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Celestial globe with clockwork
1579
Gerhard Emmoser
Emmoser, who served three emperors, created this globe for Rudolf II. The emperor displayed the scientific apparatus, which once rotated to chart the constellations, in his Kunstkammer. The stand ring's naturalistic rock formations may refer to Greek myth, which held that the spring of inspiration flowed wherever the winged Pegasus's hooves struck. Astronomy rested on knowledge of arithmetic and geometry, fields then considered "the wings of the human mind." This unprecedented fusion of elegant goldsmith work and extraordinarily complex mechanical technology reflects the hand of a great master. |