Non-living naturalia in Clusius's correspondence, Part I. Clusius's collection and Cromer's subterranean adventures

Orbán, Áron (2022) Non-living naturalia in Clusius's correspondence, Part I. Clusius's collection and Cromer's subterranean adventures. HUNGARIAN STUDIES: A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR HUNGARIAN STUDIES AND BALASSI INSTITUTE, 36 (S). pp. 68-94. ISSN 0236-6568

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Abstract

Carolus Clusius (Charles de l’Écluse, 1526–1609), one of the most renowned naturalists of sixteenth-century Europe, was a versatile man of letters. One of his fields of interest neglected in scholarship is his attitude and activities around what was called fossilia at that time, and what can today be called non-living naturalia : metals, gems, various strange „stones”, fossils, medicinal earths. Such naturalia appear several times in his correspondence: this study reviews how Clusius took part in the collecting, exchange and discussions about these inorganic objects in the European respublica litteraria . He could even be involved in geological or palaeontological issues of his age. The investigation will not only throw light on the activities of Clusius and some of his correspondents, but also taps into to the broader topic of communication and exchange in the Literary Republic of the time, and may even contribute to the history of the natural sciences in the period. Some of the non-living naturalia Clusius was interested in (like „Saint Ladislaus's coin” or the medicinal earth of Tokaj) could be found in Hungary and he looked for them by way of friends in that region (it is known that one of his most important patrons was the Hungarian aristocrat Boldizsár Batthyány). For reasons of space, the study will be published in two parts: Sections 1–3 can be read in this issue, while Sections 4–7 will be published in the next.

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