Six Muggletonian Astronomical Prints

The sect known as the 'Muggletonians' was formed in the aftermath of the English Civil War by cousins Reeve and Lodowick Muggleton. It was a radical religious sect which lasted, in one form or another, into the middle of the nineteenth century. The tenets of the cult were varied but their legacy was one of anti-Trinitarianism: they believed that Christ the Son was, in fact, the true God whilst Heaven was watched over by the prophets Elijah and Moses. In addition, they believed that God paid little attention to his creation, therefore rendering acts of faith and devotion such as prayer, worship, martyrdom and so on pointless. Heaven was to be found on Earth rather than in some afterlife, and Hell likewise existed here. Religious tolerance and lack of ceremony were other characteristics of the 'Muggletonians'.

Isaac Frost, the designer of the plates, was a scientist and prominent member of the sect. He was instrumental in the refinement of their geocentric astronomical theory, as represented in the plates offered here. George Baxter, their printer, developed his unusual method of printing using oil pigments. His works are rare because the process was too expensive to sustain commercial manufacture.