Signs of the times
Astronomical Clock at the base of the Clock Tower at the Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic
Some background information:
The world-famous Astronomical Clock is mounted on the southern wall of Prague’s Clock Tower, which is the dominant part of the Old Town City Hall. Its oldest parts, the mechanical clock and the astronomical dial, date back to the year 1410. They were constructed by Mikuláš of Kadaň, a clockmaker, and Jan Šindel, a professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Charles University.
Nowadays the Astronomical Clock is still considered to be a masterpiece of Gothic science. It consists of three main parts: the astronomical dial, the calendar and the animated figures, which flank the two clock faces.
The astronomical dial, which can be seen right in the centre of my shot, is a mechanical astrolabe or to put it in plain words, a device used in medieval astronomy. Its background represents the standing Earth and sky. Surrounding it operate four main moving components: the zodiacal ring, an outer rotating ring, an icon representing the Sun and an icon representing the Moon.
The calendar, which can be seen on the bottom end of my shot, counts the months and the days. It was presumably constructed by the clockmakers Jan Růže and Jakub Čech around 1490. It’s comprised of an exterior ring with 365 segments and an interior dial with twelve utter medallions, which illustrate scenes from the life of the folks, and twelve inner medallions, which illustrate the zodiac signs.
In the 17th century the clock was complemented by figures. Above the clock you can see a Gothic angel flanked by two windows. These windows open up at every full hour between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., showing the twelve apostles passing by. Both the astronomical dial and the calendar are also flanked by four figures, two on each side.
The four figures flanking the astronomical dial are again animated and set in motion at the hour. From left to right: The figure of a man admiring himself in the mirror represents vanity. Next to him a stereotypical Jew holding a bag of gold represents greed. Across the clock stands a skeleton, which strikes the time upon the hour, representing death. And finally an infidel Turk was meant to represent lust.
However the four figures flanking the calendar aren’t animated. From left to right they illustrate a philosopher, an angel, an astronomer and an annalist.
Signs of the times
Astronomical Clock at the base of the Clock Tower at the Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic
Some background information:
The world-famous Astronomical Clock is mounted on the southern wall of Prague’s Clock Tower, which is the dominant part of the Old Town City Hall. Its oldest parts, the mechanical clock and the astronomical dial, date back to the year 1410. They were constructed by Mikuláš of Kadaň, a clockmaker, and Jan Šindel, a professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Charles University.
Nowadays the Astronomical Clock is still considered to be a masterpiece of Gothic science. It consists of three main parts: the astronomical dial, the calendar and the animated figures, which flank the two clock faces.
The astronomical dial, which can be seen right in the centre of my shot, is a mechanical astrolabe or to put it in plain words, a device used in medieval astronomy. Its background represents the standing Earth and sky. Surrounding it operate four main moving components: the zodiacal ring, an outer rotating ring, an icon representing the Sun and an icon representing the Moon.
The calendar, which can be seen on the bottom end of my shot, counts the months and the days. It was presumably constructed by the clockmakers Jan Růže and Jakub Čech around 1490. It’s comprised of an exterior ring with 365 segments and an interior dial with twelve utter medallions, which illustrate scenes from the life of the folks, and twelve inner medallions, which illustrate the zodiac signs.
In the 17th century the clock was complemented by figures. Above the clock you can see a Gothic angel flanked by two windows. These windows open up at every full hour between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., showing the twelve apostles passing by. Both the astronomical dial and the calendar are also flanked by four figures, two on each side.
The four figures flanking the astronomical dial are again animated and set in motion at the hour. From left to right: The figure of a man admiring himself in the mirror represents vanity. Next to him a stereotypical Jew holding a bag of gold represents greed. Across the clock stands a skeleton, which strikes the time upon the hour, representing death. And finally an infidel Turk was meant to represent lust.
However the four figures flanking the calendar aren’t animated. From left to right they illustrate a philosopher, an angel, an astronomer and an annalist.