Celestial Planetarium
Unknown Artist (French)
Made 1820-1830
Glass, Enamel, Brass
28 x 17 cm
National Maritime Museum, London
A truly beautiful celestial globe, and a far cry from the plain, wooden offerings available today. Imagine the beauty when the mechanism still functioned: the gears slowly moving the Earth around the globe; light reflecting onto the walls of your study as you work at your desk.
The inside features the Sun, very small depictions of Venus and Mercury, and a small Earth with hand-drawn details, including the labelling of Paris. Numerous stars are depicted on both hemispheres, with the depiction of some constellations; both constructed, and only labelled. The brass band is not correctly aligned.