Chris,
Thanks so much for pointing us to this image. One is reminded of Arthur C.
Clarke’s observation that any advanced technology seems magical.
John
Sent from my iPad
On Jan 29, 2019, at 2:19, epostboxx@xxxxxxxx wrote:------------------------------------------------------------------
List members who came to Li-Ideas from a predecessor (does a prohibition on
mentioning its name still exist, I wonder?) may (if they have long memories)
remember that 'orreries' were once a topic of discussion. (Does anyone have a
clue as to how long ago that was?)
'Today's [or perhaps yesterday's or tomorrow's, depending on the reader's
time zone] featured picture' on Wikipedia features an orrery, and comments:
"A PHILOSOPHER LECTURING ON THE ORRERY is a painting by Joseph Wright of
Derby depicting a lecturer giving a demonstration of an orrery to a small
audience. The painting broke with tradition in depicting the awe produced by
scientific 'miracles', while previous artistic depiction of such wonder was
reserved for religious events."
The commentary fails to mention the date of the painting, which is found when
one follows the link to the painting itself: circa 1766.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page#/media/File:Wright_of_Derby,_The_Orrery.jpg
Chris Bruce,
who continues to wonder about
the starry heavens above, in
Kiel, Germany
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
