Giambattista della Porta, recognized for his unique and extensive ingenuity, showed a deep interest in various disciplines, ranging from cosmology, meteorology, and physics to biology, human psychology, moral philosophy, and politics (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004; Kodera, 2021). He stood out as a prolific author on topics that, at the time, were associated with alternative currents to Aristotelian natural philosophy (Kodera, 2021). According to Kodera (2021), this versatility allowed him to become one of the most celebrated and successful figures in the intellectual life of the second half of the 16th century and beyond.
Della Porta was constantly at the intersection between science and magic, and between faith and superstition (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004). Despite this duality, he was one of the authors who contributed the most to the formation of modern scientific thought during the Counter-Reformation. His work "Natural Magic" brought him European fame and is considered the best reflection of his personality. Despite his apparent naivety and enthusiasm in the pursuit of the philosopher's stone, as well as the mysterious atmosphere that sometimes surrounded his discoveries, della Porta demonstrated rigor in his research, and some of his conclusions were of great importance. According to Fernández & Tamaro (2004), among his most notable achievements is the invention of the camera obscura, and, according to some authors, he played a prominent role in the construction of the first telescopes.
Biography
Giambattista della Porta, who was born in Vico Equense in 1535, was the son of Nardo Antonio della Porta, a man of considerable wealth and significance, owning lands and ships (Buzzi, 2016; O'Connor & Robertson, 2010). Since 1541, his father served Emperor Charles V as Scrivano di Mandamento, meaning the emperor's secretary in charge of civil affairs before the vicariate. His mother was the sister of Adriano Guglielmo Spadafora, a learned man working as a curator in the archives of Naples. His education was largely thanks to his father, an intellectual whose home became a meeting point for philosophers, mathematicians, poets, and musicians (O'Connor & Robertson, 2010). According to Buzzi (2016), della Porta and his siblings were raised to be knights, learning to dance, ride, participate in tournaments and games, behave properly, and dress appropriately to excel in all these pursuits.
In 1558, when della Porta was twenty-three, he published the four volumes of "Magiae naturalis, sive de miraculis rerum naturalium" (O'Connor & Robertson, 2010). In this book, he examined the natural world, asserting that it could be manipulated by the natural philosopher through theoretical and practical experiments. The work covers various topics, including demonology, magnetism, and the camera obscura. O'Connor & Robertson (2010) mention that originally written in Latin, the work was later translated into French, Italian, and German, becoming a widely read book.
In 1560, a society was formed under the direction of Giambattista della Porta, known as the Accademia dei Segreti or the Otiosi (O'Connor & Robertson, 2010; Buzzi, 2016). This society, one of the first scientific communities in Europe, aimed to discover the secrets of nature (Buzzi, 2016). Anyone wishing to join this society had to demonstrate a new discovery in the natural sciences. According to Buzzi (2016), this early academy had to dissolve when its members were suspected of dealing with the occult.
In 1563, he published "De Furtivis Literarum Notis," a work related to cryptography, where he specified the first known substitution cipher (Buzzi, 2016). During the Spanish Inquisition, some of his friends were imprisoned. However, to enter the prison, everything was checked except for eggs. According to Buzzi (2016), this led him to invent a method for writing secret messages inside eggshells using a mixture of vegetable pigments and alum.
In 1566, he published "Arte del ricordare," a work describing how to use mnemonic devices to enhance memory (O'Connor & Robertson, 2010). According to Giambattista della Porta, to organize memory, one must build a mental gallery populated with striking images of people or groups of people (Kodera, 2021). Corresponding to O'Connor & Robertson (2010), it is concluded from this work that della Porta's memory was more due to his classification and organizational skills than to natural genius.
In November 1579, he was invited to join the service of Luigi, Cardinal d'Este (O'Connor & Robertson, 2010). In need of a sponsor, he moved to Rome two months later and lived in the Palazzo d'Este. There, he carried out his scientific work financed by the cardinal, although causing inconveniences as he insisted on going to bed immediately after dinner, woke up very early, and made a lot of noise when studying before breakfast. Similarly, according to O'Connor & Robertson (2010), he demanded complete silence whenever he was working or sleeping.
After a period of illness, della Porta joined the service of the cardinal in Venice in December 1580 (O'Connor & Robertson, 2010). There, he worked with parabolic mirrors and lenses, discovering that the Venetian experience with glass was very useful. He spent time at the court of Duke Alfonso II d'Este in Ferrara, but in April 1581, he returned to Naples, though he continued working for the cardinal. Like his earlier academy, his house became a meeting place for the scholars of the region. Like many scientists of the time, he dedicated himself to trying to transform common metal into gold and believed he had found the secret. However, according to O'Connor & Robertson (2010), after more experiments, della Porta discovered that his method was unsuccessful.
In 1583, he published "De humana physiognomonia" (Buzzi, 2016). In this work, he explained his interpretation of how the behavior of animals and humans is associated with physical appearance. He based it on the idea that physical traits are related to the moral and psychological aspects of a person (Buzzi, 2016). This theme was treated with some suspicion by the Roman Catholic Church, which at that time included many works in the Index of Forbidden Books (O'Connor & Robertson, 2010). However, after a long wait of three years, the book was approved by official censors. During the research for his work, he visited various places, including, of course, the public prison (Buzzi, 2016). According to Buzzi (2016), he compared his findings with animals, found connections, and provided interpretations.
In 1588, he collected rare botanical specimens and cultivated exotic plants (Buzzi, 2016). In his work "Phytognomonica," he listed plants according to their geographical location and recorded the first observations of fungal spores, making him a pioneer in mycology. In 1589, on the eve of the scientific revolution, he was the first to experimentally challenge the ancient claim that garlic could demagnetize magnets. This fact represents one of the first instances where the authority of ancient authors was replaced by scientific claims supported by experiments. The Secretorum Natura Academy was replaced by the Accademia dei Lincei in 1603. This new academy was founded by Federico Cesi, along with three other friends. According to Buzzi (2016), the four founders chose the name Lincei from della Porta's book "Magia naturalis," which has an illustration of the legendary lynx on the cover.
In 1611, he joined the Accademia dei Lincei, which became one of the most relevant academies of its time (Buzzi, 2016). In 1874, after the unification of Italy, Quintino Sella, a Piedmontese, transformed the Accademia dei Lincei into the Accademia Nazionale Reale dei Lincei, making it the official scientific academy of the country (Buzzi, 2016). The last years of his life were dedicated exclusively to theater and studies on the atmosphere (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004). According to Kodera (2021), in February 1615, della Porta passed away in his daughter Cinzia's house.
Works
The treaty titled "De la magia natural," composed of four volumes and published in Naples in the year 1558, is a peculiar work that combines magical practices with scientific essays (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004). This work gathers a series of interesting experimental observations, such as recipes to blush the face, to generate beautiful children, or to cultivate pitless peaches, as well as descriptions of monstrous creatures, including a flying dragon. Also, according to Fernández & Tamaro (2004), the creator makes significant observations about mirrors called "ustorious," that is, curved.
In the 1589 edition, it is mentioned that, in addition to explaining a kind of magic lantern, the author describes the effect of lenses (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004). He claims that with concave lenses, objects can be seen smaller but sharper, and with convex lenses, the size of objects can be increased, although they will appear blurry. In this way, he discovered that by combining concave and convex lenses, objects will be perceived both sharper and larger, both near and distant objects. This finding allows us to declare that, before Galileo Galilei, Giambattista della Porta managed to build a long-range telescope with a divergent eyepiece. However, according to Fernández & Tamaro (2004), some authors, such as Giambattista de Nelli, argue, rightly, that Giambattista della Porta understood composite lenses but did not construct or imagine a true telescope.
In connection with this last topic, the author also dealt with the nine books that make up his work "De la refracción óptica," published in Naples in the year 1593 (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004). The first book deals with the phenomenon of refraction through the "crystal pile" or crystal sphere, and also through a half-sphere of crystal. This is followed by a set of five books dedicated to the structure and functioning of the eye, as well as the mechanism of vision. Finally, according to Fernández & Tamaro (2004), the eighth book deals with lenses, and the ninth with the rainbow and colors produced by refraction.
This treaty represents a crucial period in the history of science (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004). Although the first seven books and the ninth are a compilation of knowledge from the time, an innovative criterion can be found in all of them, something uncommon during the 16th century. He highlighted theoretical deficiencies and weaknesses that followers of the ideas of the time believed they had to hide. For example, he announced that, in terms of refraction, analysis could describe many things that are still unclear and eliminate many errors. However, the greatest interest lies in the eighth book "De los lentes." This is the first study attempting a theory of lenses. In fact, the lenses that have been used to correct the vision of presbyopes since the 13th century have been ignored by the scientific community. There is no mention of them until della Porta mentioned them, and only now does he aspire to establish a theory based on the knowledge available about the "crystal pile."
Finally, he is attributed twenty-nine comedies, of which fourteen are preserved (Fernández & Tamaro, 2004). Among them, "Cintia," "El astrólogo," "La Chiappinaria," "El moro," "Olimpia," and "Los dos hermanos rivales" can be mentioned. In addition to these works, Fernández and Tamaro (2004) mention the tragicomedy "Penélope" and a tragedy inspired by the life of Saint George.
References
Buzzi, A. (2016). La Phisiognomia de Giovanni Battista della Porta. Almarevista.com. Recuperado 9 November 2021, a partir de http://almarevista.com/revista/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ALMA.V2N4.43-57.pdf
Fernández, T., & Tamaro, E. (2004). Biografia de Giambattista della Porta. Biografiasyvidas.com. Recuperado 9 November 2021, a partir de https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/p/porta_giambattista.htm
Kodera, S. (2021). Giambattista della Porta. Plato.stanford.edu. Recuperado 9 November 2021, a partir de https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/della-porta/
O'Connor, J., & Robertson, E. (2010). Giambattista della Porta - Biography. Maths History. Recuperado 9 November 2021, a partir de https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Porta/
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