The Optics of Giovan Battista Della Porta: A Reassessment

Giovanni Battista Della Porta (1535–1615) was a well-known Neapolitan man of science of the Late Renaissance whose interests included cryptography, horticulture, magnetism, pneumatics, alchemy, physiognomy, and theatre performance. He contributed to optics with his exceptionally popular Magia naturalis („Natural Magic“) and with the treatise De Refractione („On refraction“). Although his work was widely read and appreciated by contemporaries, historians of science have for the most part given a negative assessment of it.
The present workshop will attempt to redress the balance, bringing together outstanding international experts to discuss Della Porta and his role within the history of early modern optics.
It will investigate Della Porta's approach to experiment as it emerged from a close study of his optical work and the impact of his optical insights on contemporary theories.