I am a Cambridge-educated Early Modern British historian working for Padua University, Italy, where I lecture on Social History. I am interested in the production and transmission of knowledge, particularly between the English-speaking world and the Republic of Venice. Tracking down the mobility of Padua University alumni allows me to analyse European and Atlantic confessional mobility. Tracking down books and manuscripts by alumni of the Padua Medical School allows me to analyse the impact and changing reputation of the Padua Medical School in the early modern English-speaking world. Address: Rome, Italy
This article aims to show that Prince Eugene’s mindset has been partly misunderstood so far due t... more This article aims to show that Prince Eugene’s mindset has been partly misunderstood so far due to, first, lack of analysis of his library; and, secondly, lack of contextualisation of Eugene’s collecting practices within his broader military, political, artistic, and intellectual milieus. A multifaceted figure such as Eugene begs for a multidisci- plinary approach. After a historiographical survey of the ‘many Eu- genes’ that different historiographical traditions have portrayed, this article provides a preliminary analysis of the composition of Eugene’s fifteen-thousand volume library as it was on his death in 1736. Next, this article compares the size and composition of Eugene’s library to other contemporary collections. Further, it tackles the place of Jansenism and Gallicanism within it, and it relates both to Eugene’s Neapolitan proteges. This brings up the relevance of the little-known Bartolomeo Gamba Collection (kept in Vienna and in Bassano del Grappa) for further research about Eugene’s radical milieu. Given the role of John Toland within Eugene’s purported radical network, this article attempts a recontextualisation of the presence of Tolandiana in Eugene’s library with reference to both Eugene’s collection of English books and to Toland’s British context. This article ends by suggesting that much more needs to be done about both Eugene’s library and his network, especially in relation to Eugene’s interventions in jurisdictionalist poli- cies in the Vicekingdom of Naples since before Giannone arrived in Vienna.
This essay aims to contribute to our reflections about automata in the early modern worlds by dem... more This essay aims to contribute to our reflections about automata in the early modern worlds by demonstrating that, first, a debate took place in seventeenth-century France about the nature of talismans, as to whether they should be considered akin to automata; and, secondly, that discussions about the reasons for which talismans should or should not be regarded as such enriched current reflections about mechanical natural philosophy, touching on the uses of philology in connection with the study of nature. I focus on Jacques Gaffarel"s Curiositez (1629) as a case study. While Gaffarel is usually portrayed as an occult writer, in the first section I show that he was a playful libertin érudit, a Gallican, and a tolerant man with manifold interests, including natural philosophy and Hebrew philology. In the second section I demonstrate that Gaffarel was an accomplished Hebraist. In the last part of this essay, I relate Gaffarel"s philological work to his explanations that talismans worked according to Gassendian atomism and Cartesian mechanicism.
The British Journal for the History of Science, 2019
This essay aims to reappraise Agnes Arber's contribution to the history of science with reference... more This essay aims to reappraise Agnes Arber's contribution to the history of science with reference to her work in the history of botany and biology. Both her first and her last books (Herbals, 1912; The Mind and the Eye, 1954) are classics: the former in the history of botany, the latter in that of biology. As such, they are still cited today, albeit with increasing criticism. Her very last book was rejected by Cambridge University Press because it did not meet the publisher's academic standards – we shall return to it in due course. Despite Kathryn Packer's two essays about Arber's life in context, much remains to be done toward a just appreciation of her research. We need such a reappraisal in order to avoid anachronistic criticisms of her contributions to the historiography of botany, or, on the other hand, uncritical applause for her studies in plant morphology.
The author comments on the relationship between violence and Christianity in the early modern per... more The author comments on the relationship between violence and Christianity in the early modern period. She mentions the changes in attitudes regarding family violence and the issues of literal interpretation of religious texts, the civil wars that arose between denominations, and the national wars that played a role in state formation.
ANCIENTS AND MODERNS IN EUROPE COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES, edited by P. Bullard and A. Tadié (Oxford University Press), 2016
In this essay I argue that works of mathematics, astronomy and natural history which were publish... more In this essay I argue that works of mathematics, astronomy and natural history which were published at Oxford in the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries reflect a moderate and utilitarian approach to the uses of knowledge from antiquity. Otherwise put, in early modern Oxford scientific works were the result of a positive attitude towards a virtual collaboration of the Ancients with the Moderns. First, I consider the Savilian Statutes, which made it virtually ‘illegal’ for Oxford Univer- sity scholars engaged in scientific publications to take sides in the Querelle of the Ancients versus the Moderns. The Savilian chairs were set up on the assumption that knowledge could be advanced only through a ‘co- operation’ of the Ancients with the Moderns. Thus, by the time the Querelle flared up, the Savilians published not only landmark scientific works but also major contributions to classical philology. They also provided living evidence that a balanced approach to the value of the works of the Ancients was the best way forward in the advancement of science. This, in turn, was in tune with various strands of Baconianism which had been shaping Oxford science. In the second half of this essay I consider Oxford-published works of natural philosophy, and I relate them to Baconianism in so far as they, too, shared the Savilian positive and utilitarian attitude towards the classics. Ultimately, I consider both the Savilian Statutes and Baconianism as an antidote to the more radical arguments that non-scientific writers put forward in the Querelle.
This article considers, first, the roles of Paris, Rome, Venice, and Vienna in the network of Pet... more This article considers, first, the roles of Paris, Rome, Venice, and Vienna in the network of Peter Lambeck, the librarian of the Hapsburg emperor Leopold i, and, secondly, Lam-beck's and Vienna's own places in the Republic of Letters during the period 1662–1680. It begins with a biographical account, in which I situate Lambeck both geographically and intellectually. The importance of Paris is contrasted with his not so positive experience in Rome. Secondly, I focus on Lambeck's declaration of intent to link Vienna to the Republic of Letters. Thirdly, I survey the eminently Venetian networks through which Lambeck tried to fulfil his intellectual goals. The tensions between France and the Hab-sburg Empire crashed against Lambeck's idealistic aims. This raises the issue of the impact of geo-politics on the production and circulation of knowledge in early modern Europe, and prompts questions about openness and secrecy in the Republic of Letters. Keywords Republic of Letters – network analysis – intellectual geography – Vienna
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science , 2012
In this paper I discuss Elias Ashmole’s collections and views about John Dee. I consider Dee as a... more In this paper I discuss Elias Ashmole’s collections and views about John Dee. I consider Dee as an object of collection against the broader background of Ashmole’s collecting practices. I also look at the uses to which Ashmole put some of his collections relating to Dee, as well as those which he envisaged for posterity. I argue that Ashmole’s interest in Dee stemmed from his ideas about the uses of antiquity in the reconstruction and transmission of knowledge. They partly reflected Ashmole’s interpretation of Francis Bacon’s Advancement of learning as well as the influence of William Backhouse and William Oughtred’s ideas about publishing natural philosophy in English.
Testi della mostra da me curata su Bartolomeo Gamba, Biblioteca Civica, Bassano del Grappa, marzo... more Testi della mostra da me curata su Bartolomeo Gamba, Biblioteca Civica, Bassano del Grappa, marzo-aprile 2017.
This five-episode documentary tells the story of the Republic of Letters in seventeenth-century E... more This five-episode documentary tells the story of the Republic of Letters in seventeenth-century Europe by looking at Peter Lambeck's network in Paris, Rome, Venice, and Vienna.
This article aims to show that Prince Eugene’s mindset has been partly misunderstood so far due t... more This article aims to show that Prince Eugene’s mindset has been partly misunderstood so far due to, first, lack of analysis of his library; and, secondly, lack of contextualisation of Eugene’s collecting practices within his broader military, political, artistic, and intellectual milieus. A multifaceted figure such as Eugene begs for a multidisci- plinary approach. After a historiographical survey of the ‘many Eu- genes’ that different historiographical traditions have portrayed, this article provides a preliminary analysis of the composition of Eugene’s fifteen-thousand volume library as it was on his death in 1736. Next, this article compares the size and composition of Eugene’s library to other contemporary collections. Further, it tackles the place of Jansenism and Gallicanism within it, and it relates both to Eugene’s Neapolitan proteges. This brings up the relevance of the little-known Bartolomeo Gamba Collection (kept in Vienna and in Bassano del Grappa) for further research about Eugene’s radical milieu. Given the role of John Toland within Eugene’s purported radical network, this article attempts a recontextualisation of the presence of Tolandiana in Eugene’s library with reference to both Eugene’s collection of English books and to Toland’s British context. This article ends by suggesting that much more needs to be done about both Eugene’s library and his network, especially in relation to Eugene’s interventions in jurisdictionalist poli- cies in the Vicekingdom of Naples since before Giannone arrived in Vienna.
This essay aims to contribute to our reflections about automata in the early modern worlds by dem... more This essay aims to contribute to our reflections about automata in the early modern worlds by demonstrating that, first, a debate took place in seventeenth-century France about the nature of talismans, as to whether they should be considered akin to automata; and, secondly, that discussions about the reasons for which talismans should or should not be regarded as such enriched current reflections about mechanical natural philosophy, touching on the uses of philology in connection with the study of nature. I focus on Jacques Gaffarel"s Curiositez (1629) as a case study. While Gaffarel is usually portrayed as an occult writer, in the first section I show that he was a playful libertin érudit, a Gallican, and a tolerant man with manifold interests, including natural philosophy and Hebrew philology. In the second section I demonstrate that Gaffarel was an accomplished Hebraist. In the last part of this essay, I relate Gaffarel"s philological work to his explanations that talismans worked according to Gassendian atomism and Cartesian mechanicism.
The British Journal for the History of Science, 2019
This essay aims to reappraise Agnes Arber's contribution to the history of science with reference... more This essay aims to reappraise Agnes Arber's contribution to the history of science with reference to her work in the history of botany and biology. Both her first and her last books (Herbals, 1912; The Mind and the Eye, 1954) are classics: the former in the history of botany, the latter in that of biology. As such, they are still cited today, albeit with increasing criticism. Her very last book was rejected by Cambridge University Press because it did not meet the publisher's academic standards – we shall return to it in due course. Despite Kathryn Packer's two essays about Arber's life in context, much remains to be done toward a just appreciation of her research. We need such a reappraisal in order to avoid anachronistic criticisms of her contributions to the historiography of botany, or, on the other hand, uncritical applause for her studies in plant morphology.
The author comments on the relationship between violence and Christianity in the early modern per... more The author comments on the relationship between violence and Christianity in the early modern period. She mentions the changes in attitudes regarding family violence and the issues of literal interpretation of religious texts, the civil wars that arose between denominations, and the national wars that played a role in state formation.
ANCIENTS AND MODERNS IN EUROPE COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES, edited by P. Bullard and A. Tadié (Oxford University Press), 2016
In this essay I argue that works of mathematics, astronomy and natural history which were publish... more In this essay I argue that works of mathematics, astronomy and natural history which were published at Oxford in the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries reflect a moderate and utilitarian approach to the uses of knowledge from antiquity. Otherwise put, in early modern Oxford scientific works were the result of a positive attitude towards a virtual collaboration of the Ancients with the Moderns. First, I consider the Savilian Statutes, which made it virtually ‘illegal’ for Oxford Univer- sity scholars engaged in scientific publications to take sides in the Querelle of the Ancients versus the Moderns. The Savilian chairs were set up on the assumption that knowledge could be advanced only through a ‘co- operation’ of the Ancients with the Moderns. Thus, by the time the Querelle flared up, the Savilians published not only landmark scientific works but also major contributions to classical philology. They also provided living evidence that a balanced approach to the value of the works of the Ancients was the best way forward in the advancement of science. This, in turn, was in tune with various strands of Baconianism which had been shaping Oxford science. In the second half of this essay I consider Oxford-published works of natural philosophy, and I relate them to Baconianism in so far as they, too, shared the Savilian positive and utilitarian attitude towards the classics. Ultimately, I consider both the Savilian Statutes and Baconianism as an antidote to the more radical arguments that non-scientific writers put forward in the Querelle.
This article considers, first, the roles of Paris, Rome, Venice, and Vienna in the network of Pet... more This article considers, first, the roles of Paris, Rome, Venice, and Vienna in the network of Peter Lambeck, the librarian of the Hapsburg emperor Leopold i, and, secondly, Lam-beck's and Vienna's own places in the Republic of Letters during the period 1662–1680. It begins with a biographical account, in which I situate Lambeck both geographically and intellectually. The importance of Paris is contrasted with his not so positive experience in Rome. Secondly, I focus on Lambeck's declaration of intent to link Vienna to the Republic of Letters. Thirdly, I survey the eminently Venetian networks through which Lambeck tried to fulfil his intellectual goals. The tensions between France and the Hab-sburg Empire crashed against Lambeck's idealistic aims. This raises the issue of the impact of geo-politics on the production and circulation of knowledge in early modern Europe, and prompts questions about openness and secrecy in the Republic of Letters. Keywords Republic of Letters – network analysis – intellectual geography – Vienna
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science , 2012
In this paper I discuss Elias Ashmole’s collections and views about John Dee. I consider Dee as a... more In this paper I discuss Elias Ashmole’s collections and views about John Dee. I consider Dee as an object of collection against the broader background of Ashmole’s collecting practices. I also look at the uses to which Ashmole put some of his collections relating to Dee, as well as those which he envisaged for posterity. I argue that Ashmole’s interest in Dee stemmed from his ideas about the uses of antiquity in the reconstruction and transmission of knowledge. They partly reflected Ashmole’s interpretation of Francis Bacon’s Advancement of learning as well as the influence of William Backhouse and William Oughtred’s ideas about publishing natural philosophy in English.
Testi della mostra da me curata su Bartolomeo Gamba, Biblioteca Civica, Bassano del Grappa, marzo... more Testi della mostra da me curata su Bartolomeo Gamba, Biblioteca Civica, Bassano del Grappa, marzo-aprile 2017.
This five-episode documentary tells the story of the Republic of Letters in seventeenth-century E... more This five-episode documentary tells the story of the Republic of Letters in seventeenth-century Europe by looking at Peter Lambeck's network in Paris, Rome, Venice, and Vienna.
https://unipd.zoom.us/j/88906547991
The first international Padua Workshop in the History of Int... more https://unipd.zoom.us/j/88906547991 The first international Padua Workshop in the History of Intelligence aims to start a dialogue between historians and other intelligence experts about the uses of intelligence sources for the analysis of phenomena such as modern state formation and development, church-state relations, workforce mobility with regards to security issues.
La fama di Gian Vincenzo Pinelli (1535-1601) è soprattutto legata alla sua biblioteca: circa 9.50... more La fama di Gian Vincenzo Pinelli (1535-1601) è soprattutto legata alla sua biblioteca: circa 9.500 stampati e oltre 1.000 manoscritti, che egli riunisce e mette a disposizione degli studiosi. Alle conoscenze consegnate nei libri si affiancano le informazioni raccolte attraverso la corrispondenza con gli eruditi di tutta Europa e attraverso le conversazioni intrecciate con amici e visitatori. La casa di Pinelli diventa così un importante crocevia culturale, in cui il sapere non solo è conservato, ma si arricchisce e permette la produzione di nuovo sapere. In questo libro si delineano la vita e la personalità di Pinelli, si mettono in luce i percorsi tramite cui si è costituita la collezione e i mezzi messi a punto per gestirla in maniera funzionale, se ne segue la storia fino alla sua parziale distruzione, si descrivono i testimoni manoscritti che ne permettono la ricostruzione e si analizza la composizione del fondo degli stampati in base alla distribuzione dei volumi per lingua, luogo di provenienza, datazione, formato, argomento.
William Burns' review of my first book on Ashmole, Elias Ashmole and the Uses of Antiquity (Paris... more William Burns' review of my first book on Ashmole, Elias Ashmole and the Uses of Antiquity (Paris: Blanchard, 2012, 2013)
Available as E-book only
By: Feola Vittoria
Year: 2017
PublisherL'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER
Series: S... more Available as E-book only By: Feola Vittoria Year: 2017 PublisherL'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER Series: Storia della Medicina, 2 e-ISBN: 978-88-913-1587-8 Pages: 268 PDF: 4.59 MB
Early modern universities and the Sciences sheds new light onto little studied higher institution... more Early modern universities and the Sciences sheds new light onto little studied higher institutions of learning in Central and Western Europe. Lands such as Finland and Portugal, or universities like Vienna and Trnava have attracted less attention so far than they deserve. The book demonstrates that the history of better known institutions, like Paris or Padua, benefits from much broader background in which to consider the impact of alumni networks or far-reaching echoes of reforms across the Atlantic. This collection of essays aims to foster a deeper understanding of some of the ways in which the intertwined relation of philology to experiment gave rise to institutionalised forms of knowledge. Essays deal with both academic practices and university reforms stemming from the increasingly widespread methodology of linking the study of texts to observations of natural phenomena. Both were means to amend and improve knowledge from the classics. The study of this phenomenon in its institutionalised setting requires a multidisciplinary approach that mirrors exactly those very knowledge practices it purports to come to grips with. As such, Early modern Universities and the Sciences is a typical scholarly product of the ever growing contemporary Scientiae community, Scientiae.co.uk.
Il volume tratta l'evoluzione dell'assetto ecclesiastico inglese in rapporto alla mobilità confes... more Il volume tratta l'evoluzione dell'assetto ecclesiastico inglese in rapporto alla mobilità confessionale causata dalla riforma enriciana e le risposte costituzionali che portarono alla tolleranza religiosa del 1689, analizzando i modi in cui la religione influenzò la composizione sociale degli studenti della Natio Anglica presso lo Studio di Padova. La mobilità confessionale favorì cambiamenti costituzionali attraverso figure chiave della storia moderna inglese. La costituzione viene considerata come l'insieme dei testi che manifestano la sovranità della Corona d'Inghilterra sui suoi domini, e le colonie americane rientrano in questa analisi, sia come meta di mobilità confessionale sia come produttrici di testi costituzionali fondamentali. Il libro esamina progetti ed esperimenti di tolleranza anglicana e cattolica in Irlanda, Maryland e Inghilterra, fino ad arrivare alla celeberrima proposta di John Locke.
The aim of my paper is to bring to the fore a little-studied aspect of the reception of the Padua... more The aim of my paper is to bring to the fore a little-studied aspect of the reception of the Padua medical school in early modern England. I mean the fact that a huge number of works which were written or attributed to several well-known medical lecturers or professors at Padua University circulated in English-language publications about alchemy. This is what I call the English transmutation of Padua University physicians into alchemists. I realise that not everyone here is familiar with the history and even less the historiography of alchemy, so in the first part of my paper I'm going to give you some background about both with particular reference to those aspects which interest me here today, namely, the relation of alchemy to medicine, and its significance in early modern England. Next I'm going to sum up the common way of telling the history of the Padua Medical School. You'll be hearing some names, dates, and facts, which could be boring. I apologise. That's necessary, though, because I want you to understand that I think that such kind of historiographical approach may be problematic despite its inherent value and usefulness. I'm going to argue that, while much has been done so far to unearth the local history of the Padua medical school by tracing each lecturer and professor's life, works, and intellectual contexts, much more remains to be done about the reception of their works outside of Padua. This is all the more crucial to assess in we are to get to grips with the actual impact of Paduan medical training onto the Scientific revolution. I'm going to show you several English-language works about both alchemy and medicine which feature an impressing number of citations from one single sixteenth-century Paduan physician, Gabriel Falloppia. He's going to be my case study today. I could have picked any other member of the Padua Medical School. I've chosen Falloppia in particular because I am particularly aware of his personal ties to England so I can tell you exactly some of the ways in which his works ended up there as soon as he wrote them. This is something I do not know yet with regards to other Paduan physicians, and which I'll be researching nore in the future. I'll be drawing my paper to its conclusion by arguing that the sample data which I will have been discussing today clearly show, first, that there is a gap about the history and historiography of the reception of the Padua medical school in early modern England. Secondly, likewise, this observation should probably extend to other geographical and cultural areas. Thirdly, this in turn suggests that much more needs to be done about Anglo-Venetian cultural relations by combining a quantitative-based approach in both book and medical history, as well as in the history of communication. My case study about the English transmutation of Padua University physicians, therefore, can be a useful means to begin to fill this gap.
Applied Arts of Alchemy Science History Institute Talk, 2021
I will present my new research project on Gabriele Falloppia's alchemical Secrets as a case study... more I will present my new research project on Gabriele Falloppia's alchemical Secrets as a case study about the hidden practice of alchemy at the Padua Medical School in the early modern period. Falloppia (1523-62) held the combined chairs of Simples, Surgery and Anatomy at the University of Padua from 1551 until his death eleven years later, succeeding the likes of Vesalius and Realdo Colombo. While his fame today owes much to his anatomical work, it was Falloppia's alchemical Secrets which popularised his name among both scholars and less educated people across Europe well into the eighteenth century. The Secrets were first published in Venice in 1563 and became an early modern bestseller. Yet, Falloppia's alchemical practice is seldom mentioned in histories of the Padua Medical School. Indeed, alchemy in general is hard to find in accounts of the prestigious institution, as if alchemy were a dirty word, not posh enough for such a distinguished place. Evidence abounds, instead, of widespread alchemical practice in Padua, just as much as at other contemporary universities, like Oxford or Leiden. By combining a quantitative history of the book approach with evidence from Falloppia's wide networks of correspondents as well as with alchemical material, I will try and sketch out a revisionistic case study for the history of the Padua Medical School, and assess its impact on early modern European alchemical practices.
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The first international Padua Workshop in the History of Intelligence aims to start a dialogue between historians and other intelligence experts about the uses of intelligence sources for the analysis of phenomena such as modern state formation and development, church-state relations, workforce mobility with regards to security issues.
By: Feola Vittoria
Year: 2017
PublisherL'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER
Series: Storia della Medicina, 2
e-ISBN: 978-88-913-1587-8
Pages: 268
PDF: 4.59 MB