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AN ITALIAN ARMILLARY SPHERE

17TH CENTURY

Details
AN ITALIAN ARMILLARY SPHERE
17TH CENTURY
All rings labeled in Latin with punched lettering, supported in outer ring divided 0°-90°-0°-90° with punched numerals, hour ring and pointer to top; the armillary composed of two fixed meridian rings, equatorial, tropics and polar circles and wider zodiac band which is divided on both inner and out surfaces, the outer surface marked with engraved images for each house, inner rotating rings bearing engraved image of sun and a crescent moon, two arms for (lacking) central axis to support earth globe; supported in an associated horizon ring engraved with months on a tripod stand
14 in. (35.5 cm.) high
Provenance
Acquired through Pierre Delbée by Don Bartolomé March Servera for the Library in Miguel Angel, Madrid, circa 1965.

Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

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Lot Essay

The armillary sphere is a demonstrational model of the universe. Composed of several rings (Armillae in Latin) and a band for the Zodiac, it represents the apparent movement of the celestial sphere around the Earth and marks the Sun's annual progress around the ecliptic.
Their use can be traced back to antiquity and the handful of earliest extant examples date from the Middle Ages. But it was in the 16th and 17th centuries that their construction reached a peak and they became such iconic instruments of science. Elaborate and decorative examples were made for princely collections and they became symbolic of astronomy in paintings and engravings of the time.

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