Vanitas still life with a terrestrial globe, ca. 1650s.
Artist: Christian Luycks
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Vanitas still life with a terrestrial globe, ca. 1650s.
Artist: Christian Luycks
Marie-Antoinette, reine de France (detail)
by Jean-Baptiste André Gautier d’Agoty (French, 1740 – 1786) oil on canvas, 1775
Château de Versailles
▪︎ Lane's Pocket Terrestrial and Celestial Globe.
Date: 1811
Place of origin: London
Maker: Nathaniel Lane
Astronomy Inspired Design in Media: Part 21
Helluva Boss (2021)
Don’t worry: no plot spoilers
The demons in Helluva Boss are inspired by the demons from the goetic grimoire Ars Goetia. In particular:
Stolas (also known as Stolos, Stoppas and Solas) is "a Great Prince of Hell, commands twenty-six legions of demons. He teaches astronomy and is knowledgeable about herbs, plants, and precious stones. He is often depicted as a raven or a crowned owl with long legs.
Sound familiar?
The decorations in Stolas’ manor are particularly beautifully done and are often clearly inspired by a combination of astronomy and plants.
The chandelier(? Lamp? Dining room decoration?) in the dining room appears to be a beautifully crafted brass/gold armillary sphere that even rotates on its axis
Armillary spheres are a common decoration for astronomy-inspired decorations, but a nice touch to this armillary sphere is the distinct angle it rotates at. In armillary spheres on Earth, this angle is the result of the tit of the planet (which on Earth is 23.5 degrees) and the surrounding arc represents the path that the sun travels around the Earth
In Stolas’ mansion, this armillary sphere sits at around 40 degrees. From an artistic perspective, I suspect this is to make the silhouette of the decoration read better to an audience. But it could also imply that hell is at a 40 degree tilt to its sun
This view appears in Season 1 Episode 7 “Ozzie’s” (3:27)
Ptolemaic armillary sphere from the Science Museum Group
There is a closer view in Season 2 Episode 1 “The Circus” (18:19)
The entire mansion is filled with astronomical devices and decorations
In the same episode (12:42) in Octavia’s room there is what appears to be an orrery on the ceiling of her bedroom. An orrery is a model to illustrate the relative positions/motions of the planets of moons in a solar system. Turns out hell has a lot of planets!
Since the orrery is on the ceiling it is hard to get a full view of it
The best view is probably in n Season 1 Episode 2 “Loo Loo Land” (2:48) where the center star is more visible
Orrery planetary model from the Science Museum Group
Finally, there is a device in this same episode that is easy to miss (I only noticed it while reviewing clips for more angles of the orrery). At 2:30, blink and you’ll miss it. Hard to see it fully but it appears similar to celestial and terrestrial globes with arcs for the path of the moon or sun
English terrestrial globe with Moon arm from the Science Museum Group
And yes, everyone should watch this show. All episodes are on Youtube
“Astronomy Inspired Design in Media” is Wednesday (as I find them)
A Portable Umbrella Terrestrial Globe, by George Phillips & Sons, c. 1880
The globe is made of coloured silk with contrasting countries and continents with British Empire coloured in red, mounted on an ebonised spring stick with eight spokes with suspension loop to top -- 28in. (71cm.) high
Robert Farquhar, Terrestrial and celestial globe on a stand, 1963,
Printed plexiglas, plastic and painted metal,
Dated and inscribed © 1963 FARQUHAR TRANSPARENT GLOBES PHILADELPHIA, PA. U.S.A. on the globe,
Height : 200 cm ; 78 ¾ in ; diameter : 90 cm ; 35 ½ in
From the Palais Maeterlinck apartment of François and Betty Catroux.
Courtesy: Sotheby’s
A floor standing traditional terrestrial globe – with a modern feeling in the design and colouring.
Colour : Gagarin
Base : Berlin in Aluminium
The globe spins within a hand cast and hand engraved solid brass meridian and can be moved to spin at any angle.
www.bellerbyandco.com
Stift Melk | Bibliothek
c. 1924
via Wikimedia Commons