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Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy pp 1–3Cite as

Biringuccio, Vannoccio

Born: Siena 1480

Died: Rome 1539?

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Abstract

Italian metallurgist and military engineer, chiefly known as the author of De la pirotechnia (first edition Venice, 1540), a comprehensive work dedicated to the “Arts on fire” used in chemical-metallurgical processes and casting bronze production, especially artilleries and bells, with a section dedicated to the production of gun-powder, fireworks, and its components. Biringuccio gives an analytical description of minerals and metals based on classical sources and his professional experience, discussing traditional theories of metals generation and contrasting the obscure alchemical position based on not empirically confirmed substances transformation processes. Thanks also to the clear practical instruction for metalworking De la pirotechnia became a standard reference and remains valuable as one of the most important source for artisans and technological process during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

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References

Primary Literature

  • Biringuccio, V. 1540. De la pirotechnia. Libri X…. Con priuilegio apostolico & de la Cesarea Maesta & del illustriss. Senato Venato, in Venetia, per Venturino Roffinello ad istantia di Curtio Navò e fratelli.

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  • Biringuccio, V. 1550. Pirotechnia….. Col privilegio apostolico, e della C. Mesta, e dell’illuss. Senato Veneto, Vinegia, per Giovan Padoano, a istantia di Curtio di Navò.

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  • Biringuccio, V. 1556. La pyrotechnie, ov art dv fev, contenant dix livres, avsquels est amplement traicté de toutes sortes & diuersité de minieres, fusions & separations des metaux… à Paris, chez Claude Fremy a l’enseigne S. Martin, rue S. Jaques

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  • Biringuccio, V. 1559. Pirotechnia. Li diece libri della pirotechnia,….. . Col privilegio apostolico, e della C. Maestà, e dell’illustiss. Senato Veneto. [Vinegia] MDLVIII, in Vinegia, per Comin da Trino di Monteferrato.

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  • Biringuccio, V. 1977. De la pirotechnia (1540), a cura di A. Carugo, Milano: Il Polifilo.

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Secondary Literature

  • Bernardoni, A. 2011. La conoscenza del fare. Ingegneria, arte, scienza nel De la pirotechnia di Vannoccio Biringuccio, (Automata, 5), L’Erma di Bredschneider, Roma

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  • Mieli, A. 1914b. Vannoccio Biringuccio ed il metodo sperimentale, in Isis, II, 91–99.

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  • Tenenti, A. 2000. Il contesto mentale della Pirotechnia. In Dalla Pirotechnia di Vannoccio Biringucci al museo del mercurio, ed. I. Tognarini, 19–30. Napoli: Edizioni Scientifiche.

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  • Vergani, R. 2000. Metalli e metallurgie dell’alta Italia nell’opera di Biringuccio. In Dalla Pirotechnia di Vannoccio Biringucci al museo del mercurio, ed. I. Tognarini, 57–70. Napoli: Edizioni Scientifiche.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Storia della Scienza (Museo Galileo), Firenze, Italy

    Andrea Bernardoni

Authors
  1. Andrea Bernardoni
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Correspondence to Andrea Bernardoni .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Venezia, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Philosophy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Luca Bianchi

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Bernardoni, A. (2018). Biringuccio, Vannoccio. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_715-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_715-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

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