Portrait of a Botanist (Ulisse Aldrovandi?) 1570

Bartolomeo Passerotti painted this possible portrait of Ulisse Aldrovandi in Italy around 1550-1592. At this time, the natural sciences were undergoing a period of rapid development that transformed European societies. Passerotti’s representation of the botanist raises questions about the social status of science. Aldrovandi is pictured with plants and jars, gesturing as if teaching. The portrait shows a new kind of intellectual, who engages in observation and experimentation. The founding of scientific academies was an important part of this shift, as scholars sought to establish places for the legitimization and dissemination of new knowledge. The image speaks to the rising prestige of scientific knowledge and to the social and institutional changes that accompanied it. To understand this artwork better, we can look at the history of science and the patronage system in Italy. This portrait tells us a great deal about the cultural transformations of the late Renaissance, and the important and changing role of the scientist.