EN 
IT Collections
Astrolabe
ROOM I
Astrolabe with a single tympanum for latitude 43°40' (Florence). It is placed on an octagonal table, whose inclination is adjustable. There are a rete and an alidade. The planisphere is surrounded by: the calendar with the names of the months; a shadow square engraved on an arc in an eccentric position; a zodiac circle; a Tychonic scale for dividing the degrees into twelve parts; a windrose; and a degree scale.
Originally attributed to Egnazio Danti, it is now regarded by G. L'E. Turner—on account of the punch-marks and the engraving characteristics—to have been made in the Florentine workshop that produced the instruments signed by Giovanni Battista Giusti.
The instrument was preserved in the Uffizi Gallery, and Galileo himself used it for astronomical calculations. For this reason it is known as "Galileo's astrolabe."
Optical toy
ROOM I
The wooden frame carries a board holding wooden sticks of triangular section. If we view the board from the top toward the lower front, the row of visible sides of the painted sticks displays the portrait of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine; if, using the mirror placed in front, we observe the arrangement from the opposite side, we see the portrait of the Grand Duchess Christina of Lorraine, daughter of Charles III and wife of Ferdinand I de' Medici. A very similar apparatus was described by Egnazio Danti in his commentary on Jacopo Barozzi from Vignola's Le due regole della prospettiva [The two rules of perspective] (Rome, 1583) and, later, by Jean-François Niceron.
Nocturnal
ROOM II
The instrument consists of two superposed disks of different diameters. Part of the circumference of the smaller disk is toothed and fitted with a short index. On the disks is mounted a long, finely decorated index. The front of the instrument served as a nocturnal for determining the time from the positions of the stars. The front also carries the zodiac signs, the initials of the names of the months, and the hour markings. On the back is the sundial, complete with a folding gnomon, for telling time during the day. The back also displays the date (1554).
Astronomical clock
ROOM II
This table clock has a richly decorated pavilion-shaped case, with a fretworked dome surmounted by an armillary sphere. Each side of the clock carries dials with different functions, operated by gear mechanisms inside the case. Of the two larger dials, one is of the planispheric astrolabe type, with an external hour circle numbered from I to XII twice and a reversible tympanum for locating star positions and determining the planetary hours. It is preset for latitude 48° on one side and latitude 40° on the other. Above this dial, a pendulum was hooked on at a later date (17th C.). The other larger dial, also reversible, displays months, dates, major saints' days, the seasonally changing duration of light and darkness from dawn to sunset, and some hour computations. The armillary sphere, with the Earth placed at the center and a small magnetic compass in the base, is operated manually. The chime for the hours, quarter-hours, and minutes is under the dome. The alarm mechanism is missing. The iron movement has three trains driven by springs inside barrels with a fusee: one train is for timekeeping, one for the hours chime, and one for the minutes chime.
The back of the astrolabe dial is stamped twice with the initials CR joined inside a shield: the letters may stand for Caspar Rauber. The original leather case is lined on the inside and outside with red velvet. There are six openings protected by crystals. The globe-shaped top, also covered in leather, protects the armillary sphere. The case is divided into three parts: the base, with a drawer for the keys, and two façade covers.
Possibly the clock made in Florence for Maria Cristina of Lorraine, wife of Grand Duke Ferdinand I de' Medici. Remained in the possession of the Medici and was later exhibited in the Tribuna di Galileo. Restored to working order in 1878.
Armillary sphere
ROOM III
Begun on March 4, 1588, and completed on May 6, 1593, this large armillary sphere was built under the supervision of Antonio Santucci at the request of Ferdinand I de' Medici. The sphere represents the "universal machine" of the world according to the concepts developed by Aristotle and perfected by Ptolemy. The terrestrial globe is placed at the center. Surprisingly, it even displays territories that were still relatively little known at the time.
Restored in the nineteenth century by Ferdinando Meucci, the device is now incomplete and some of its parts are mismatched. The wooden parts of the sphere are elaborately painted and covered with fine gold leaf. The sphere rests on a stand with four sirens, heavily restored in the nineteenth century.
This model is similar to a smaller one built by Santucci in 1582 for King Philip II of Spain, now in the Escorial library. Provenance: Medici collections.
Celestial globe
ROOM III
This celestial globe is signed Guljelmus Caesius, a name used by Willem Jansz Blaeu until 1621. It rests on four straight black pillars. The round stand is adorned with three lilies. Blaeu states that he used information provided by Tycho Brahe for star positions and observations by Frederik de Houtman for the constellations of the southern hemisphere. The constellations are shown with their figures; their names appear in Latin, Greek, and Arabic.
Surveying instrument
ROOM VI
This historic instrument, dating back to 1557, was used for various geographical and cartographic purposes. It features an engraved plate with a Latin inscription explaining its purpose. The upper half of the plate shows a detailed illustration of surveyors at work, while the lower half includes tools like a shadow square, a windrose, and a planisphere. The instrument was versatile, used for measuring distances and heights, as well as creating perspective drawings.
This piece is part of the Medici collections and represents an important part of cartographic history.
Military instrument
ROOM VI
The instrument consists of a circular plate whose rim carries a degree scale divided into eight 45° sectors, the names of the winds, and, on a protruding portion, other two graduated scales. On the inner circle is the signature of the maker, Baldassarre Lanci, and the date, 1557 ("BALTHASSAR LANCÆVS URBINAS FACIEBAT A.N.D. MDLVII"). A magnetic compass is mounted at the center. Around it rotate the arched legs fitted with sights. One of the legs is fixed; the other is movable and has an adjustable viewfinder and a graduated clinometer with plumb bob. The clinometer carries the initials of the maker, "B.L." (Baldassarre Lanci). The instrument was used to measure the diameter of cannons and projectiles, distances, and heights, as well as for surveying. Provenance: Medici collections.
"Radio latino"
ROOM VI
radio latino (named after its inventor, Latino Orsini) was used to measure distances, heights, and depths by means of rangefinding operations. For this purpose, it is fitted with four jointed rods forming a kite. The rods slide on the central rod and are inscribed with several measurement scales such as the shadow square and the degree scale. The viewer fitted on the joints for rangefinding operations are missing. The instrument, from the Medici collections, is portrayed on the ceiling of the Stanzino delle Matematiche in the Uffizi.
Brachistochronous fall
ROOM VII
This apparatus demonstrates the observable effects of a physical principle discovered by Galileo on November 29, 1602, and communicated by him to Guidobaldo del Monte that day. Using geometrical methods, Galileo proved that a body takes less time to fall along the arc of a circumference than along the corresponding chord—even though the latter is a shorter path. Galileo, who viewed the arc as an infinite set of inclined planes, did not realize that the brachistochrone of a body falling between two points is the arc of a cycloid and not the arc of a circle. The mathematical demonstration of the brachistochronous property of the cycloid was provided by Jacques Bernoulli in 1697.
The device consists of a wooden frame with a cycloidal channel. A straight channel also pivots on the frame, and its inclination can be adjusted by means of pegs fixed in holes with brass rings under the cycloid. Dropping two balls simultaneously down the two channels, we observe that the ball falling down the arc of the cycloid reaches bottom well before the ball traveling down the inclined plane.
A working model of this device is on display in the interactive section of the museum.
Chemistry cabinet
ROOM X
Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo of Florence had a chemical bench set up in the Museum of Physics and Natural History in Florence. This laboratory, created with the assistance of Giovanni Fabbroni, features a working surface with three cavities, including one connected to a bellows for combustion operations. The bench is equipped with shelves, drawers, and compartments to store chemical preparations and various glassware. It also displays items from the grand ducal era, such as cylindrical glass jars, mortars, and other equipment used for chemical experiments. Over time, the bench has been enriched with additional instruments and chemical preparations.
The writing hand
ROOM X
The clockwork mechanism moves a hand, causing it to dip the pen in the inkstand and write the words "Huic Domui Deus / Nec metas rerum / Nec tempora ponat" ["May God not impose ends or deadlines on this house"] on a small card. The mechanism's silvered metal coating carries the words "Pro patria." The machine is dedicated by the craftsman Friedrich von Knaus to the House of Lorraine, which ruled Tuscany at the time.
Plate electrical machine
ROOM XI
Frictional electrical machine with glass disk rubbed by four leather cushions. The prime conductor consists of two brass tubes with spherical ends connected by a cross-tube fitted with an electrode, resting on glass supports; they terminate in jaw-collectors to facilitate the transfer of the charge at both sides of the glass disk. Positive charge is taken from the prime conductor, while negative charge is taken from the hook at the top of the machine.
Mechanical paradox
ROOM XI
This apparatus, mounted on an elegant table, consists of a trapezoidal veneered wooden frame with two brass rails. A pair of brass cones joined at their bases by a wooden disk rests on the rails. When the double cone is placed at the low end of the frame, it automatically starts to roll upward, giving the impression of escaping the universal law of the gravitational force. Because of this phenomenon, astonishing in its seeming contradiction of common sense, the apparatus was often described as a "mechanical paradox." In fact, the paradox is only apparent. This is due to the fact that the natural motion of bodies depends on that of their center of gravity, which has a natural tendency to descend. Since the rails diverge, the center of gravity of the double cone—when placed on the rotation axis at its maximum diameter—does not rise when the entire body seems to be moving upward; rather, the center is shifting downward. In its travel, the resting-points of the double cone on the rails converge toward its two apexes. As a result, the distance of the center of gravity from the horizontal plane decreases as the double cone rises. The phenomenon is thus hardly paradoxical. On the contrary, it is totally consistent with the laws of mechanics. Provenance: Lorraine collections.
Model illustrating the human arm as third-order lever
ROOM XII
This rare and unusual mechanical apparatus illustrates the analogy between the human arm and a third-order lever: the fulcrum is the elbow, the effort is provided by the muscle attached to the forearm, and the load consists of a weight held in the hand. The wooden skeleton of the arm, forearm, and hand is attached to a marbled wooden table. The shifts in the weights suspended from the arm show the arm's movement. When the weights descend, the hand rises. Provenance: Lorraine collections.
Apparatus to study the composition of elastic shocks
ROOM XII
This apparatus, described by Jean-Antoine Nollet in Leçons de physique expérimentale (Paris, 1743-1748), is a sort of small billiard mechanism resting on an elegant table. It was used to study the composition of elastic collisions. The device consists of a pair of hammers hinged in two rotating quadrants. Two ivory scales, inserted in the arcs, serve to measure the distance traveled by the hammers. By dropping the two hammers on a ball from different heights at different angles, one can observed the trajectory produced by the combination of two different momentums. The experiments can be varied, for example, by placing the quadrants at a distance from each other so that they strike two separate balls, which will collide on the plane. Provenance: Lorraine collections.
Hair hygrometer
ROOM XV
Hygrometer consisting of a glass tube that connects a brass dial to a small plate. The plate carries a mobile clamp whose position can be adjusted with a screw. The hygroscopic fiber (not original) is held by the clamp and winds on a pulley that pivots in a box fixed to the back of the dial. A spring, also connected to the pulley, keeps the fiber taut. A pointer indicates the changes in humidity on the dial scale. Made by Nairne & Blunt.
Nobili's hydroelectric galvanometer
ROOM XVI
The black wooden base of this galvanometer carried a lead stabilizing ring (missing). A cylindrical glass cover carries the suspension for the astatic needles. The coil, wound on a boxwood bobbin, has many windings of fine wire, probably silver, covered with silk. This version of Nobili's galvanometer was used to measure "hydroelectric" currents generated by chemical action. Provenance: Lorraine collections.
Tabula affinitatum
ROOM XVII
Table of chemical affinities between substances. Commissioned around 1766 by the pharmacist Franz Huber Hoefer for the apothecary's shop of the Grand Duke of Florence, this large table of chemical substances was designed to guide the preparer of pharmaceutical remedies in identifying the compounds most likely to combine with one another. The table is modeled on Étienne-François Geoffroy's Table des differents Rapports observés entre differentes substances (Paris, 1718), from which it differs by adding a seventeenth column. The substances are identified by traditional alchemical symbols and the symbolic language in use in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The Florentine table does not, however, include the symbol of air. This means that it was compiled in a period when there was not yet a full awareness of the function of air as a chemically active substance, hence capable of combining with solids and liquids. A similar table is found among the plates of Diderot and d'Alembert's Grande Encyclopédie.
Wheel barometer
ROOM XVIII
Wheel barometer mounted on a green-varnished wooden base with gilt tooling. The barometric scale is divided into Paris inches. Above the dial is inserted an alcohol thermometer with a Réaumur scale. Made by Santino Donegani, about whom we have no information.
Portable pharmacy
ROOM XVIII
This portable pharmacy dates from the second half of the eighteenth century or early nineteenth century. It consists of a small wooden trunk with iron trimmings, complete with a key. There are drawers and doors on the sides. The inside of the lid is decorated. The trunk contains small bottles and metal boxes, as well as minerals and small envelopes filled with various preparations and substances.
The Medici Collection
1562 - The Medici Wardrobe
The Medicean collection of scientific instruments was begun by Cosimo I (1519-1574), who housed it in the Wardrobe of Palazzo Vecchio, known today as the "sala delle carte geografiche" (Map Room). The room was decorated between 1563 and 1581 by Egnazio Danti and Stefano Buonsignori, who painted on the 57 doors of the wardrobes the geography of the known world. Against the end wall was the planetary clock by Lorenzo della Volpaia. According to the original project, two large globes, one terrestrial, the other celestial, were to hang from the ceiling.
1600 - Mathematics Room
In 1600 Ferdinando I (1549-1609) transferred the collection to a small room in the Uffizi Gallery which became known as the "stanzino delle matematiche". Giulio Parigi depicted on the ceiling the instruments in the collection. Here and on the adjoining terrace (which once housed the great armillary sphere built by Antonio Santucci in 1593) the instruments bequeathed by Robert Dudley and those purchased in Germany by Mattias de' Medici were displayed.
1657 - The Accademia del Cimento
With the foundation of the Accademia del Cimento (1657), inaugurated by Ferdinand II (1610-1670) and Leopold de' Medici (1617-1675) for the purpose of conducting the experimental investigation of nature, the collection was enriched with new instruments designed mainly for thermometric, barometric and pneumatic research. The Accademia was located in the Pitti Palace where all the instruments in the Medici collection were subsequently moved.
The Lorrain Collection
1775 - The Museum of Physics
In 1775 the instruments were moved from the Pitti Palace to the Royal Museum of Physics and Natural History in Palazzo Torrigiani on Via Romana, where the Specola Museum is located today. Grand Duke Peter Leopold Habsburg-Lorraine (1747-1792) appointed as director of the museum Abbot Felice Fontana, who built an observatory and upgraded the collection with new instruments of mathematics, physics, meteorology and electricity, many of which were constructed in the Museum workshops.
1829 - The Museum Workshops
After their decline during the French occupation (1799-1814), the museum and its workshops were reorganized upon the return to power of the Lorraine Family. Under the direction of Vincenzo Antinori, such outstanding astronomers and physicists as Giovanni Battista Amici, constructor of microscopes, telescopes, micrometers and spectroscopes, and Leopoldo Nobili, inventor of electromagnetic and galvanometric instruments and thermo-electric piles, contributed to the development of the Museum workshops.
1841 - The Tribune of Galileo
The Tribune was built in 1841 in the Museum of Physics, on the initiative of the Grand Duke Leopold II (1797-1870). The architect Giuseppe Martelli planned it to contain a statue of Galileo, surrounded by frescoes and bas-reliefs illustrating the discoveries and the most important instruments of the great scientist: the geometric and military compass, an armed loadstone, two telescopes, and the objective lens of the telescope with which Galileo discovered the Jupiter satellites. The Renaissance instruments and those of the Accademia del Cimento were also displayed in the Tribune.
