Introduction: Nicolaus Steno and earth science in early modern Italy

A group of scientists interested in history of science and fascinated by the figure of Nicolaus Steno (1638-1686) gathered in Florence for the 350th anniversary of the publication of his De solido intra solidum naturaliter contento prodromus dissertationis. A public conference held at Palazzo Fenzi on 16 October 2019 and a geological fieldtrip on the following day were occasions to discuss different points of view on the last published work of the Danish natural philosopher, dedicated to "solids naturally enclosed in other solids" (De solido intra solidum naturaliter contento, or De solido in short). The title of the gathering, "Galilean foundation for a solid earth", emphasized the philosophical context that Steno found in Florence, where in 1666-1668 he established tight human and philosophical bonds with renowned Italian disciples of Galileo Galilei and members of the Accademia del Cimento. For participants to the 2019 gathering, the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence, hosting some of Steno's geological specimens, and the region of Tuscany itself, formed the perfect location to discuss the phenomena that Steno had observed from 1666-1668, the motivations for his research, the methodology of his discovery and, generally stated, the European scientific context which informed his inquiry. Some of the talks given in that meeting are included within this volume, kindly hosted by Substantia, International Journal of the History of Chemistry published by the Florence University Press. In addition some of the invited speakers who were unable to attend, also contributed a paper to this publication. The collection is about earth science in the early modern period, when the study of minerals, rocks, and the fossilized remains of living things did not yet form a distinct path to knowledge about earth history, but was an integral part of the wider "philosophy of nature".

Natural Painting and the New Science in Seventeenth-Century Florence

This article compares the techniques of observation and experimentation (“esperienze”) practiced by members of the Accademia del Cimento with the “pure imitation of truth” pursued by Florentine painter Lorenzo Lippi (1606–1665). Lippi’s art reveals striking parallels between developments in the fine arts and the sciences in seventeenth-century Florence, particularly in their moral commitment towards the truthful representation of nature and a matter-of-fact style of representation. Despite these parallels, it is interesting to note that in his mock-epic Il Malmantile Racquistato, Lippi parodied the truth claims made by science as well as its modes of knowledge creation.

Translation, Experimentation and the Spring of the Air: Richard Waller's Essayes of Natural Experiments

In 1668, when the Royal Society of London received a copy of the book of experiments compiled by the Tuscan Accademia del Cimento, it was deemed by the Society to contain little that was new or innovative, and was seemingly soon forgotten. Yet 15 years later, Richard Waller's English translation of this book was licensed and published by the Society. The only reason offered by historians for this turnaround in the English attitude towards the book has been the social and political circumstances facing the Society in the early 1680s. However, a closer look at the reception of the translation and the intellectual interests of some of the Society's members at this time, especially the Society's temporary curator, Denis Papin, reveals that the Tuscans' work was re-evaluated for its significance to natural philosophical theories developed in the field of pneumatics.