The imperial staircase of the Royal Monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes of Valencia (1601-1603): tracing hypothesis

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the graphic analysis carried out on its most representative example to determine its possible tracing strategy, the imperial staircase of the Royal Monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes (Valencia). With the support of a telemetric survey using a 3D laser scanner, it has been verified the existence of an accomplished graphical method of design. The research has considered the operations recommended by stonecutting manuscripts and the constructive tradition of its predecessors, the «honour» staircases of the Mediterranean noble houses. This has allowed to consolidate a useful strategy for the study of this constructive variant; validate the proposals of the treatise writers and confirm the validity of the Late-Medieval methods of shape control using directional curves.

Keywords

• escalera
• cantería
• traza
• historia de la construcción