Francesco Giorgi

Who was Francesco Giorgi?

Francesco Giorgi Veneto was a Venetian Franciscan friar, and author of the work De harmonia mundi totius from 1525. The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy describes him as 'idiosyncratic'. He wrote also In Scripturam Sacram Problemata.

Giorgi is extensively discussed in Frances Yates, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age. In Chapter 4 she states

In Chapter 12 she discusses Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in the light of the theory of Daniel Banes that Shakespeare was familiar with Giorgi's and related writings on the Cabala.

A copy of De harmonia mundi is listed as once in the Library of Sir Thomas Browne. It is possible that Browne's copy was bequeathed to him from Arthur Dee. John Dee is also known to have possessed a copy of Giorgi's work.