Accession No

1590

Brief Description

Ptolemaic armillary sphere, partly by Charles François Delamarche, French, 1790 (c)

Origin

France; Paris; Rue du Jardin

Maker

Delamarche, Charles François [globe only]

Class

astronomy

Earliest Date

1790

Latest Date

1790

Inscription Date

Material

paper (pasteboard and one other); wood; metal (brass)

Dimensions

diameter of base 190mm; diamter of globe 300mm approx; height 510mm approx

Special Collection

Provenance

Purchased from S Pratt Ltd., Mount Street, London W1, England, in 05/1971.

Inscription

‘GLOBE TERRESTRE
A PARIS
Chez x DELAMARCHE
Géog Rue du Jardin et No 13’ (globe)

Description Notes

Ptolemaic armillary sphere, made partly by Charles François Delamarche, French, c. 1790.

Pasteboard rings covered with engraved printed paper. Painted red round edges; mounted on turned wooden stand (later addition?). Fixed meridian circle (‘MÉRIDEN; DÉGRÉS D’ÉLÉVATION DU POLE ARCTIQUE DÉGRÉS D’ÉLÉVATION DU POLE ANTARTIQUE.’) divided 0 - 90˚ - 0 and 90˚ - 0 - 90˚ from poles, numbered by 10˚, subdivided to 1˚. Also I - XXX over one quadrant. Hour circle over meridian circle divided I - XII, I - XII, numbered by I, subdivided to 15 minutes.
On metal spike from centre of axis in middle of rings, terrestrial globe: 12 paper gores (Tasmania not separate from Australia).
Within meridian circle, free to rotate but not fixed to each other, forming a sphere are Arctic Circle (‘CERCLE DU PÔLE ARTIQUE OU BORÉAL’), divided 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, numbered by 10˚. Tropic of Cancer (‘TROPIQUE DU CANCER’), divided 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, numbered by 10˚. Equator (‘EQUATEUR OU LIGNE EQUINOXIALE’) divided 0 - 360˚, numbered by 10˚. Tropic of Capricorn (‘TROPIQUE DU CAPRICORNE’) divided 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, numbered by 19˚. Antarctic circle (‘CERCLE DU PÔLE ANTARTIQUE OU AUSTRAL) divided 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, 0 - 90, numbered by 10˚.
Equinoctial colure (‘COLURE DES EQUINOXES’) divided 0 - 90 - 0 - 90 - 0, numbered by 10˚; solstitial colure (‘COLURE DES SOLSTICES’) divided 0 - 90 - 0 - 90 - 0, numbered by 10.
Ecliptic circle divided to months, subdivided to 1 day. Also zodiac scale divided to sign, numbered 10-20-30 for each sign, subdivided to 1˚.
Suspended from solstitial colure are brass strips with sun and moon rotatable in plane of the ecliptic.

References

Events