The Armillary Sphere–Painting

The Armillary Sphere–Painting

The young woman is shown with an armillary sphere very similar to the piece on display (it was modeled on similar instruments). The sphere in the painting does have a couple of additional rings in the sphere to show planetary positions. These spheres can be used to predict the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets in the sky at any latitude or time, thus their use for and connection to astrology.

Personification of Astrology (c. 1650–1665)

by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, 1591–1666)

Blanton Museum of Art, Uuniversity of Texas at Austin

public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

© R. Paselk 2013, Last modified 26 December 2020