Tagged: Kircher

New Acquisition: Athanasius Kircher, Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae, 1646

Special Collections is pleased to announce the acquisition of Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae (Great Art of Light and Shadow), one of the key scientific works, and possibly the rarest, by the German Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). This acquisition was made possible by the generous donation of the Albertsen family.

Historical Background

A prolific scholar with a thirst for questioning and experimentation, Athanasius Kircher wrote on a wide range of subjects including Egyptology, theology, geology, technology, and medicine. He took a syncretic approach to scientific research, drawing on the mysteries of natural laws and forces as well as directly observable and measurable phenomena. For instance, his treatise on magnetism (Magnes sive de arte magnetica) covered the gravitational pull of the planets’ orbits, but also touched on love and the use of the tarantella as “musical magnetism” that would draw the toxins of a tarantula’s bite out of the human body.[i]

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