Talismans, armillary spheres, human bodies: magic and art of memory in Marsilio Ficino

Abstract

Marsilio Ficino was a central figure in the Platonic and Hermetic revival in Renaissance
Europe, yet his engagement with the art of memory remains largely unexplored. Given his
profound influence on later thinkers associated with mnemonic traditions, a deeper investigation
into this aspect of his work is essential. This study examines Ficino’s treatment of
mnemotechnics, particularly in his Letter to the Mathematician Banco. Furthermore, it explores
the application of these ideas in Ficino’s Imago mundi, as discussed in De Vita Coelitus
Comparanda, and its connection to Renaissance scientific instruments like the armillary
sphere. Through this approach, the study aims to shed light on Ficino’s broader intellectual
project and its intersections with memory, talismanic practices, and cosmology.