The Silesian Impact of Hero’s Treatise. Salomon de Caus and the Wrocław Garden of Laurentius Scholz

In the existing literature, Salomon de Caus has been credited as the inventor of a device where water circulation was driven by pneumatic tanks equipped with lenses. The identification of such a device in the garden of Laurentius Scholz in Wrocław nearly two decades earlier prompted the necessity to verify this belief. The authors attempted to elucidate the functioning of the device based on available texts, analogies, and iconography. They also presented the contemporary technologies of water devices in gardens, including their sources, functions, and cultural significance. The methods of supplying water to gardens were analyzed, along with the likely connection between the garden and the water supply network in Wrocław. The discussion incorporated the perception of water, encompassing preferences and the assessment of water quality based on its origin (rainwater, well water, river water, lake water, etc.). The symbolism and intricate depiction of the manifestation of the water element in gardens were explained. Based on preserved treatises and accounts, the authors determined that individual elements of the device could be found in works dedicated to hydraulics, pneumatics, distillation, or medicine. They speculated that both Scholz and de Caus may have become acquainted with the solar pump in one of the gardens in Italy, such as Tivoli, or most likely in Pratolino, where numerous automata could be found, primarily inspired by the works of Heron of Alexandria.