Cassiano dal Pozzo (1583-1657) was secretary to Cardinal Francesco Barberini, the nephew of Pope Urban VIII, and he played an important role in the cultural life of Baroque Rome. He was a member of one of the earliest scientific academies in Europe, the Accademia dei Lincei, which emphasised direct visual observation as the key to unravelling the mysteries of nature. Over many years Cassiano assembled thousands of drawings and prints recording the natural world as part of his Paper Museum, alongside drawings of antiquities and architecture.

Cassiano did not produce the drawings himself; instead he commissioned artists to make meticulous studies of geological specimens, plants, fruit and vegetables, fungi, birds, fish and other animals, some of which were made with the newly-invented microscope. Most of these artists are unknown to us, but one, Vincenzo Leonardi, seems to have worked as Cassiano’s collaborator for many years. Many of the drawings here show their subject at actual size, and several present more than one view of the specimen.

Cassiano’s Paper Museum was acquired by George III in 1762.