Renaissance magic
Giordano Bruno
Dominican, heretic, cosmologist and master of the art of memory, who turned combinatorial images into instruments for organising mind and reality.
- Dates
- 1548 – 17 February 1600
- Dating
- documented dates
- Born
- Nola
- Died
- Rome, executed by burning
The life
He became a priest in 1572 and fled in 1576 after attracting suspicion of heresy, travelling through Geneva, France, England and the German lands. Returning to Italy in 1591 proved fatal: after years of imprisonment he was condemned and burned at the Campo de' Fiori.
Place in the tradition
His theory of bonds asks how minds, desires and people are bound or influenced, giving his magic an unusually sharp account of persuasion and power.
a note on the record
History and later legend
His execution cannot simply be reduced to 'he was killed for believing in an infinite universe'. His trial involved a complex collection of theological accusations.
the written record
Principal works
-
1582
On the Shadows of Ideas
De umbris idearum
A complex art-of-memory work in which combinatorial images become instruments for organising mind and reality.
-
1582
Cantus Circaeus
Uses magical imagery and memory technique in a philosophically charged setting.
-
c. 1590, manuscript
On Magic
De magia
Examines the different meanings of magic and develops his theory of bonds, sympathies and spirit.
-
c. 1590
On Bonds in General
De vinculis in genere
A disturbing and brilliant analysis of the forces by which minds, desires and persons can be bound or influenced.