“Signs of Time: and the Science of the Stars in the Renaissance”

“Signs of Time” will be on view at the Sterling Hall of Medicine Rotunda within the Medical Library from Sept. 4, 2026 - Feb. 22, 2027

“Signs of Time” is a story about “the science of the stars” in the Renaissance: a cross-cultural prognostic practice that brought celestial events to bear on interpretations of time, from seasonal cycles and courses of illness to calendar reform and biblical chronology. At the center of this story are the graphic traditions that defined the practice and rendered astronomical time intelligible, narratable, and consequential for earthly experience.

Showcasing an extraordinary array of rare books and early printed works from the collections of the Medical Historical Library, the exhibition asks: What celestial phenomena counted as signs of time? How were those signs read and recorded? And who had the authority to interpret them? From the politics of prognostication to the physics of planetary influence, “Signs of Time” presents a unique chapter in the history of science: when medical, theological, and geopolitical interests converged around efforts to understand, organize, and claim authority over time through the language of the stars.