Stonecutting treatises, from the Renaissance to the
Enlightenment, classify dressing methods in two
broad areas. Both are named mainly after masons'
tools: the square -équarrissement, escuadría,
dérobement, robos- and the template -panneaux,
plantas. However, the significance of these categories
lies mostly in the geometrical notions they stand for;
the square is applied when tracings make use of the
orthographic projection, usually double, whereas the
template is used where geometrical constructions
provide true-size representations of the sides of the
dressed stones. Thus, both methods are related to key
concepts in Descriptive Geometry, the double
orthographic projection for the square and
developments and rabattements for the templates.
This is not surprising, if we take into account that
Gaspard Monge, the founder of Descriptive
Geometry, was Professor of Theory of Stonecutting
in the Ecole de Génie at Mézieres (Monge 1799,4;
Loria ] 92] :84-91; Taton 1954, 17-20; Sakarovitch
]992, 530-536; Sakarovitch 1995, 208-210;
Sakarovitch ]998, 218-227; Rabasa 2000, 241).
The picture is not so clear as it appears in the
treatises, however. It has been pointed out (Rabasa
2000, 158-]60) that modern stonecutting mixes both
methods, and that Frézier (1737,2:]4; 2:] 15-116),
and his Spanish follower Bails (J 779, 433-437)
propose the dressing of some pieces by a method
known as demi-équarrissement or media escuadría.
We shalI deal in this paper with an early example
of these hybrid methods. In Cerramientos y trazas de montea, a manuscript written by Ginés Martínez de
Aranda around 160O, we can find stonecutting
problems solved by means of pure squaring or full
templates, the two canonical methods of mainstream
treatises. Neverthe]ess, Aranda also explains the use
of a two-side adjustable temp]ate, the saltarregla or
sauterelle, combined with squaring; and what is more
remarkable, the combination of squaring and full
templates. First, we shall discuss stonecutting
operations based only on orthographic projections or
on true size, taking into account not only Aranda's
manuscript, but also other Spanish works and, when
the need arises, Philibert de L'Orme's Premier tome
de L'Architecture; afterwards, we shall study the
hybrid methods that appear, here and there, in
Aranda' s manuscript