LA GROTTICINA DI MADAMA: IL RILIEVO CRITICO DI UN ARREDO CINQUECENTESCO ALL’INTERNO DEL GIARDINO DI BOBOLI A FIRENZE

The “Madama’s Grotticina” in the Boboli Gardens is an example of the projective laws applied within it. Designed by Tribolo for the new grand ducal garden, it was in line with the contemporary Grotta degli Animali of the Villa di Castello in terms of symbolic meaning and materials. This parallelism can be deduced through a cognitive process, which investigates the history of the first two architectures and compares their characteristic elements - such as, above all, natural materials-. At the same time, there is also a similarity on a geometric level, through the comparison of plans and sections. The peculiarity of Madama lies in the entrance, which is grafted onto two different floors, creating a semi-trapezoidal space, which intrigues the visitor by drawing him closer, through the path. This research come from both digital survey and geometric-projective analysis, through perspective return from photography. Both procedures lead to the identification of an angle of 25° between the two vertical planes, that of the walls and the one orthogonal to the access path. From this research it can be seen how the use of perspective elements is also fundamental for the visual perception of the object.