Stereographic projection
Date
1613
Creator
Theodor Galle (1571 - 1633, Flemish) , Engraver
After
Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640, Flemish) , Draughtsman
Object type
Library reference
RCN 24525
Material
Technique
Subject
Description
Illustration from the title page of the sixth book of Opticorum libri sex (Six Books of Optics) by Flemish mathematician and physicist François d'Aguilon (1567-1617). The vignette, engraved after an original drawing by Peter Paul Rubens, shows light being projected through an armillary sphere held aloft by Atlas, a Titan from classical mythology.
The scene includes three putti, male childlike angels, one of which is holding a lit torch at the top of the image to project the shadow of the armillary onto the ground. The illustration demonstrates stereographic projection, where light projected through a three-dimensional object creates a flat image on a two-dimensional plane. The projected image can differ depending on the location of the light source in comparison to the sphere.
François d'Aguilon (1567-1617), Flemish mathematician and physicist, was not a Fellow of the Royal Society.
The scene includes three putti, male childlike angels, one of which is holding a lit torch at the top of the image to project the shadow of the armillary onto the ground. The illustration demonstrates stereographic projection, where light projected through a three-dimensional object creates a flat image on a two-dimensional plane. The projected image can differ depending on the location of the light source in comparison to the sphere.
François d'Aguilon (1567-1617), Flemish mathematician and physicist, was not a Fellow of the Royal Society.