Museo Galileo
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Virtual Museum
Section of Room VI
 Condottieri and Military Engineers

Condottieri and military engineers often invented original measuring instruments for the princes' collections. Among them are refined surveying compasses, such as the one built by Baldassarre Lanci for Cosimo de' Medici (above), or curious dagger-shaped compasses, such as the radio latino invented by the condottiero Latino Orsini (c. 1530-c. 1580) and the "dagger" designed by an unknown captain in the Medicean army. The dagger-shaped compass stands as a symbol of the soldier's new mathematical profile.

The instruments shown here were made especially for the Duke's collection by the engineer Baldassarre Lanci (1510-1571), in the service of Cosimo de' Medici from 1557. They are topographical instruments of military use, sometimes equipped with accessories for perspective drawing (no. 1) or for artillery (no. 2). In the military field, the perspective view of a fortress was used to measure its surface.

Objects
Discorso sopra alle misure che fa un pugnale, Anonymous (facsimile)

Discorso sopra alle misure che fa un pugnale, Anonymous (facsimile)

Firenze, Biblioteca Riccardiana, Ed. Rara 120
Author unknown, original 16th cent. / facsimile 2010

Le due regole della prospettiua prattica…, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola (facsimile)

Le due regole della prospettiua prattica…, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola (facsimile)

Firenze, Museo Galileo, MED G.F 006
Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, Rome, original 1583 / facsimile 2010

Military compass

Military compass

Inv. 1277
Maker unknown, 16th cent.

Military instrument

Military instrument

Inv. 682
Baldassarre Lanci, Italian, 1557

"Radio latino"

"Radio latino"

Inv. 647
Maker unknown, Italian, late 16th cent.

"Radio latino"

"Radio latino"

Inv. 619
Carlo Doni, Italian, 17th cent.

Surveying compass

Surveying compass

Inv. 144
Baldassarre Lanci, Florence or Siena, 16th cent.

Surveying instrument

Surveying instrument

Inv. 152, 3165
Baldassarre Lanci, Italian, 1557

Trattato del Radio Latino…, Latino Orsini (facsimile)

Trattato del Radio Latino…, Latino Orsini (facsimile)

Firenze, Museo Galileo, Rari 099
Latino Orsini, Rome, original 1583 / facsimile 2008

Trattato di diuersi istrumenti matematici…, Antonio Santucci (facsimile)

Trattato di diuersi istrumenti matematici…, Antonio Santucci (facsimile)

Firenze, Biblioteca Marucelliana, Ms. C 82, cc. 31v-32r
Antonio Santucci, original 1593-1594 / facsimile 2008

Triangulation instrument

Triangulation instrument

Inv. 3164
Baldassarre Lanci [attr.], Florence, 16th cent.