Accession No
3787
Brief Description
32 printed celestial chart cards, ‘Urania’s mirror or a view of the heavens’, by Samuel Leigh, English, 1825 (c)
Origin
England; London; 18 Strand
Maker
Leigh, Samuel
Class
prints; astronomy
Earliest Date
1825
Latest Date
1834
Inscription Date
Material
paper (card, tissue and one other)
Dimensions
each plate breadth 199mm; height 138mm box length 238mm; breadth 173mm; height 28mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Christie’s, London, England; lot 25, 19/11/1987.
Inscription
‘URANIA’S MIRROR
or a
VIEW OF THE HEAVENS’ (lid of box)
‘London, Published by Samuel Leigh, 18, Strand.’ (lid of box)
‘Sidy. Hall, sculpt.’ (lid of box and each print)
Description Notes
‘Urania’s mirror or a view of the heavens’, 32 printed celestial chart cards, by Samuel Leigh, English, c. 1825.
32 cards printed with the constellations (figures of mythology and scientific instruments), delicately hand coloured and pierced with holes at the stellar positions for illumination and display. In original decorated card box.
Condition good; complete.
[See also HC18 = modern reprint + guide]
References
Events
Description
This set of 32 cards shows the constellations of the night sky. The cards are pierced with small holes so that you can shine a light through them, giving the impression of the stars shining.
The hand-coloured images depict the mythological figures associated with the constellations. The cards are entitled ‘Urania’s mirror or, a view of the heavens’ (Urania is the classical Muse of astronomy).
The cards were published in London, probably around 1825. They include some new constellations that were created in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, such as the electrical machine, the printing press, and the air balloon (which honoured the Montgolfier brothers’ first balloon ascents in the 1780s). These constellations were created in areas of the southern sky that astronomers in the ancient world had not mapped. They are no longer in use today.
02/05/2008
Created by: Dr. Jenny Downes on 02/05/2008
FM:40165
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