The Masterly Perspective and Design of Bramante’s “Mirabile Artifcio” in Milan

In the Bramante’s church of Santa Maria Presso San Satiro, a successful integration
between architecture and perspective solves the lack of space for the choir building.
The surprising efectiveness of the trick that simulates a choir depth comparable to
the transept’s length was a “Mirabile artifcio”. Just because of the perceived room,
historians tied the church to the debate on the central plan and the development of
the building of San Pietro in Rome. The present research elaborated an accurate laser
scanner architectural survey and subsequent digital modeling to fnd perspective
variables and verify the original design concept. 3D reconstruction of virtual
architecture unveils the point of view of the simulation, confrming the common
hypothesis about architecture, despite the diferent point of view. The digital model
highlights metric evidence, which leads to a vantage point that collimates fake choir in nave perspective, identifying the “Mirabile artifcio” as a case of anamorphosis.