1840 Lopez Armillary Sphere or Orrery of the Solar System

UniversoCopernico-lopez-1840
$950.00
Maquina del Universo segun Copernico. El Circulo maximo, representa la bobeda del Firmamento, su Centro, el Sol: y su vacio en el que navegam los Planetas y demas cuerpos la Atmosfera.
Maquina del Universo segun Copernico. El Circulo maximo, representa la bobeda del Firmamento, su Centro, el Sol: y su vacio en el que navegam los Planetas y demas cuerpos la Atmosfera.
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1840 Lopez Armillary Sphere or Orrery of the Solar System

UniversoCopernico-lopez-1840

Depicts seven of the planets, Juno, Ceres, and Pallas in the asteroid belt, and a comet!

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Title

Maquina del Universo segun Copernico. El Circulo maximo, representa la bobeda del Firmamento, su Centro, el Sol: y su vacio en el que navegam los Planetas y demas cuerpos la Atmosfera.
  1840 (undated)    7 x 5.5 in (17.78 x 13.97 cm)

Description

This is a c. 1840 Pedro Martín de López armillary sphere or orrery of the solar system. The orrery depicts, in order, the Sun at the center, followed by Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, the asteroids / dwarf planets Juno, Ceres, and Pallas, and the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. The Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus are depicted with moons. A comet and its slingshot-like path descend from the upper left and returns nearly to the same place, after orbiting the Sun. The constellations and their symbols are listed on the outer sphere.

Ceres, Pallas, and Juno were the first three asteroids discovered in the asteroid belt. Ceres is large enough that that it is classified as a dwarf planet, while the other two are classified as asteroids. Ceres was the first of the three to be discovered and takes up 1/3 of the entire mass of the asteroid belt.

This orrery is extremely rare. Although undated, most publications by López's Establecimiento Geografico de Lopez date to the 1830s or 1840s. We are aware of only one other example.

Cartographer

Pedro Martín de López (fl. c. 1825 – 1847) was a Spanish map publisher active in Madrid during the first part of the 19th century. Pedro Martín de López was the heir to the mapmaking empire established by Tomás López in the late 19th century. When Tomás López died in 1802, his maps fell into the hands of his sons, particularly Juan López (1765-1825), who with an education in geography from the best universities in Paris, was well trained to inherit and expand the family business. On Juan's death, in 1825, the business was taken over by his step-nephew Pedro Martín de López, who published under the imprint Establecimiento Geografico de Lopez. The firm remained active until about 1857, after which we have identified no further republications.

Condition

Good. Even overall toning. One of the arms is missing. Very fragile.