Palmer, at the Morgan Library, said in an interview that he accepts Wilding’s findings that the 1607 letter is not genuine Galileo, and that the library will update its catalog to note that it was “previously attributed to Galileo”.
The revelation of the smithies did not fundamentally change Galileo’s discovery, which was already documented. However, it discards what once appeared to be an apparently compelling first sketch of the discovery that appeared to show the scientist grappling in real time with his observations. Some scholars have struggled to understand exactly what Galileo was outlining on the Michigan document; Now that it’s been declared fake, it seems any mystery may have stemmed from the counterfeiter’s confusion, not the scientist’s. “We are left with a simpler account that is easier to understand,” says Wilding. “There’s nothing distracting to having to explain this argument that doesn’t quite fit.”
Now, Michigan library staff are looking at ways to use the object to examine the methods and motives behind the smithy, potentially making it the centerpiece of an exhibition or convention. future topics.
“Fake is a really good thing,” says Hayward. “Exploring in a number of ways makes this item more appealing.”
During his research on Nicotra, Wilding learned that the Italians had begun selling fake letters and musical manuscripts to support the seven lovers. According to Wilding, an investigation into a dubious manuscript by Mozart led the police to raid his Milan apartment in 1934, finding a virtual “fake factory”, with eventual reports taken from old books and fakes from Lorenzo de’ Medici, Christopher Columbus, and other historical figures.
Scholars warn that there are likely other fake documents in the collections waiting to be discovered.
“There are certainly more forges out there,” said Hannah Marcus, an associate professor in the history of science at Harvard, who is writing a book on Galileo’s correspondence with Paula Findlen of Stanford University. She commends Wilding for the work he’s done in exposing the fakes. “Not everything should be read with an air of doubt,” she said, “but everything should be read with a careful eye.”
