This thesis reconstructs the mathematical and scientific work of Gianantonio Tadini (1754–1830), a hydraulic engineer from Romano di Lombardia (BG). Despite the efforts of Giuseppe Bravi, who posthumously published some of his works [Tadini (1830a)], [Tadini (1840)] and wrote a scientific biography [Bravi (1835)], Tadini was nearly forgotten over time: probably due to his collaboration with the Napoleonic and Republican governments, during the Restoration he was considered an inconvenient figure. His works remained barely unknown until the late 20th century, when he was rediscovered with some papers on the subject, most of them dedicated to his experiments on falling bodies [Fiocca (1998); Borgato (2007b); Giannini (2012b)] and biographical reconstructions [Fiocca (2003); Rosati (2003); Di Fidio and Gandolfi (2014)]. Recently, a large collection of manuscripts had been donated to the Angelo Mai Library in Bergamo, making accessible a vast and unpublished material. This thesis follows this recent rediscovery, aiming to provide a comprehensive and systematic study of Tadini’s work. We examined both his published writings and unpublished manuscripts, while offering, for the first time, a complete edition of his extensive correspondence. This corpus (about three linear metres of manuscripts and 500 letters) represents an important resource for reconstructing not only the mathematician’s scientific biography, but also the cultural, academic, and political milieu in which he operated. We focused on multiple aspects: a critical examination of published works, the transcription and collation of unpublished texts, the historical and scientific contextualisation, and the reconstruction of Tadini’s relations with the contemporary academic community. During this research, we found out that Tadini was a multifaceted and original scientist, capable of engaging with diverse disciplines and ad dressing both theoretical and practical problems. His studies in hydraulics show an innovative approach to the motion of water, solving some open problems, particularly the motion of water in two dimensions. As a physicist, he also investigated the stability of bridges, weight distribution, and mechanical stress. He gave interesting reflections on the foundations of mathematical analysis, where he attempted to justify the coefficients of the Taylor series expansion using a personal and original method. This critical spirit appears in his entire oeuvre, from his polemics with Vincenzo Brunacci and replies to Gaspard Prony, to his reflections on Laplace and even to his writings on theology and cosmology. He also was a skilled physicist and collector of useful data, including those on smallpox mortality in Lombardy, on water evaporation and on wave’s motion. The thesis also examines Tadini’s involvement in a great engineering project: the Diotto channel, a plan to connect Lake Maggiore to the Naviglio Grande via a navigable canal, that shows his ability to unite both theoretical and practical approaches. Also, his participation in the debate surrounding the Naviglio Pavese and his disagreements with Ottaviano Fabrizio Mossotti confirm his active role in the principal scientific and technical discussions of his time. We believe we have been able to restore the image of an extraordinarily versatile scientist who critically engaged with some of the central themes of nineteenth century mathematics and applied science. Although it was not possible to analyse the entirety of the available material, this research underscores the importance of Tadini’s contribution and offers an interpretative framework that integrates theoretical, experimental, and the multidisciplinarity of his research. We think we showed how figures, nowadays considered as marginal, also played a decisive role in the circulation of ideas and the advancement of science.
Questa tesi ricostruisce l'opera matematica e scientifica di Gianantonio Tadini (1754-1830), ingegnere idraulico di Romano di Lombardia (BG). Nonostante gli sforzi di Giuseppe Bravi, che pubblicò postumo alcune delle sue opere [Tadini (1830a)], [Tadini (1840)] e scrisse una biografia scientifica [Bravi (1835)], Tadini fu quasi dimenticato nel corso del tempo: probabilmente a causa della sua collaborazione con i governi napoleonico e repubblicano, durante la Restaurazione fu considerato una figura scomoda. Le sue opere rimasero pressoché sconosciute fino alla fine del XX secolo, quando fu riscoperto con alcuni articoli sull'argomento, la maggior parte dei quali dedicati ai suoi esperimenti sulla deviazione dei corpi in caduta [Fiocca (1998); Borgato (2007b); Giannini (2012b)] e ricostruzioni biografiche [Fiocca (2003); Rosati (2003); Di Fidio e Gandolfi (2014)]. Recentemente, la sua vasta collezione di manoscritti è stata donata alla Biblioteca Angelo Mai di Bergamo, rendendo accessibile un materiale in gran parte inedito. La tesi si innesta all’interno di questa recente riscoperta, con l'obiettivo di fornire uno studio completo e sistematico dell'opera di Tadini. Abbiamo esaminato sia i suoi scritti pubblicati che i manoscritti inediti, offrendo per la prima volta un'edizione completa della sua vasta corrispondenza. Questo corpus (circa tre metri lineari di manoscritti e 500 lettere) rappresenta una risorsa importante per ricostruire non solo la biografia scientifica del matematico, ma anche l'ambiente culturale, accademico e politico in cui operava. Ci siamo concentrati su molteplici aspetti: un esame critico delle opere pubblicate, la trascrizione e la collazione dei testi inediti, la contestualizzazione storica e scientifica e la ricostruzione delle relazioni di Tadini con la comunità accademica contemporanea. Grazie a questa ricerca, Tadini si è profilato come uno scienziato poliedrico e originale, capace di confrontarsi con diverse discipline e di affrontare problemi sia teorici che pratici. I suoi studi di idraulica hanno mostrato un approccio innovativo al moto delle acque, risolvendo alcuni problemi aperti, in particolare il moto dell'acqua in due dimensioni. Come fisico, ha studiato la stabilità dei ponti, la distribuzione del peso e le sollecitazioni meccaniche. Ha fornito interessanti riflessioni sui fondamenti dell'analisi matematica, tentando di giustificare i coefficienti dello sviluppo in serie di Taylor utilizzando un metodo personale e originale. Questo spirito critico traspare in tutta la sua opera, dalle polemiche con Vincenzo Brunacci e Gaspard Prony, alle riflessioni su Laplace, sino a scritti di teologia e cosmologia. Era anche un abile fisico e collezionista di dati di pubblica utilità. Studiò la mortalità per vaiolo in Lombardia, l'evaporazione dell'acqua e il moto delle onde. Abbiamo esaminato anche il coinvolgimento di Tadini in un grande progetto ingegneristico: il canale Diotto, dove Tadini dimostra grande abilità nell’approccio sia pratico che teorico nel problema della costruzione di un canale artificiale per collegare il Lago Maggiore al Naviglio Grande. Inoltre, la sua partecipazione al dibattito sul Naviglio Pavese e i suoi disaccordi con Ottaviano Fabrizio Mossotti confermano il suo ruolo attivo nelle principali discussioni scientifiche e tecniche del suo tempo. Riteniamo di essere riusciti a ricostruire l'immagine di uno scienziato straordinariamente versatile che si è occupato in modo critico di alcuni dei temi centrali della matematica e delle scienze applicate del XIX secolo. Sebbene non sia stato possibile analizzare la totalità del materiale a disposizione, questa ricerca sottolinea l'importanza del contributo di Tadini e la forte multidisciplinarietà di approccio con cui conduceva le proprie ricerche.
Gianantonio Tadini (1754-1830): una biografia scientifica con un’analisi critica delle opere edite e delle carte d’archivio
PISATI, ARRIGO
2026
Abstract
This thesis reconstructs the mathematical and scientific work of Gianantonio Tadini (1754–1830), a hydraulic engineer from Romano di Lombardia (BG). Despite the efforts of Giuseppe Bravi, who posthumously published some of his works [Tadini (1830a)], [Tadini (1840)] and wrote a scientific biography [Bravi (1835)], Tadini was nearly forgotten over time: probably due to his collaboration with the Napoleonic and Republican governments, during the Restoration he was considered an inconvenient figure. His works remained barely unknown until the late 20th century, when he was rediscovered with some papers on the subject, most of them dedicated to his experiments on falling bodies [Fiocca (1998); Borgato (2007b); Giannini (2012b)] and biographical reconstructions [Fiocca (2003); Rosati (2003); Di Fidio and Gandolfi (2014)]. Recently, a large collection of manuscripts had been donated to the Angelo Mai Library in Bergamo, making accessible a vast and unpublished material. This thesis follows this recent rediscovery, aiming to provide a comprehensive and systematic study of Tadini’s work. We examined both his published writings and unpublished manuscripts, while offering, for the first time, a complete edition of his extensive correspondence. This corpus (about three linear metres of manuscripts and 500 letters) represents an important resource for reconstructing not only the mathematician’s scientific biography, but also the cultural, academic, and political milieu in which he operated. We focused on multiple aspects: a critical examination of published works, the transcription and collation of unpublished texts, the historical and scientific contextualisation, and the reconstruction of Tadini’s relations with the contemporary academic community. During this research, we found out that Tadini was a multifaceted and original scientist, capable of engaging with diverse disciplines and ad dressing both theoretical and practical problems. His studies in hydraulics show an innovative approach to the motion of water, solving some open problems, particularly the motion of water in two dimensions. As a physicist, he also investigated the stability of bridges, weight distribution, and mechanical stress. He gave interesting reflections on the foundations of mathematical analysis, where he attempted to justify the coefficients of the Taylor series expansion using a personal and original method. This critical spirit appears in his entire oeuvre, from his polemics with Vincenzo Brunacci and replies to Gaspard Prony, to his reflections on Laplace and even to his writings on theology and cosmology. He also was a skilled physicist and collector of useful data, including those on smallpox mortality in Lombardy, on water evaporation and on wave’s motion. The thesis also examines Tadini’s involvement in a great engineering project: the Diotto channel, a plan to connect Lake Maggiore to the Naviglio Grande via a navigable canal, that shows his ability to unite both theoretical and practical approaches. Also, his participation in the debate surrounding the Naviglio Pavese and his disagreements with Ottaviano Fabrizio Mossotti confirm his active role in the principal scientific and technical discussions of his time. We believe we have been able to restore the image of an extraordinarily versatile scientist who critically engaged with some of the central themes of nineteenth century mathematics and applied science. Although it was not possible to analyse the entirety of the available material, this research underscores the importance of Tadini’s contribution and offers an interpretative framework that integrates theoretical, experimental, and the multidisciplinarity of his research. We think we showed how figures, nowadays considered as marginal, also played a decisive role in the circulation of ideas and the advancement of science.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
