Between geometric schemes and mnemonic images: The three paradigmatic figures of Giordano Bruno’s Articuli adversus mathematicos

Giordano Bruno’s Articuli adversus mathematicos (Prague 1588) is an emblematic text for more than one reason: it contains a harsh critique of the astronomical measurement techniques in use at the time, but also a radical attack on the theoretical foundations of geometry itself, proposing a discrete notion of basic geometric objects such as the point, the line, the plane, and solid figures. Moreover, Bruno enriches the text with some important references to the art of memory, not only to make his argument easier to understand, but also to offer concrete mnemotechnical tools to help the reader perceive and remember the geometric constructions he proposes. In this sense, the three archetypal images are a unique attempt to construct graphic schematisations to illustrate and memorise (by means of a technical tool called sigillus) the main propositions of Euclidis Elements, as well as the particular theoretical approach that Bruno gives to his geometry.