Wind Chart

  • New
Reference: A54498
Author Fabrizio PADOVANI
Year: 1601
Zone: Wind Chart
Printed: Bologna
Measures: 145 x 145 mm
€400.00

  • New
Reference: A54498
Author Fabrizio PADOVANI
Year: 1601
Zone: Wind Chart
Printed: Bologna
Measures: 145 x 145 mm
€400.00

Description

Wind chart taken from the scientific treatise by Fabrizio Padovani titled *Tractatus duo Alter de Ventis Alter Perbrevis de Terraemotu Adiecto Indice copiosissimo*, published in Bologna in 1601.

It depicts a refined, classic wind rose, structured around the primary four-wind division: Boreas (Borea/Tramontana), Eurus (Euro/Levante), Auster (Austro/Mezzogiorno), and Zephyrus (Zefiro/Ponente).

The accompanying Latin text supports the illustration by discussing the historical transition from the four principal winds to more complex systems. It explicitly cites Vitruvius’s famous treatise *De architectura* (Book I, Chapter 6) and Varro’s *De re rustica*, describing the famous Tower of the Winds in Athens, the octagonal public clock built by Andronicus of Cyrrhus.

*Tractatus duo Alter de Ventis Alter Perbrevis de Terraemotu Adiecto Indice copiosissimo* stands as one of the earliest and most ambitious Early Modern studies dedicated entirely to meteorology, the nature of winds, and earthquakes, serving as a bridge between classical natural philosophy and new geographical discoveries.

Padovani, a physician and philosopher from Forlì, bases his work on the Aristotelian theory of exhalations. However, he incorporates accounts and information gathered by navigators traveling between continents, thereby transforming the study of winds into one of the first examples of global science.

Padovani analyzes how each wind acquires hot, cold, dry, or humid properties depending on the geographical zone and climatic belt of its origin. As a physician, he devotes a substantial section to the impact of different winds on human health, noting how they spread disease or alter bodily humors according to latitude.

Etching, in excellent condition. Very rare.

Bibliografia

Riccardi pp. 230-231; Shirley 232.

 

Fabrizio PADOVANI (attivo tra la seconda metà del XVI secolo e i primi anni del XVII)

Padovani was an Italian philosopher, physician, and scientist active in Bologna between the 16th and 17th centuries. Although his major work remains renowned in the history of science, specific biographical details about his life are historically fragmentary, as he is remembered primarily for his writings and academic career. While often associated with the academic and scientific circles of Bologna—where he worked and published—Padovani was originally from Forlì. His family’s historical roots actually lay in Padua (the source of their surname); they had fled that city centuries earlier to escape persecution by the tyrant Ezzelino da Romano, subsequently settling in Romagna. In his writings and contemporary historical documents, he was formally designated as a *philosophus ac medicus* (philosopher and physician). At the time, the study of medicine was inextricably linked to natural philosophy and the understanding of the cosmos and terrestrial phenomena. In addition to practicing and earning acclaim in Italy, Padovani lived and worked as a physician in Germany for part of his life. This experience north of the Alps and his contacts with Central Europe profoundly influenced his scientific outlook. Moving beyond the medicine of the human body, Padovani demonstrated a keen interest in mechanics. In his treatise, he provided a detailed account of the practical application of air power, including illustrations of bellows, mills, foundries, and the technological instruments of the era.

Fabrizio PADOVANI (attivo tra la seconda metà del XVI secolo e i primi anni del XVII)

Padovani was an Italian philosopher, physician, and scientist active in Bologna between the 16th and 17th centuries. Although his major work remains renowned in the history of science, specific biographical details about his life are historically fragmentary, as he is remembered primarily for his writings and academic career. While often associated with the academic and scientific circles of Bologna—where he worked and published—Padovani was originally from Forlì. His family’s historical roots actually lay in Padua (the source of their surname); they had fled that city centuries earlier to escape persecution by the tyrant Ezzelino da Romano, subsequently settling in Romagna. In his writings and contemporary historical documents, he was formally designated as a *philosophus ac medicus* (philosopher and physician). At the time, the study of medicine was inextricably linked to natural philosophy and the understanding of the cosmos and terrestrial phenomena. In addition to practicing and earning acclaim in Italy, Padovani lived and worked as a physician in Germany for part of his life. This experience north of the Alps and his contacts with Central Europe profoundly influenced his scientific outlook. Moving beyond the medicine of the human body, Padovani demonstrated a keen interest in mechanics. In his treatise, he provided a detailed account of the practical application of air power, including illustrations of bellows, mills, foundries, and the technological instruments of the era.