Stereotomy, a multifaceted technique

The meaning of the word stereotomy, the etymology of which broadly designates the art of cutting threedimensional solids into shapes to be assembled, is restricted in architecture to designate more specifically the art of stone carving for the purpose of constructing vaults, squinches, cupolas or flights of stairs . . . Although universal dictionaries mention «wood stereotomy» as involving the assembly of timber pieces, it is noteworthy that this meaning generally disappears from architecture dictionaries. The shift in meaning is of course not fortuitous and this will be discussed further below. Vocabulaire de l'Architecture,l defines stereotomy as being «l'art de tracer les formes a donner aux pierres (et aux briques) en vue de leur assemblage», in other words «the art of drawing the shapes to be given to stones (and bricks) for future assembly». Hence it adopts once more the definition given in Aviler's dictionary of 1691, which was considered the authority in the 18th century, and echoes the French expression «art du trait» or art of line drawing. Thus reduced to the «art of line drawing», stereotomy would appear to be solely concemed with the art of drawing lines in preparation for the future assembly of carved stones. In that sense, stereotomy would not be as such a construction technique but merely a preliminary step in stone vault construction. 1 cast my preference here on a definition attributed to Claude Perrault, afine expert on the subject, according to whom stereotomy is «the art of using the weight of stone against itself SOas to hold it up thanks to the very weight that pulls Joel Sakarovitch