L’ombra del filosofo: Giordano Bruno, Fabrizio Mordente e le operazioni del compasso di proporzione

Rome, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, 22 February – 22 May 2024

The exhibition, organised by the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma in collaboration with Museo Galileo, recounts the dispute between Giordano Bruno and Fabrizio Mordente over the proportional compasses.
The exhibition is divided into two sections. The first one displays the works of the two protagonists, including the only existing copy of Bruno's Idiota triumphans, and of other authors, up to Galileo, together with three precious compasses by Mordente, one of which is on loan from Museo Galileo (inv. 2542/D). The second section presents the collection of Bruno's first editions from the National Library in Rome, one of the most extensive in Italy, together with the leading works from which Bruno drew inspiration or in any case related to him, including texts by Ramon Llull on mnemonics and Niccolò Copernicus.

The exhibition is an opportunity to highlight the National Library's recent acquisition of three extremely rare works by Bruno, including the Dialogi duo which was published in Paris in 1586 to illustrate the extraordinary potential of Mordente's compasses.

Useful links

• Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma (in Italian)