Spedizioni ed esplorazioni scientifiche nei fondi della Biblioteca Universitaria di Napoli. Secoli XVI-XIX

Maria Cristina De Crescenzo; Francesco Ferdinando Veneruso

doi:10.6093/978-88-6887-422-3

Spedizioni ed esplorazioni scientifiche nei fondi della Biblioteca Universitaria di Napoli. Secoli XVI-XIX

Authors

Maria Cristina De Crescenzo

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9439-1497 (unauthenticated)

Francesco Ferdinando Veneruso

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8245-5415 (unauthenticated)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6093/978-88-6887-422-3

Keywords:

Scientific expeditions, Naturalists, Explores, Bibliographic exhibitions, Scientific treatises

Synopsis

Editor: FedOA -Federico II University Press

Series: Cavoliniana. Monographies of the Società dei Naturalisti in Napoli

Page: 118

Language: Italian

Abstract: This volume originates from the bibliographic exhibition "Scientific Expeditions and Explorations from the 16th to the 19th Century: Places and Discoveries in the Collections of the University Library of Naples", inaugurated on November 15, 2023, and curated by the authors of the present work. The corpus of selected works derives primarily from the Fondo Palatino of the University Library—one of the principal collections that once formed the Royal Library of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon.The Fondo includes, among other materials, scientific treatises and accounts of voyages and explorations which stand out not only for their historical and scientific value, but also for their exquisite craftsmanship, with volumes adorned by original illustrations executed by renowned Italian and foreign artists.

Expanding upon the contents and research fields addressed in the exhibition, this volume also aims to provide a broader overview of scientific inquiry between the 16th and 19th centuries, highlighting significant methodological advancements. In this regard, the contributions by Antonio Borrelli and Antonino Pollio respectively trace the evolution of scientific expeditions in the modern era and the development of botanical science, with particular attention to the conditions that led 18th-century naturalists in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to collect essential data for the classification and cataloguing of the Kingdom’s flora.

Enriched by a substantial iconographic apparatus, the volume is intended to be accessible not only to specialists, but also to the general readership with an interest in the history of science and exploration.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Maria Cristina De Crescenzo

Maria Cristina De Crescenzo carried out her professional activity at the University Library of Naples, except for a brief period at the National Library Vittorio Emanuele III of Naples, where she served as Head of the Sezione napoletana.

At the BUN, she coordinated the Department of Rare and Early Printed Collections, as well as the Manuscripts and Bibliographic Information Sections. She contributed to the organization of guided tours, cultural events, and exhibitions, and published essays in the corresponding catalogues. Among the exhibitions she curated: «I libri e la scienza: autori e immagini nelle collezioni storiche della Biblioteca Universitaria di Napoli»; «Bicentenario della morte di Domenico Cotugno: atlanti ed opere anatomiche del suo tempo»; «Spedizioni ed esplorazioni scientifiche dal XVI al XIX secolo: luoghi e scoperte nelle raccolte della Biblioteca Universitaria di Napoli.» Among her publications: Il Fondo Incunaboli della Biblioteca Universitaria di Napoli, in Gli Incunaboli della Biblioteca Universitaria di Napoli. Catalogo, edited by Giancarlo Petrella (Rome, Salerno Editrice, 2022); Per la storia dei bibliotecari italiani: Maria Giuseppina Castellano Lanzara, «AIB notizie» (2020)

Francesco Ferdinando Veneruso

Francesco Ferdinando Veneruso, Doctor in Archaeology and Art History, is a specialist in Sacred Art. On behalf of the Embassy of Japan to the Holy See, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the twinning between Naples and Kagoshima, he conducted the research Kagoshima al centro del cristianesimo: la storia di Bernardo il giapponese. Since 2023, he has collaborated with the University Library of Naples, taking part in the following bibliographic exhibitions: «Uno sguardo verso l’alto: incisioni artistiche nei secoli XVII, XVIII e XIX»; «Spedizioni ed esplorazioni scientifiche dal XVI al XIX secolo: luoghi e scoperte nelle raccolte della Biblioteca Universitaria di Napoli.» He has published: Per una storia dell’iconografia del Christus Patiens e dell’arte della scultura di crocifissi lignei, «Quaerere Deum» (2024)