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Italian Astronomical Clocks As Public Astrological Machines

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Italian Astronomical Clocks As Public Astrological Machines Chapter 7 Italian Astronomical Clocks as Public Astrological Machines Marisa Addomine A personal interest in ancient monumental clocks and research into public astronomical timekeepers has led to a closer examination of the occurrence of aspectaria and zodiacs on a number of typically Italian clocks and of the methods used to obtain information from such dials. Although there has been little recent discussion of how to use these indicators, which have generally been considered as no more than curiosities or fashionable decorations, the widespread interest in astrology in the late medieval and Renaissance periods suggests that there is a more specific story to be told. This chapter considers, therefore, the occurrence of these distinctive dials and some sources that re- veal their intended use.* Astronomical Clocks in Public European public astronomical clocks dating back to the Renaissance period are concentrated in two areas, Germany and German-speaking countries in the north, Italy in the south. When discussing monumental clocks, most hor- ological scholars still rely on Alfred Ungerer’s text, which takes into account only five examples in Italy, poorly described.1 An article written sixty years later by Emmanuel Poulle was still based on Ungerer’s reports as far as Italy is concerned.2 More recent research, however, including archival descriptions of astronomical turret clocks and partial relics, has led to the identification of * I am grateful to Marisa Cotti and Leontina Diemmi for their wonderful help in my first steps in astrology, to Chris McKay for his invaluable hints and suggestions and, last but not least, to my husband Daniele Pons, who shares in all my horological research. 1 Alfred Ungerer, Les horloges astronomiques et monumentales les plus remarquables de l’Antiquité à nos jours, Strasbourg, chez l’auteur, 1931, pp. 349–381. 2 Emmanuel Poulle, “Pour une typologie de l’horlogerie astronomique médiévale”, Comptes rendus des séances de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belle-Lettres 141, 2 (1997), pp. 635–662: 651–653. © Marisa Addomine, 2018 | doi:10.1163/9789004381438_009 134 Addomine more than forty such timekeepers, with a higher frequency in north-eastern Italy but none south of Rome, other than some interesting examples in Sicily.3 Many of these Italian astronomical clocks share a distinctive design, which differs from that of their German counterparts. The latter very often include an astrolabic dial, with an eccentric zodiac belt, whereas Italian makers used different mechanisms and representations of the celestial phenomena. The first astronomical turret clock in Italy (Fig. 7.1) is believed to be the one designed by Jacopo Dondi Dall’Orologio (1293–1359), who taught medicine at the University of Padua and was well known for his skill in astronomical and horological matters. It was made for the city of Padua in 1344, following a re- quest from Ubertino I de’ Carraresi, lord of the city at that time. The original clock was destroyed in 1390 during a war between the Carraresi family and the Venetian-Milanese coalition, but the Padua historian Andrea Gloria reported in his notes on the history of the clock that in 1436 a younger relative of Jacopo Dondi, Novello Dondi Dall’Orologio, who had access to the original drawings, made a faithful replica, helped by two blacksmiths, Giovanni and Gian Pietro dalle Caldiere.4 This was the first clock in the Italian style, with several con- centric discs, the innermost carrying the astrological aspects (see below). The Padua clock has survived with the orginal configuration of its dials, although the mechanism has been heavily modified. It should therefore be considered the prototype for all Italian astronomical clocks: they share the same configu- ration of the dials, including examples in which the motions were obtained using different mechanical solutions. Such dials can be found on clocks in Brescia (Paolo Gennari, 1546), Clusone (Pietro Fanzago, 1583; Fig. 7.2), Arezzo (Felice da Fossato, 1552) and, with some variations, in Cremona (Francesco and Giovan Battista Divizioli, 1588) and Mantua (Bartolomeo Manfredi, 1473), to mention just the older examples. A famous example of a concentric disc as- tronomical dial in the Italian style can also be found outside Italy: Nicolaus Kratzer’s and Nicolas Oursian’s clock at Hampton Court in England, made in 1540. 3 Some preliminary results of the survey were presented in Marisa Addomine, “Italian Astronomical Clocks—A Quick Virtual Grand Tour”, paper delivered at the British Horological Institute, 12 September 2012. 4 Andrea Gloria, “L’Orologio di Jacopo Dondi nella Piazza dei Signori di Padova, modello agli orologi più rinomati d’Europa”, Atti e Memorie della R. Accademia di Scienze Lettere ed Arti in Padova 286 (1884–1885), pp. 233–293..
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