Galileo and the Lynx

During his visit to Rome, Galileo met Cesi and other members of the Lynx. Galileo became the second non-founding member of the Academy of the Lynx. Cesi and the Academy of the Lynx provided Galileo with crucial intellectual, financial, and moral support the rest of his life.

Francesco Stelluti was one of the founding members of the Academy of the Lynx. In this work Stelluti published Cesi’s investigations into petrified woods. At the bottom of this title page is the emblem of the Academy of the Lynx (Figure 1) . The Lynx were supported by the powerful Barbarini family; as is suggested by the prominence of the Barbarini name (Figure 2) . Francesco Barbarini was a papal emissary to France, and a Cardinal of the Church like his uncle Maffeo Barbarini.

This is not the place to list all the works of the Lynx, which spanned all fields of mathematics and natural history, including the first natural history of the new world to be printed in Europe, shown in these figures: (Figure 3) (Figure 4) (Figure 5) (Figure 6) . Let’s return to Galileo, now emboldened by his appointment to the Medici court, by his success among the Jesuits in Rome, and by his induction into the Academy of the Lynx.

Exhibit revised 11/16/04.

Exhibit credit: Kerry Magruder, with the assistance of , Marilyn B. Ogilvie, Duane H. D. Roller.