An extremely rare and finely constructed late 19th-Century German orrery,, An extremely rare and finely constructed late 19th-Century German orrery,

An extremely rare and finely constructed late 19th-Century German orrery,

細節

An extremely rare and finely constructed late 19th-Century German orrery,
by ERNST SCHOTTE & Co. BERLIN, W Geographisch-artistische Anstalt Entworfen u. gezeichnet von. H. Albrecht., circa 1870, the central pillar with a ¾-inch (1.9cm.) diameter brass sun ball and nine brass collars for nine ebonised iron planetary arms with painted wooden planets and moons on wire arms, Neptune with one moon, Uranus with four moons, Saturn with rings and eight moons, Jupiter with five moons, a representation of the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars comprising eight small painted wooden balls on wire arms, Mars with two moons, the Earth distinctively painted blue, with the moon, Venus and Mercury with no moons, the circular papered horizon plate coloured in green, yellow and orange and graduated in degrees, days of the houses of the Zodiac, days of the month and seasons, with a separate smaller circular scale with brass index showing days of the month and of the houses of the Zodiac and seasons, raised on a complex and finely constructed geared mechanism with turning handle, on an elegant cast bronze column of tulip form, and circular plinth base -- 41½in. 105.4cm.) wide (maximum)

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拍品專文

A prolific manufacturer of globes and planetaria of various sizes and forms, Ernst Schotte & Co. were one of the major names in late nineteenth century German globe-making. Many of their products were intended for school use, and were simple, yet elegant, and unfussy. Many survive, although ironically, given the rigours of the schoolroom, most often in rather less than perfect condition. A complete collection does, however, show the accomplished diversity in size and design offered by the company in the late nineteenth century. A planetarium of this kind by Schotte, however, is unrecorded. The Schmidt collection, which holds examples of almost all known Schotte globes and planetaria, does not include one. In addition to its rarity, it is in almost perfect condition, both aesthetically and mechanically.

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