Antique Felkl and Son Copper and Brass Tellarium. 19th-century mechanical astronomical instrument made by the Bohemian globe-making firm J. Felkl & Son of Prague and Roztoky (active after about 1875), which produced terrestrial and celestial globes and educational apparatus for schools and collectors. A tellurium (sometimes called a tellurian) is a geared model that demonstrates the relative motions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun—showing how the Earth rotates on its axis, orbits the Sun, and how the Moon orbits the Earth—often operated by a hand crank and incorporating zodiac dials, reflectors, and miniature spheres that represent the celestial bodies. These elaborately engineered mechanical models served both scientific education and decorative purposes and are now collectible examples of 19th-century scientific craftsmanship.

Condition: Missing globe.

Size: 24 x 9 x 14 in.

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