Beschreibung:

An extremely fine late 20th-Century Italian gilt-brass armillary sphere, A. Moretti, Roma signed on the base-plate A. Moretti Roma Scientific Instruments the sphere with the sun ball at the centre, surrounded by nine concentric planet rings, each with the name in Italian, the Earth represented on its ring by a 2-inch (5.1cm.) diameter ivory globe with engraved lines of longitude and latitude, the outlines of the continents and some basic text, the subsequent rings further with information to do with each planet's date of discovery, orbit around the sun and similar information, held within four colures, two polar and two tropic circles and the equatorial band,the two meridian circles graduated in degrees in four quadrants on both sides, surmounted by a tall baluster-turned finial and edged with a series of small faceted bun finials, the horizon ring graduated in degrees, days of the month and of the houses of the Zodiac with names and pictoral representations, edged with a series of turned ball finials, raised on a short tapering column on three inswept supports over the horizontal base-plate, with eight wind names in Italian and decorative floral engraving, the glazed inset compass with wind rose with sixteen points labelled, and a steel needle, raised on four fine screw adjustable feet 34 in. (86.2 cm.), high