Core class + tutorial: Virtuosi and Dilettanti: Practitioners of Early Modern Science and Art

In the early modern era, the term “virtuoso” meant not only a skillful musician but an accomplished person, highly competent in any of the arts and sciences. The word “dilettante” is also of Italian origin, and its adoption by noble societies refers to a lover of travel, fine arts, and collecting. This core class and its tutorial focus on both kinds of individuals and communities whose contribution to the advancement of early modern natural history and philosophy (that is “science”) was as significant as other contemporary naturalists. The course also offers a critical approach to such notions as “scientific revolution,” “Renaissance man,” and “science and religion.”