Archimedean solids in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries

• Published in: Archive for history of exact sciences Vol. 78; no. 6; pp. 631 - 715
• Main Author: Viana, Vera
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-11-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 16th century; Artists; Astronomy; History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics; History of Mathematical Sciences; History of Science; Mathematics; Mathematics and Statistics; Observations and Techniques; Philosophy of Science; 00A66; 51; 52B10; 01A40
• ISSN: 0003-9519; 1432-0657
• DOI: 10.1007/s00407-024-00331-7

Several artists, artisans, and mathematicians described fascinating solid bodies in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The knowledge they developed on the subject was so progressive that it is considered a milestone in the history of polyhedra. In the first part of this study we analyze, from a chronological and comparative perspective, the consistent studies developed between 1460 and 1583 on those that came to be recognized as Archimedean Solids. The authors who engaged in such studies were Piero della Francesca, Luca Pacioli, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Augustin Hirschvogel, an Anonymous Author who accomplished remarkable studies between 1538 and 1556, Wentzel Jamnitzer, Daniele Barbaro, Lorenz Stöer, Rafael Bombelli, and Simon Stevin. In the second part, we discuss how the revolutionary method of describing solid bodies with planar nets contributed to the rediscovery of the Archimedean Solids. We also present our interpretation of some of the studies by the Anonymous Author and our conclusions on his identity and influence on other authors.