Enlargement with compasses


Triangulation is the most common method for enlargement used in Pietrasanta. The name refers to a fundamental aspect of the process that makes use of a triangle drawn on a marble slab from which all measurements are enlarged. The technique employs the use of compasses or calipers to read the distances between two points and transfer the enlarged measurements from the model to the block of stone. For every reference point to be enlarged, three measurements are taken and transported to the stone.This is a longer process than 1:1 reproduction which transports only one point of reference between the model and stone.
The maquette can be quite small in relationship to it's enlargement, but
this depends a great deal on the level of detail in the sculpture and the complexity of the form. Very simple forms, with almost no detail can easily be enlarged 12 or 15 times the maquette. Forms that are complex or very detailed as well as figurative works are generally limited to 7 times the maquette in order to retain a high level of accuracy.