Mathematical Treasures - Tagliente's Commercial Arithmetic

Girolamo Tagliente was a 16^th-century Venetian mathematician and teacher of bookkeeping. His Opera che insegna a fare ogni ragione de mercantia (1525) was a popular text on commercial arithmetic. Several of Tagliente’s works were published in collaboration with a cousin who was a noted calligrapher and this man’s artistic talent may be evident in the Opera.

A block print of two working mathematicians serves as the frontispiece.

The text begins with a discussion on numeration.

“Finger numeral gestures” were very much a part of commercial life at this time.

An illustrated problem involving trade:

The images above are provided courtesy of Columbia University Libraries, George Arthur Plimpton Collection.

Index to Mathematical Treasures