1-154-907 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

Galileo Galilei, 1623. Portrait of the astronomer Galileo, with a beard and fur collar, shown within an oval frame with Italian text. Two cherubs appear above; one writes in a book and holds a sextant, the other also holds a book and looks through a telescope. Other decorative features include grotesque faces and designs. Plate taken from Il Saggiatore (The Assayer), written by Galileo Galilei, published by the Lincean Academy, 1623. Il Saggiatore is considered one of the greatest polemics in science. The book is addressed to Virginio Cesarini who wrote to Galileo in 1619 praising him for showing him the road of truth. In the book, Galileo suggested a general scientific approach to the investigation of celestial phenomena and his achievements include the discovery of Jupiter's moons.