FISM 2025 Special | Page 14

" It was only in the mid-19th century that magic became a true theatrical performance ."
rise to legends between witch hunts and alchemical studies .
Leonardo Fibonacci ( circa 1170-1250 ), famous for introducing the Indo-Arabic numeral system to Europe , wrote mathematical tricks in the Liber Abaci , still used by magicians today . In 1370 , in Liguria , the first mention of playing cards in Europe appeared , listed among the prohibited objects in the Statute of Porto Venere . Shortly after , in 1399 , Franco Sacchetti told of Passera della Gherminella , who performed the " fast and loose " scam in Italian cities .
During the Renaissance , the genius of Leonardo da Vinci documented magical principles in his manuscripts , such as in the Codex Atlanticus , where he described a mathematical game based on a 3x3 matrix .
Between 1496 and 1509 , the friar Luca Pacioli wrote De Viribus Quantitatis , considered the first manuscript marking the transition from recreational mathematics to illusionism with cards and coins . Here , the magician Giovanni de Jasonne of Ferrara is mentioned , known for his mentalism tricks .
The 1500s saw the emergence of Hieronimo Scotto , a talented illusionist and skilled manipulator , who moved between European courts practicing card tricks and mind reading . It is said that he caused a diplomatic scandal that led to the Cologne War ( 1583- 1588 ) by making the face of Countess Agnes von Mansfeld appear in a magical mirror , making Archbishop Gebhard Truchess von Waldburg fall in love with her . Scotto is the first illusionist whose effigy has survived , created by the medallist Antonio Abondio .
At this time , in Veneto , the aristocrat Luca Trono opposed witch trials , saving many lives , at the same time when , in 1584 , The Discoverie of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot was published in England , the first book in English containing a chapter on sleight-
8 SPECIAL | 2025