File:A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery RMG PT3149.tiff
Original file (4,800 × 3,926 pixels, file size: 53.92 MB, MIME type: image/tiff)
Captions
Captions
Summary
[edit]| Author |
John Boydell; Joseph Wright; William Pether |
| Description |
English: A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery This mezzotint is based on Joseph Wright of Derby's painting, first exhibited by the Society of Artists in 1766 under the title 'A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery, in which a lamp is put in place of the Sun'. The lesson explained the Copernican, or heliocentric, theory of the solar system by placing a candle in the centre of the orrery and letting the model planets revolve around it. This is a grand orrery, with metal hoops and circles above representing the celestial sphere, a projection of the earth's tilted axis and equator. The lecture appears to be taking place in a domestic setting and three men, a woman, two young children and an older boy present. The painting was reproduced in numerous prints, testifying to its popularity. The rapt attention of the audience and the authority of the lecturer and his subject are heightened by the dramatic use of light, reproduced by Pether in imitation of Wright's original, which is now among the fine collection of his works in Derby Museum and Art Gallery. It was originally in the collection of Earl Ferrers, presumably at Staunton Harold, the Ferrers family seat not far from Wright's native Derby. This is one of quite a number of surviving early impressions of the plate before its full inscription was added, including the title given above. |
| Date | 1768 |
| Dimensions | Overall: 475 x 570 mm; Frame: 650 x 880 mm |
| Source/Photographer | http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/248535 |
| Permission (Reusing this file) |
The original artefact or artwork has been assessed as public domain by age, and faithful reproductions of the two dimensional work are also public domain. No permission is required for reuse for any purpose. The text of this image record has been derived from the Royal Museums Greenwich catalogue and image metadata. Individual data and facts such as date, author and title are not copyrightable, but reuse of longer descriptive text from the catalogue may not be considered fair use. Reuse of the text must be attributed to the "National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London" and a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0 license may apply if not rewritten. Refer to Royal Museums Greenwich copyright. |
| Identifier | id number: PAJ3149 |
| Collection | Fine art |
Licensing
[edit]|
This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason:
The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".
This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain in the United States. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details. | ||||
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 21:17, 19 September 2017 |  | 4,800 × 3,926 (53.92 MB) | Fæ (talk | contribs) | Royal Museums Greenwich Fine art (1768), http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/248535 #2185 |
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