Kommunikation mit Hilfe eines Sprachrohrs

Two figures are positioned on opposite sides of a wide valley with a fortress in the background. On the left, a man speaks into the narrow end of a large conical horn supported by a stand, while on the right, a second man gestures as he receives the magnified sound. Letters (A, B, C, I) are placed throughout the scene to indicate the path of acoustic transmission and the components of the apparatus.

This image reflects Athanasius Kircher's investigations into acoustics and 'natural magic,' where the hidden properties of the physical world are harnessed through mechanical invention. It belongs to the transition between Hermetic wonder and the experimental natural philosophy of the late 17th century, seeking to master the 'sympathies' of sound through geometry.