Faustina Pignatelli

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Newtonian thought began to prevail over Cartesian thought, representing a new vision of science that deserved to be disseminated and appreciated in southern Italy. In Naples, Newton’s ideas found fertile ground thanks to the efforts of scholars such as the brothers Niccolò and Pietro De Martino, but also thanks to the interest in mathematics shown by some members of the aristocracy and the birth of cultural salons inspired by experimentalism. Princess Faustina Pignatelli (1702-1785) was one of the most representative figures of this proliferation. A pupil of Niccolò De Martino, Pignatelli became one of the protagonists of the Neapolitan salons, places of scientific and cultural confrontation, taking an active part in the most important scientific debates of the time. Her preparation and commitment led to her being elected a member of the Academy of Sciences in Bologna in 1732. In the debate between the Cartesians and Leibnizians on the question of vis viva, she will make a decisive contribution, distinguishing herself as a constant mediator between the two positions.