A few days ago we showed you the design for a globe showing world geography as Shakespeare would have know it, with Stratford-upon-Avon on its axis. Today’s reveal looks a little further afield…
An armillary sphere is a model of the universe. It’s a spherical framework of rings, representing lines of celestial longitude and latitude, and other astronomically important features. In essence, it’s a model of our understanding of the world and universe that surround us. Copernicus proposed that the sun should sit at the centre of the sphere over 50 years before Shakespeare bought New Place, but the Armillary sphere at Shakespeare’s New Place today - made by Simon Kenny of Souvenir Studios - follows Ptolemy’s model, which instead places Earth in the centre of things.
Although not astronomically accurate, it represents Shakespeare’s understanding of the world around him. At a point in history where new sciences were emerging and our knowledge of the world expanding, this is an understanding still centred around Earth, around the complicated, endlessly interesting state of humanity.
Shakespeare’s New Place opens Summer 2016. Come and walk in Shakespeare's footsteps and meet the man behind the works in a fascinating new exhibition. Discover beautiful gardens and specially-commissioned artworks.
Find out more about Shakespeare's New Place.