Leopold was a scholar, a patron of scientists and very interested in scientific studies, and together with his brother, the Grand Duke Ferdinand II, he founded the Accademia del Cimento, (1657 - 1667). He was created a cardinal in 1667.
He collected a number of important scientific instruments, including lenses from Galileo's own telescopes, the "Giovilabio", and several items of the fine glasswork made for the Accademia del Cimento. After his death in 1665, these objects became the property of the Medicean Collection (see Medici family).
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