Richard Dunn

Picturing the practitioner: notes towards an iconography of astrological practice

Abstract

In the preface to his Monas Hieroglyphica of 1564, John Dee offered up an evocative image. The powerful symbolic language his text described would, he claimed, reform the observational practices of the 'astronomus' (astrologer/astronomer), who would, 'regret all the sleep-less vigils and cold labors he has suffered under the open sky, when here, without any discomfort from the air, under his own roof, with windows and doors shut on all sides, at any given time, he is able to observe the movements of the heavenly bodies? And, indeed, without any mechanical instruments made from wood or brass? Dee's textual image is the inspiration for this paper, which will explore the possibility of using visual and literary iconography as evidence of astrological practice. Focusing on European representations of astrologers and the attributes of their work in the period 1550-1800, it will examine the extent to which such images might allow the historian to think about the practices of astrology and the relationship of astrologers to their apparatus and clients.

Biography

Richard Dunn is Senior Curator and Head of Science and Technology at Royal Museums Greenwich. He is a historian of science by training, having completed a PhD on astrology in Elizabethan England. He has worked in museums for many years and has published on the histories of navigation, scientific instruments and astrology. His recent publications include The Telescope: A Short History (2009) and Finding Longitude (with Rebekah Higgitt, 2014).