A rare 18th century manuscript enters the collections of the National Library of Naples

The National Library of Naples enriches its holdings with a new acquisition: a rare 18th-century manuscript by Michele Vargas y Machuca, duke (Salerno, 1733-1795), dated Naples, 1776. Demonstration of the origin, cause and effects of a red coral plant [...]. Of a petrified bone. Of a stone quarried from the bowels of the boulder of Monti Leucocci of Naples [...]. And of a cricket reduced to a skeleton by dew. Da umiliarsi a’ Reali piedi di S.M.C. Carlo III is a precious paper manuscript with five watercolors accompanied by a dedication, a testimony of great historical and cultural value that contributes to expanding the institute’s collections and further enhancing the documentary heritage of the city.

It is a short collection of natural history essays written by Duke Michael de Vargas y Machucca and dedicated to Charles III of Bourbon. The work is divided into four chapters dealing respectively with corals, a fossil bone, a “piece of tufa with sea shell from within found in the Leucoceous Mountains,” and a cricket crystallized by dew. The watercolors illustrate the phenomena observed by Vargas, a prolific author of ancient and modern history and law.

The work represents an important trace of scientific and naturalistic thought in the 18th century, a period characterized by a profound focus on the observation of nature, research and the dissemination of knowledge. The manuscript offers a significant glimpse of that era in which intellectual curiosity and scientific inquiry were intertwined with the desire to understand and narrate the world.

The addition of this document to the National Library’s collections provides a valuable opportunity for scholars, researchers and enthusiasts.

A rare 18th century manuscript enters the collections of the National Library of Naples

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.