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Accademia del Cimento
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Founded in 1657 by Prince Leopold and Grand Duke Ferdinand II de' Medici, the Accademia del Cimento was Europe's first scientific society. Its main objectives were the development and diffusion of Galilean experimental methodology. Under the motto "Provando e riprovando" ["Trying and trying again"], the Accademia undertook a rigorously experimental verification of the principles of natural philosophy, whose acceptance had hitherto rested largely on Aristotle's authority. While there was no formal procedure for joining the society, Francesco Redi, Lorenzo Magalotti (the Secretary), Vincenzo Viviani, Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Carlo Renaldini, and others regularly attended its meetings. These were usually held in the Palazzo Pitti. Members performed numerous experiments, mainly in the fields of thermometry, barometry, and pneumatics, using purpose-built instruments. The Accademia ceased its activities in 1667 with the publication of the Examples of Natural Experiments, which described the main results of its research program.

Objects
Barometer tube

Barometer tube

Inv. 114
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Bottle

Bottle

Inv. 3804
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Box with thermometers

Box with thermometers

Inv. 195, 2450
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Bucket

Bucket

Inv. 329
Maker unknown, 17th cent.

"Capriccio" glass

"Capriccio" glass

Inv. 341/i
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Centerpiece

Centerpiece

Inv. 302
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Centerpiece

Centerpiece

Inv. 86
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Chalice

Chalice

Inv. 315
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Chalice glass

Chalice glass

Inv. 3906
Maker unknown, 17th cent.

Chalice glass

Chalice glass

Inv. 3905
Maker unknown, 17th cent.

Chalice glass

Chalice glass

Inv. 3904
Maker unknown, 17th cent.

Chalice with fins

Chalice with fins

Inv. 341/38
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Chalice with handles

Chalice with handles

Inv. 280
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Chalices

Chalices

Inv. 104, 105
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Cluster thermometer

Cluster thermometer

Inv. 190
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Cluster thermometer

Cluster thermometer

Inv. 196
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Communicating vases

Communicating vases

Inv. 186
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Condensation hygrometer

Condensation hygrometer

Inv. 276, 2443
Maker unknown, Tuscany, Hygrometer: 19th cent. / Glass: 17th cent.

Conical glass

Conical glass

Inv. 309
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Conical glass

Conical glass

Inv. 310
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Conical glass

Conical glass

Inv. 3803
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Conical glass

Conical glass

Inv. 320
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Crab-shaped "capriccio" glass

Crab-shaped "capriccio" glass

Inv. 103
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Cup

Cup

Inv. 268
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Cups joined by a stem

Cups joined by a stem

Inv. 3805
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Cylindrical vase

Cylindrical vase

Inv. 252
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Cylindrical vase

Cylindrical vase

Inv. 304
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Decorated chalice

Decorated chalice

Inv. 3801
Maker unknown, 17th cent.

Display plate

Display plate

Inv. 291
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Double-handle vase

Double-handle vase

Inv. 341/34
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Double-handle vases

Double-handle vases

Inv. 330
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Fifteen- and twenty-degree thermometers

Fifteen- and twenty-degree thermometers

Inv. 179, 182
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Fifty-degree thermometer

Fifty-degree thermometer

Inv. 173
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Fifty-degree thermometer with colored liquid

Fifty-degree thermometer with colored liquid

Inv. 102
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Fifty-degree thermometers

Fifty-degree thermometers

Inv. 31, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Fifty-degree thermometers

Fifty-degree thermometers

Inv. 79
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Fifty-degree thermometers

Fifty-degree thermometers

Inv. 85
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Flute chalice

Flute chalice

Inv. 262
Maker unknown, 17th cent.

Fountain

Fountain

Inv. 88
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Fountain on stand

Fountain on stand

Inv. 802
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 16th cent.

"Frog" thermometer

"Frog" thermometer

Inv. 2449
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Glass with handles

Glass with handles

Inv. 258
Maker unknown, Tuscany?, early 17th cent.

Hundred- and eighty-degrees thermometers

Hundred- and eighty-degrees thermometers

Inv. 175, 176
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Hundred-degree thermometer

Hundred-degree thermometer

Inv. 172
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Hydrometer

Hydrometer

Inv. 3740
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Hydrometer with thermometer

Hydrometer with thermometer

Inv. 213
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Hygrometer glasses

Hygrometer glasses

Inv. 99, 100
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Pedometer

Pedometer

Inv. 3384
Christoph Schissler, Hans Christoph Schissler [attr.], German, second half 16th cent.

Phial

Phial

Inv. 3737
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Phial

Phial

Inv. 3800
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Phial thermometer

Phial thermometer

Inv. 184
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Phial thermometer

Phial thermometer

Inv. 78
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Phials

Phials

Inv. 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Plates

Plates

Inv. 285, 294, 295, 297
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Plates

Plates

Inv. 286, 287, 289, 290, 292, 293, 296, 299, 300, 337, 338
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Portrait of Ferdinand II de' Medici

Portrait of Ferdinand II de' Medici

Inv. 3806
Author unknown, 17th cent.

Quadrant

Quadrant

Inv. 2544, 3187
Carlo Renaldini, Italian, 1667

"Serpent" chalice

"Serpent" chalice

Inv. 341/33
Maker unknown, Tuscany?, 17th cent.

Seventy-degree thermometers

Seventy-degree thermometers

Inv. 192
Maker unknown, Florence, 17th cent.

Sixty-degree thermometers

Sixty-degree thermometers

Inv. 66, 67
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Small cup

Small cup

Inv. 80
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Small hydrostatic balance

Small hydrostatic balance

Inv. 27
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Sphere for hydrometer

Sphere for hydrometer

Inv. 3738
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Sphere hydrometers

Sphere hydrometers

Inv. 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Spheres for hydrometers

Spheres for hydrometers

Inv. 721
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Spheres for testing the non-compressibility of fluids

Spheres for testing the non-compressibility of fluids

Inv. 1266, 1267, 1268, 1269, 2644, 2645, 2646, 2647
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Spiral thermometers

Spiral thermometers

Inv. 193, 194/a, 194/b
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stand

Stand

Inv. 3802
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Stem

Stem

Inv. 87
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 178
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 180
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 185
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 187
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 188
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 191
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 214
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 217
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 3741
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Stem hydrometer

Stem hydrometer

Inv. 3742
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Tall-stem chalice

Tall-stem chalice

Inv. 318
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Tall-stem thermometers

Tall-stem thermometers

Inv. 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 25, 26, 160, 163, 164, 166, 167, 169, 170, 171
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Tall-stem thermometers

Tall-stem thermometers

Inv. 282, 283, 2447, 2448
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Thermometer phials

Thermometer phials

Inv. 73, 74, 75, 76, 77
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Thermoscope

Thermoscope

Inv. 2444
Maker unknown, 19th cent. (replica)

Thermoscope

Thermoscope

Inv. 3743
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Thirty-degree thermometer

Thirty-degree thermometer

Inv. 216
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Thirty-degree thermometer

Thirty-degree thermometer

Inv. 70
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.

Vase

Vase

Inv. 341/36
Maker unknown, Tuscany, 17th cent.

Vases with handles

Vases with handles

Inv. 316, 317
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Vases with spouts

Vases with spouts

Inv. 257, 275
Maker unknown, Tuscany, late 16th cent. - early 17th cent.

Wine-testing

Wine-testing

Inv. 107, 108
Maker unknown, Florence, mid-17th cent.