John Smith Gallery

Astronomy and Mathematics

Smith’s collecting affords significant evidence of his interest in mathematics and science. Alongside six works by Galileo and eleven by the great astronomer Kepler, Smith collected in a diverse range of areas now associated with the so called ‘Scientific Revolution’. Far from feeling threatened by the 17th century advances in learning, Cambridge Platonists embraced post-Galilean science as an integral element in their agenda to rationalise religion.

Diagram from Apian’s Cosmographia [D.20.13] (see below).