Room VII presents information about geographical and astronomical knowledge in Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries and about the great voyages of exploration undertaken in that period. The objects exhibited demonstrate the substantial progress achieved in producing maps of the Earth and the Cosmos. This is illustrated by the spectacular celestial and terrestrial globes made in the specialized workshops that flourished most notably in the Netherlands in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Their products were distributed across Europe. The globes were successful because of their effectiveness as teaching and demonstration aids. Also displayed are geographical maps and armillary spheres. Among these, the great "universal machine of the world" made by Antonio Santucci for Ferdinand I de' Medici is exceptional for its size. By turning a handle placed on an axis running through the sphere and the Earth, one could simulate the motion of the stars predicted by the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic system.