Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc

Nicolas Claude Fabri de Peiresc ( Latinized Peirescius; * 1580 Belgentier, † 1637 in Aix -en- Provence) was a French scholar, astronomer, collector, antique dealer and patron.

Life

Peiresc interests as a scholar were widespread. He collected antique gems and coins, he promoted young artists by gave them orders. He ordered from them, among other visible signs and casts of antiquities, in which he demanded careful precision, so that later one or the other copy could be traded as an original. He had a collection of works by contemporary artists such as Simon Vouet, Claude Mellan (* 1596 or 1598, † 1688) and Adrian de Vries.

Of equal importance was his interest in the natural sciences. Thus, the discovery of the Orion Nebula in November 1610 he was in 1916 by Guillaume Bigourdan attributed. He also was interested in the decipherment of hieroglyphs. He donated part of his collection to the Egyptian Jesuit Athanasius Kircher, and thus laid the foundation for the famous Museum Kircherianum at the Roman College in Rome.

Peiresc used an extensive correspondence with scholars, artists and dignitaries throughout Europe, among others, Cardinal Francesco Barberini, Galileo Galilei, Giovanni Battista della Porta, Cassiano dal Pozzo, Peter Paul Rubens, Francis Bacon, William Camden, his friend the poet and antiquarian Girolamo Aleandro and the Sekretät the Apostolic library in Rome, Lucas Holsten. He was also a friend of the philosopher and astronomer Pierre Gassendi, of his biography under the title Viri illustris Nicolai Claudii Fabricius de Peiresc, senatoris aquisextiensis vita published in 1641.

Honors

Charles Plumier named in his honor the genus Pereskia plant the cactus family ( Cactaceae ). Linnaeus took that name is, but related to the genus name Cactus. Philip Miller grabbed the name again.

Also Peirescius, a crater of the Moon, and the asteroid ( 19226 ) Peiresc were named after him.