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A central sunflower stands in a circular basin of water, its head positioned at the center of a floating ring marked with the hours of the day. A winding ribbon around the stem carries a Latin motto, while the surrounding landscape features additional sunflowers and clouds emitting rays of light. The image illustrates a mechanical device intended to harness the natural movement of plants to track time.

This plate reflects Athanasius Kircher's theories on 'magnetic' sympathies between the celestial and terrestrial realms. It exemplifies the 17th-century attempt to synthesize natural philosophy with Hermetic ideas, suggesting that all of nature is interconnected by hidden forces that can be revealed through scientific artifice.