Lot 156
156
An extremely rare engraved paper astronomical instrument,
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
An extremely rare engraved paper astronomical instrument,

Details
An extremely rare engraved paper astronomical instrument,
by James Ferguson, dated 29 August 1757 -- 45 x 31.5cm. (17¾ x 12 3/8in.)

See Front Cover and Colour Illustration

The title of the instrument explains that it is used to show the Day of the Month, Change and Age of the Moon, the Places of the Sun and Moon in the Ecliptic, with the times of the rising, southing and setting of the Sun, Moon and Stars to the first, second and third Magnitude, from A.D. 1756 to 1805 inclusive. The instrument takes the form of two volvelles over a circular scale. The first volvelle is graduated around the circumference in hours, followed by age of the moon in days, with representations for quarter, full and new moons. The central section has an off-centre ellipse cut out to show constellations of the northern hemisphere on the volvelle beneath. The chart also shows the graduated ecliptic and equinoctial and is transversed by a scale on the top volvelle 0-90°-0. The remainder of the top volvelle shows tables for the dominical letter and mean time of the new moon in January and The Days of the Months for ever. The second volvelle has the star chart in the centre and scales around the circumference for days of the month and days of the houses of the Zodiac, with the ages of the moon throughout the year with pictoral representations. Both volvelles rotate within a circular calendar scale on the main sheet. Below the instrument is an explanation of use, signed J. Ferguson delin. and beneath this Published Aug. 29.th 1757 according to Act of Parliament.
Literature
MILLBURN, J.R., Wheelwright of the Heavens (London, 1988) pp 90-1
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Ferguson's New Astronomical Instrument marked a return to astronomy following a brief involvement with globe-making. The reason for Ferguson's selling his stock of Senex's globe plates and equipment to Benjamin Martin was given in an advertisement as due to "his indifferent state of health" (Daily Advertiser, 16 July 1757). It appears that Ferguson was not in fact terribly ill and perhaps more likely preferred to return to the field in which he had already excelled, prior to his brief foray into the globe business. The New Astronomical Instrument was a slightly improved version of his Astronomical Rotula of 1742, incoporating the star map; however, on this instrument he chose to omit the position of the Moon's nodes, meaning that the instrument could not be used for predicting eclipses. An example of the New Astronomical Instrument is in the British Library, Map Collection, K.190.

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