From Stone to Paper Philibert de L’Orme, the Premier tome de l’architecture (1567), and the Birth of Stereotomic Theory

This essay explores Philibert de L’Orme’s theory of stereotomy, published in the Premier tome de l’architecture (Paris, 1567). It focuses on the relation between de L’Orme’s practice and theory of stereotomy. It shows that this relation is neither direct nor obvious. By doing so it complicates the understanding of de L’Orme’s choice of material for the treatise and it provides a more nuanced reading of his translation of stone vaults into paper diagrams.