Spettacoli da perdere la testa. Ciarlataneria e illusionismo nel secondo Cinquecento

Abstract

Among the congeries of cerretani who crowded Italy and Europe in the 16^th century, some performers combined the sale of their products with ingenious and surprising sleight of hand. This essay, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon, presents some of the results of a contextual broader ongoing investigation, which aims to examine the history, performances, distinctive technical knowledge, and reception of those charlatans who, in sixteenth-century Italy, performed – mainly with attractive function – marvellous illusionistic acts. From the material study of a specific case from their repertoire – the illusion of decapitation – it clearly emerges that these actors of deception, through rigorous technical skill, deliberate strategies of misdirection, and constant training, were able to effectively deceive both the visual perception and the cognitive apperception of their spectators, offering them truly amazing events capable of eliciting genuine wonder.