The Sphere of the World with Commentaries (1485) - Page 8

Arctic Pole

A woodcut illustration of an armillary sphere, set within a double-line rectangular border. The sphere consists of a series of rings representing the celestial circles, centered on a small dark globe representing the Earth.

The primary feature is a broad diagonal band representing the ecliptic, which contains the twelve signs of the zodiac. On the front, visible signs include Gemini (♊︎), Cancer (♋︎), Leo (♌︎), Virgo (♍︎), Libra (♎︎), Scorpio (♏︎), Sagittarius (♐︎), and Capricorn (♑︎). On the inner part of the band, seen from the back, are the signs of Aquarius (♒︎), Pisces (♓︎), Aries (♈︎), and Taurus (♉︎).

The central axis of the sphere is a pole held at the bottom by a hand emerging from a stylized cloud on the right. Two stars mark the top and bottom points of the axis. A winding scroll is wrapped around the lower part of the axis.

Antarctic Pole

Sphere of the World