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Witelo
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Witelo

Polish natural scientist and philosopher
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Also known as: Vitello
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Article History
Quick Facts
Latin:
Vitello
Born:
1220, Silesia
Died:
after 1278
Notable Works:
“Perspectiva”
Subjects Of Study:
perspective
See all related content

Witelo (born 1220, Silesia—died after 1278) was a Polish natural scientist and philosopher, best known for his Perspectiva (c. 1274). He studied arts at Paris and canon law at Padua and spent some time at the papal court in Viterbo.

One of the first analyses of space perception, the Perspectiva was incorporated into Opticae thesaurus (1572; “Thesaurus of Optics”), the principal textbook on this subject in the West until the 17th century. Witelo also did original work in the physics of light refraction. In philosophy he upheld the Neoplatonic metaphysics of light that viewed material reality as reflections of a primordial form radiating light identical with God.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.