Galli - Miscellaneo Matematico - 1694

TIME VOLVELLUM: CLOCKS, COSMOGRAPHY AND MECHANICS IN PARMA DURING THE BAROQUE ERA
WITH A LETTER FROM AMERICA
Rare first edition of Marco Galli's Miscellaneo matematico, a Bologna-born mathematician active in the second half of the seventeenth century, a treatise that unites mathematics, geometry, gnomonics and practical applications in a compendium of great technical-scientific interest.
Printed in Parma in 1694, the volume stands out for the richness of its illustrative apparatus – 4 fold-out woodcut plates, numerous figures and diagrams in the text, many full-page – and for the presence of movable devices (volvelles), a typical element of the era’s operative scientific manuals.
The map of America on p. 188 places the work within the context of modern geography and the global measurement of space.
MARKET VALUE
First seventeenth-century editions of applied mathematics treatises with fold-out plates and original volvelles are consistently sought after. An item like this generally resides in a range between 1,000 and 1,800 euros, with potential increases in the presence of both volvelles intact and good paper freshness.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
In 4°. Pp. (4), 14nn; 352; (2). Contemporary binding in limp parchment with a gold frame on the boards, corner and central floral motifs impressed in gold; manuscript title on the spine.
4 fold-out woodcut plates.
Numerous woodcut illustrations and diagrams in the text, many full-page.
Map of America on p. 188.
Woodcut initials and tailpieces.
The two original volvelles are present. Pages with some browning and foxing. In old books with a long history, a few imperfections may be present not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Miscellaneo matematico: an work in which is contained the geometric method of measurement, both of surfaces, heights, & widths, & of bodies, as well as of leveling lands and waters, with special instruments; also the method of dividing every figure … and a short treatise on agrimensura, & the way to make every kind of clock by the sun, as well as another treatise on raising waters with trumpets, & with other instruments, with nine inventions, & a method to reduce weight on those trumpets...
Parma, for Ippolito and Francesco Maria Rosati, 1694.
Marco Galli.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Miscellaneo matematico situates itself within the tradition of practical mathematics between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth centuries, when instrument construction and the measurement of time and space were central to technical knowledge. The work combines gnomonics, geometry, astronomy and applied mechanics, offering operational solutions for the construction of quadrants, instruments and calculating devices.

The volvelles – rotating cardboard discs used for astronomical and chronological calculations – transform the book into an active scientific instrument. The presence of the map of America testifies to the interconnection between theoretical mathematics and global geography in the Baroque era.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Marco Galli, a Bologna-born mathematician active in the second half of the seventeenth century, worked within the diffusion of applied sciences in northern Italy. His production reflects the Renaissance mathematical heritage and the Baroque interest in measuring, calculating and determining time through instruments.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
First edition, printed in Parma in 1694 by Rosati. Technical works with movable apparatus had limited print runs and over time parts of the mechanisms dispersed. Surviving volvelle-equipped copies are today less common on the antiquarian market.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN, Parmense edition 1694.
Comparisons with Italian gnomonic and practical mathematics treatises of the seventeenth century.
Studies on volvelles and on paper calculating instruments in the modern era.