The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Mathematician of God

Index

Index academia, women in, xiv–xv, 130, 135 academic disputation, 74; and Agnesi, 5–7, 18, 19, 21, 30, 55–57, 64, 68 academies, 79–81, 102, 131, 135; domestic , 6–7, 17, 20; internal, 26–27 Academy of Sciences of Bologna, 82, 86, 102, 120, 122 Accademia Clelia dei Vigilanti, 79–80 Accademia dei Trasformati, 81, 82–83, 86, 130, 131, 134 active sainthood, 69, 70, 91–92 Age of Enlightenment, xiii, 66. See also Catholic Enlightenment; enlightenment ; Milanese Enlightenment Agnesi, Maria Gaetana: and academic disputation, 5–6, 18, 19, 21, 55–57, 64, 68; at the Albergo, 147–149; baptism of, 160n21; birth of, 11; bust of, 146–47, 177n10; on calculus, xi, xiii, xiv, 60–61, 112–13, 114–15, 117, 119; charity work of, 70, 77–78, 145, 148, 149; as child, 17–18; at conversazioni , 8, 38, 78, 81, 145; daily routine of, 77–78; death of, 149; on Giuseppe Gorini Corio, 88, 89–90; grave of, 149, 178n25; health of, 32, 34, 67–68; Instituzioni analitiche, xi, xiii, xiv, 93, 113, 116, 119, 120–123, 133, 145; lectrice honoraria, 122; lifestyle choice of, 67–69; linguistic ability of, 5, 18, 21, 23, 31, 94; “The Mystic Heaven,” 90–92; and mysticism , 90–92; on Newtonianism, 60; oration by, 23, 28, 31, 38, 55; and other learned women, 133; physical appearance of, 68, 78; Propositiones philosophicae , 64–65, 103, 112; renunciation of rights by, 144; spiritual development of, 33, 34, 35; studies of, 69–70, 78, 114–15; as teacher, 70, 76–77, 114, 145; unmarried status of, 124–25; will of, 144–45; withdrawal from academic life, 145–46; work with poor and sick, xii, 68, 70, 145, 148 Agnesi, Maria Gaetana, education of, 28, 44–45, 53–57, 64–66, 130; linguistic, 31–32; mathematical, 29; metaphysical , 49–50; philosophical, 32–33, 46, 47–53; study of ballistics, 52–53; use of Pourchot’s course, 49–50 Agnesi, Maria Teresa, 5, 11, 124–125, 144; career of, 133–34, 149; musical ability of, 6, 8, 19, 21 Agnesi, Pietro, 7, 16, 22; career in public office, 11, 12; children of, 11–12, 23, 25, 149; criticism of, 124–125; death of, 16, 93, 124, 144; inheritance of family patrimony, 10, 11; relationship with Maria Gaetana, 67–68; wives of, 11–12, 157n11, 160n21 211 Page numbers in italics denote illustrations. Agnesi conversazioni, 6–9, 17–20, 101, 105; attendance by ecclesiastics, 35, 38; and religious reform, 58, 81 Agnesi family: crest, 13, 13, 15, 157n24; debts of, 16, 149; documents, xv, 16– 17; education of, 23, 25; ennoblement of, 12–13, 15; history of, 9–17, 34– 35, 144, 149; inheritance of, 9–11, 144, 149; legal settlements of, 10–11; vocations in, 10, 11, 67 Agreda, Maria de (nun), 40, 91 Algarotti, Francesco, 66, 68–69, 82; Newtonianism for Ladies, 7, 57–58, 61, 128–29 algebra, 63, 107–8, 115 anatomy, human, 96, 127 animal souls/spirits, 50–51, 52, 101 antibaroqueness, 77, 86 Arcadia Society, 8, 18, 81, 131 Archinto, Carlo, 80 architecture, 1–2, 151 aristocracy, 15, 22–23, 76, 88–89 aristocratization, 24 Aristotle, 50, 55, 101, 103, 111, 164n23 arithmetic, 61, 63 artisans, 25, 61, 72, 85, 140 “attention,” 30, 49, 65, 87, 128, 129, 142 Augustinian tradition, 136, 139; theology of, 42, 45, 46, 47, 58, 99 Augustus III (of Poland), 20–21 Austrian Succession, War of, 133 Avellino, Andrea, 35, 37, 38 ballistics, 52–53 Bandiera, Giovanni Nicola, 136–38; Treatise on Women’s Studies, 136, 141 Barnabites, 61, 62, 111 baroqueness, 80 Bassi, Laura, 120, 122, 129, 130 beatification, 140 Beccari, Jacopo Bartolomeo, 120–21 Beccaria, Cesare, 66, 96 Beccaria, Giovanni Battista, 45 Bellarmino, Robert, 26, 75 Belloni, Count Carlo, 5, 7, 57, 58, 60; as tutor, 33, 44, 54–55, 64, 79 Beltramina, 131–132 Benedict XIV (pope), 39, 40, 62, 130; on beatification and canonization, 91, 100, 140; on role of women, 130, 140, 141; “third way” of, 142, 150 Benedictines, 62 Bianchini, Francesco, 59 Biblioteca Ambrosiana, 3, 70, 88, 120, 130–31, 177n10 Bini, Giuseppe, 125 Bonati, Antonia, 12, 149 books, forbidden, 70 Borromeo, Carlo (archbishop and cardinal ), 35, 69, 74, 85, 138–39 Borromeo del Grillo, Clelia (countess), 79–80, 81, 109 Borromeo, Federico, 20 Boscovich, Roger, 50, 146 botany, articles on, 96 boys, education of, 45, 74 brachistochrone curve, 107 Brancone, Serafino, 19, 21, 33, 57, 121 Brivio, Alfonso, 33, 157n11, 160n21 Brivio, Anna Fortunata...