Brass Armillary Sphere on Wooden Base — Handmade Decor

A brass armillary sphere set on a solid wooden base — lower and broader than the stand version, and steadier on an open shelf.

Details

• Handmade brass sphere on a solid wood base
• Concentric rings on a tilted axis
• Engraved ring detail
• Low, broad footing — stable on shelves and consoles
• Suits a bookshelf, mantelpiece, console or desk

Choosing between the versions

A tall stand raises the sphere to eye level when you are seated, which is right for a desk. A flat base keeps the whole object lower and wider, which is right for a shelf among books or a mantelpiece where height would compete with everything else.

The instrument

Armillary spheres model the celestial sphere — the apparent dome of the sky — using rings for the equator, ecliptic, tropics and meridian. They were used for teaching and for measurement from antiquity into the Renaissance, and the design is old enough that Ptolemy described building one.