Mathematical Treasure: Matthew Paris’s Miniatures of Greek Philosophers

Author(s):

Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University)

An incomplete 13th-century Latin manuscript of fortune-telling tracts from St. Albans, England, contains documents titled Experimentarius and The Prognostics and was written by Bernardus Silvestris (12th century). The scribe and illuminator of this copy, Matthew Paris of St. Albans (d. 1259), depicted ancient Greek philosophers including Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato.

Pythagoras as shown in 13th-century copy of The Prognostics, fol. 042r.

Plato and Socrates as shown in 13th-century copy of The Prognostics, fol. 031vr.

Euclid and Herman, with astronomical instruments, as shown in 13th-century copy of The Prognostics, fol. 002v.

These images from MS. Ashmole 304 are available from the Digital Bodleian website of the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

Index to Mathematical Treasures

Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University), "Mathematical Treasure: Matthew Paris’s Miniatures of Greek Philosophers," Convergence (July 2023)

Convergence

Tags:

History of Mathematics