2013 Crawford Lecture in the History of Astronomy

Portrait of Galileo Galilei by Justus Sustermans painted in 1636. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is a little announcement for those of you who happen to live (or be) in Scotland next week! The event is ticketed but free. If you cannot come, do check our Crawford Lecture page for a podcast in about a month’s time!

ANNUAL CRAWFORD LECTURE IN THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY 2013

“Galileo, the Telescope and the Renaissance Culture of Glass” by Professor Sven Dupré (Freie Universität Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science).

When: 7 May 2013 at 5.30pm. Where: Teviot Lecture Theatre, Doorway 5, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG.

Reception to follow.

Abstract:

 This lecture situates Galileo optician (especially his work on the telescope) within the cultures of glass in which he lived — between the furnaces of the glassmakers on the island of Murano near Venice and the “alchemical laboratories” connected to the Medici court, first and foremost the Casino di San Marco in Florence, which produced the first printed treatise on glass-making, Antonio Neri’s “L’arte vetraria” (1612). Galileo’s connections with the world of glass did not stop at the level of technology transfer. Glass was also central to shaping his artistic tastes and in directing his decisions in questions of astronomy and natural philosophy. In addressing the problem of lunar light and substance, Galileo elaborated notions of light connecting Northern art and Venetian glass, equally popular in the artistic climate of the Medici court.

This event is ticketed but free. To book a free ticket, please click here.  You can download the poster here.