The ghost of Galileo
about: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/310207693
about: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/31039626
about: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/320126596
about: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/320127320
about: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/320131838
about: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/320133257
about: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/330134917
about: DefinedTerm
  alternate name: Intellectual life
about: DefinedTerm
  alternate name: Art and science--England--History--17th century
about: DefinedTerm
  alternate name: Art and science
abstract: In 1643/4 the once-famous Francis Cleyn painted the unhappy young heir of Corfe Castle, John Bankes, and his tutor, Dr Maurice Williams. The painter is now almost forgotten,the painting much neglected, and the sitters themselves have left little to mark their lives, but on the table of the painting lies a book, open to an immediately identifiable and very significant page. The representation omits the author's name and the book's title; it sits there as a code, as only viewers who had encountered the original and the characteristic figures on its frontispiece would have known its significance. The book is Galileo's Dialogue on the two chief world systems (1632), the defence of Copernican cosmology that incited the infamous clash between its author and the Church, and its presence in this painting is no accident, but instead a statement of learning, attitudes, and cosmopolitan engagement in European discourse by the painting's English subjects. Grasping hold of the clue, John Helibron deciphers the significance of this contentious book's appearance in a painting from Stuart England to unravel the interlocking threads of art history, political and religious history, and the history of science. Drawing on unexploited archival material and a wide range of printed works, he weaves together English court culture and Italian connections, as well as the astronomical and astrological knowledge propagated in contemporary almanacs and deployed in art, architecture, plays, masques, and political discourse. Heilbron also explores the biographies of Sir John, Sir Maurice, and the painter, Francis Clyne, setting them into the narrative of their rich and cultured history.
creator: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/310207688
language: eng
temporal coverage: 1600-1714
work example: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/301309370
type: CreativeWork

PropertyValue
property ID: NL-AmRIJ
value: 309370