Squaring allows an artist to transfer a design, square by square, from one surface to another.
Varying the relative scale of the grids allows one to change the scale of the composition during transfer.
We often see it on drawings used to plan larger compositions,as in this black chalk sheet by
Domenichino.
Domenico Zampieri,
called Domenichino
(Italian, 1581-1641)
Temperance, 1628-30
Black chalk
heightened with
white chalk, squared
with black chalk, on
four sheets (joined)
of light gray laid
paper, laid down on
cream laid paper,
perimeter mounted to
a tertiary support of
laid paper, 59.2 x
43.7 centimeters