Moon: Gassendi and crater
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Moon / James Nasmyth, 1851. - 5: Gassendi and crater; Painting by James Nasmyth of part of the surface of the Moon, dated 1851. 123x116cm.
James Nasmyth started observing the moon in the 1840s, while running a revolutionary engineering business in Manchester. He tried to use the most up-to-date lunar map published by German astronomers but found the two-dimensional line drawing did not equate easily with the three-dimensional surface he observed. He therefore produced a series of sketches and paintings, from hundreds of observations, focusing on the light and shadow created by the moon’s pitted surface.
Details
- Category:
- Art
- Object Number:
- 1956-153/5
- Materials:
- paper (fibre product) and linen (textile)
- Measurements:
-
overall (linen backing): 1240 mm x 1150 mm
overall (primary support): 1234 mm x 1146 mm
- type:
- painting
- copyright:
- Science Museum
- credit:
- University of Oxford Observatory
