borromini (1599-1667).