Planetary motion, Tapestry, 15th century, 415 x 800 cm, Museo de Santa Cruz, Toledo.
Sandro Botticelli, St. Augustine in his study, Fresco, 1480, Florence, Ognissanti Church.
Anonymous, Solar orb model, 1575, golden brass, Florence, Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza. |
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Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza Strozzi
Firenze
+39 055 27 76 461/06
Galileo.
Images of the universe from antiquity to the telescope
March 13-August 30, 2009
Images of the universe from antiquity to the telescope takes visitors on a journey through time and space beginning with the mythical visions of the natural philosophy of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It moves on to the Greek cosmogonies (theories of creation), with the extraordinary homocentric spheres of Eudoxus of Cnidus, through the spectacular geometrical architecture of the planetary motions by Ptolemy that were implemented and significantly improved by talented Arab astronomers. The exhibition then examines the Christian reworking of ancient theories and finally reach Copernicus’ heliocentric theory which inspired Galileo and Kepler, the two scholars who made a crucial contribution to the final triumph of the new view of the universe under Newton.
In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical discoveries made by Galileo, the United Nations has dedicated 2009 as International Astronomy Year. To mark this anniversary, Florence pays tribute to the human and intellectual adventures of one of its greatest geniuses with a rich and spectacular exhibition, Galileo. Images of the universe from antiquity to the telescope.
During the celebrations dedicated to Galileo, Palazzo Strozzi hosts a major exhibition dedicated to the extraordinary human and intellectual adventure that led to the current conception of the universe.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was a hugely influential Italian astronomer, physicist and philosopher. In 1609 he heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland and from the barest description he constructed a superior version with which he made a series of profound discoveries including mountains and valleys on the surface of the moon, sunspots, the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter and the phases of the planet Venus. His work on astronomy made him famous and he was appointed court mathematician in Florence. However, in 1614 Galileo was accused of heresy for his support of the Copernican theory that the sun was at the centre of the solar system.
The exhibition is curated by Paolo Galluzzi, Director of the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence, and accompanied by a scholarly catalogue, by TV productions, and a spectacular DVD containing simulations of the systems of the world and illustrating the workings of the most important scientific instruments on display. In addition to film cycles and conferences on space-related issues, there is a plan to cooperate with the European Space Agency ESA to install a touch-screen in Palazzo Strozzi on which HD images of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae and other heavenly bodies can be explored interactively.
The exhibition reconstructs the history of the Cosmos, as designed and shown extending the Scientific Revolution, in the context of social and cultural events that have characterized the Mediterranean and European civilization. An exciting journey that starts with the visions and mystical poetry prior to the Greeks, it enriches the complex architecture of Ptolemy, passing through the vital contribution of astronomy and Arab lands to the revolutionary theory of Copernicus shot from Galileo and Kepler, which contributed significantly the affirmation of the final new concept of the universe.
This fascinating story is outlined through the display of archaeological items, scientific instruments of rare beauty and genius, maps of the heavens, drawings and paintings including spectacular frescoes from Pompeii never shown before and works by Botticelli, Rubens and Guercino, sculpture, astronomical clocks, celestial atlases, precious illuminated manuscripts and rare printed books. The more spectacular objects include a monumental astronomical tapestry from Toledo, the Farnese Atlas, a mysterious painting entitled Linder Gallery Interior, on display for the first time, as well as Galileo’s only surviving telescope in a section devoted to its invention.
Extraordinary cosmological working models have been specially built for the exhibition illustrating the main systems of the world conceived from Antiquity to Galileo: the Eudoxian spheres, the Ptolemaic geocentric system with its complicated arrangement of equants, epicycles and deferents, the Copernican-Galilean system, the ingenious solution proposed by Tycho Brahe to save the centrality and immobility of the earth and, finally, the revolutionary rejection of the circular paths of the planets in favour of elliptic orbits by Kepler.
Attention is also be devoted to the impact of cosmology on geography and to the relationship between astronomy and astrology. This explores the relationship between cosmology and medicine and also the influence that man’s imagination has always assigned to the configuration of the stars on power, music, medicine and people’s characters, as shown by the extensive use of horoscopes and charts for religious and political propaganda, and the frequent inclination of the most powerful sovereigns to regard themselves as chosen and especially blessed by the heavens.
A special section is reserved for the original telescope of Galileo came up to us (preserved in the Museum of the History of Science in Florence).
Galileo’s Lens end, 1609-beginning 1610, glass, golden brass, Frame: Vittorio Crosten, 1677, ivory, ebony, Florence, Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza.
Stefano Buonsignori, Polyhedral solar clock, Florence 16th century, Wood, Florence, Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza. |
