A set of documents, stored in the Historical Archive of Padua University (the call number is Economato, Inventari e relative variazioni di Istituti, Cliniche e Scuole, registro 13 “Geometria superiore” (ex B38)), shows the purchase of mathematical models and their registration as part of the University assets.
They are prospectuses of the increase or decrease of the number of models (owned by Padua University), where all expenses were registered, which each University organization had to have. The director of each of these organizations (libraries, Departments, etc.), being responsible of the assets, had to sign the books, as well as the University Dean; then the books had to be sent to the Minister of Public Education to be validated by the Accountancy Department. You can see the signature of the Head Director of the State Accountancy Department at the bottom of each prospectus.
In these prospectuses, all the purchases, like furniture, books and various objects are described and registered, according to the date of purchase, from January to June and from July to December.
In the prospectuses of the “Gabinetto di Geometria Superiore” (Workshop of Higher Geometry) whose Director was Giuseppe Veronese, all the mathematical models bought in the period from 1888 to 1904 are registered.
Specifically, in the register of the first semester of 1891, dated May 1st, 1891, the purchase of 37 models is accounted for, with a note in the column ‘origin and justification’: ‘Purchase made in Germany’. The list enumerates 9 models of surface of the 2nd order of cardboard, 2 models of the 2nd order of thread, 16 models of chalk and 10 of the 4th order of surface of thread.
In the last prospectus that we present here, which comprises ten years of purchases, from 1904 to 1914, you can also notice that 3 display cabinets had been bought to store the models.
Among the purchase documents, there is an invoice issued by the Brill Manufactory, dated June 5th, 1888, for the purchase of models of different series. The invoice was kept in the folder of the letters for the models.
The models made of chalk, thread and iron have been preserved, but unfortunately those of cardboard no longer exist.