BornSalò, (Lombardy, Italy), 1538
DiedVenice, (Italy), circa1621
Tutor, writer, translator, and cartographer, Giovanni Gallucci studied in Padua and moved to Venice, where he spent the rest of his life. The range of his activity embraces both scientific and humanistic fields.
In his most important work, Theatrum Mundi et Temporis (Theater of the world and time; Venice, 1588), Gallucci presents a general treatment of celestial phenomena, including both astronomical and astrological aspects. He declares the definite intention to clear his discussion of any trace of superstition in order to avoid a conflict with the Catholic Church, which some years before had condemned astrology.
The most noticeable peculiarity of Gallucci’s book is given by the 48 maps of Ptolemaic constellations. The maps are represented in trapezoidal projection, and show the brightest stars of each asterism and the corresponding mythological figure. The stars’ positions are drawn from Nicolaus Copernicus...
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Selected References
Ernst, G. (1998). “Gallucci, Giovanni Paolo.” In Dizionario biografico degli italiani. Vol. 51, pp. 740–743. Rome: Instituto della Enciclopedia italiana.
Thorndike, Lynn (1941). A History of Magic and Experimental Science. Vol. 5, pp. 151, 155; Vol. 6, pp. 158–160. New York: Columbia University Press.
Tooley, R. Vss. (1979). Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers. Tring, England: Map Collector Publications, p. 234.
Warner, Deborah J. (1979). The Sky Explored: Celestial Cartography, 1500–1800. New York: Alan R. Liss, p. 91.
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Neri, D. (2014). Gallucci, Giovanni Paolo. In: Hockey, T., et al. Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9917-7_494
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