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Secondary sourcePainting1870-1879

Wood engraving by A. Regulski after F. Tegazzo, Museo Copernicano opening

Franciszek Tegazzo · 1870-1879

A wood engraving commemorating the opening of the Museo Copernicano in Rome, showing busts of Copernicus and Galileo.

It commemorates the Rome museum named for Copernicus and shows how later Italians honoured him, with his main book in the design.

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Ornate engraved print titled RICORDO DELL'INAUGURAZIONE DEL MUSEO COPERNICANO A ROMA. Central bust of a man with shoulder-length hair above a pedestal labeled COPERNICO, flanked by two standing statues: one holding an armillary sphere, one holding a globe and scrolls. Below are two roundel portrait medallions, one of a young man in profile and one of a bearded older man, with a central book labeled DE REVOLUTIONIBUS ORBIUM COELESTIUM. Italian caption text at bottom.
A. Regulski after F. Tegazzo, Ricordo dell'inaugurazione del Museo Copernicano a Roma, 1870-1879. Wellcome Collection, London.

About this source

What it is

This is a wood engraving titled in Italian as a memento of the opening of the Museo Copernicano in Rome. It was designed by Franciszek Tegazzo and engraved by A. Regulski. It is dated 1870 to 1879 and is held by the Wellcome Collection in London. The print shows a central bust labelled COPERNICO, flanked by two statues. Below are two roundel portraits and a book labelled DE REVOLUTIONIBUS ORBIUM COELESTIUM.

Why it matters

The print marks the founding of a museum dedicated to Copernicus, made long after his death in 1543. It shows how nineteenth-century Italians chose to celebrate him, with the book of his main work and the figure of Galileo beside him. The image says as much about the people who commissioned it as it does about Copernicus.

Look closer

  • Who is shown beside Copernicus, and why might the designer have placed them together?
  • What objects around the bust, such as the armillary sphere and the globe, suggest about the subject of the museum?
  • What does a commemorative print leave out about Copernicus's own life and work?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Nicolaus Copernicus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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