Giovan Battista Della Porta was the main promoter of the idea of “natural magic” in the sixteenth century. This chapter aims to analyse his approach through the prism of illusionism. Based on an archaeology of Della Porta’s sources, it will highlight the tensions between magic, natural magic, illusionism and mechanics. In order to account for the specificity of his illusionist experiments between science, spectacle and play, it draws on the aesthetics of the marvel, specific to the Mannerist paradigm. Finally, it shows Della Porta’s complex relationship with the traditions of secrets and magical experimenta, as both objects of criticism and sources of inspiration.
Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium - ORCID: 0000-0001-8960-6065
Chapter Title
The Secrets of Illusionism in Della Porta’s Natural Magic: Between Science, Mannerism and Magical Traditions
Authors
Thibaut Rioult
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0836-9.06
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Hunting Secrets
Book Subtitle
Giovan Battista Della Porta and the Invention of Experimental Magic
Editors
Donato Verardi
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
168
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0836-9
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0835-2
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0836-9
eISBN (epub)
979-12-215-0837-6
Series Title
Knowledge and its Histories
Series ISSN
3035-5974
Series E-ISSN
3035-5923