Jean François Niceron and Emmanuel Maignan. Two Minims, between Science and Faith. Deceptive fruits of an “artificial magic” / Jean François Niceron e Emmanuel Maignan. Due padri Minimi, tra scienza e fede Frutti ingannevoli di una “magia artificiale”

The paper, included in the "events" section, describes the Exhibition entitled "Jean François Niceron e Emmanuel Maignan. Due padri Minimi, tra scienza e fede", curated by Alessio Bortot, Agostino De Rosa and "Imago rerum", which opened on October 7, 2023 at the Shrine of St. Francis of Paola. The exhibition traces the studies carried out by the two French Minim Fathers in the 17th century between the Convent of the Most Holy Trinity of the Mountains in Rome and the Mother House of the Minims in Place Royale (now Place des Vosges). The two convent complexes were the place where Niceron and Maignan developed and applied their research on optics, catoptrics and gnomonics. The exhibition takes a playful approach that spontaneously achieves a form of "serious game" in which theoretical analysis of the treatises and rigorous geometric representations are juxtaposed with engaging digital reconstructions and reproductions of devices created by Niceron and Maignan, capable of eliciting awe and wonder. The author also collaborated in the creation of some of these optical devices, together with Francesca Fatta and Daniele Colistra, taking care of the optimization of the 3D models and prototyping.