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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileSpieluhren, angetrieben durch Wärmekraft
The top half (fig. 1) shows a glass-walled box containing a central candle; above the flame, a spiral ramp winds upward, featuring various tiny figures including people, a dog, a horse, a tree, and a ship. The bottom half (fig. 2) shows a glass cylinder enclosing a central shaft topped by a fire; at the base of this shaft, a cross-shaped mechanism supports pairs of small figures, dressed in 17th-century attire, performing a dance as the device rotates. The style is that of a scientific engraving, with clean lines used to delineate the glass enclosures and the mechanical elements within.
This print originates from Robert Fludd's 'Utriusque Cosmi Maioris scilicet et Minoris metaphysica, physica atque technica Historia' (1617–1619), a foundational work of Hermetic philosophy that attempts to map the macrocosm and microcosm through natural philosophy and mechanical invention.
fig: 1. fig: 2.
Robert Fludd, Utriusque Cosmi
This illustration is a plate from Fludd's encyclopedic work detailing his mechanical and cosmological theories.
Object
engraving
laid paper
Baroque
German
scientific
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
449 × 820 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.