The Museum of the History of Science in Florence testifies to the support given to scientific research, first by members of the Medici dynasty, then by the Lorraine Grand dukes.

The Museum’s collections of scientific instruments currently contain more than 5,000 objects, about 1,500 of which are on permanent display in the twenty-one rooms open to the public.

The exhibition is broken down according to chronological and thematic criteria.
The first floor is dedicated predominantly to the Medici collections of instruments (from the 15th to 18th centuries), while upstairs the scientific evidence of the Lorraine age (18th and 19th centuries) is displayed.

The Museum’s collections of mathematical instruments bear witness to the culture and experimental talents of the great mathematicians, astronomers and artist-engineers of the Renaissance. The cultural horizons,represented by the celestial and terrestrial globes, the armillary spheres, the compasses, the perspective instruments for drawing, the astrolabes and the quadrants, indicate the close interrelationship between innovative artistic activities, astronomical research, the operations for measuring distances and cartographic achievements.

Antonio Santucci’s extraordinary armillary sphere (1593) is of particular importance; as well as the only two spyglasses built by Galileo together with his objective lens which the Pisan scientist used to discover Jupiter’s satellites (1610). In addition, there are the beautiful instruments from the Accademia del Cimento, one of the first European scientific academies, which was active between 1656 and 1667. The Museum’s Lorraine collections present a spectacular panorama of the developments in scientific research up to the middle of the 1800’s. The vast collection of electrical machines, composed of numerous frictional electrostatic generators, should be pointed out – unique sources of electricity until the invention of the disk battery by Alessandro Volta in 1800. The Lorraine collections are notable also for the sections for obstetrical wax models; geodetic instruments, weights and measures, pharmacy and mechanical clocks.

The home of the Museum is Palazzo Castellani, one of the oldest buildings in the city. The Museum, its large library, the archives, the multimedia, photographic and restoration laboratories perform an integrated role in the diffusion of scientific culture and give value to the history of science and technology and their related cultural objects.

essential bibliography

Catalogue of Orbs, Spheres and Globes
Dekker E., Firenze, Editore: Giunti, p:188, 2004

Catalogue of early telescopes
Van Helden A., Firenze, Editore: Giunti, 1999

Catalogue of electromagnetical, electrostatical and pneumatical instruments
Hackmann W., Firenze, Editore: Giunti, 1995

Catalogue of mechanical instruments
Brenni P., Firenze, Editore: Giunti, 1993

Museo di Storia della Scienza. Catalogo
Miniati M. (a cura di), Firenze, Editore: Giunti, 1991

Catalogue of microscopes
Turner G. L., Firenze, Editore: Giunti, 1991