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Mare Humorum. From a study made in 1875

Mare Humorum. From a study made in 1875

ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  

These chromolithographed plates after the artist's original pastel drawings were printed and published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1881 under the supervision of the artist.  Astronomers at Harvard University were impressed with his work and invited him to join their staff, where he had access to U.S. Naval Observatory’s 26-inch refractor, the use of  which allowed him to make hundreds of celestial drawings, mostly for the scientific community, observatories and libraries. Trouvelot published more than 50 scientific papers in his lifetime, but remains best known for his exquisite astronomical illustrations, which were considered the most accurate pictures of celestial objects available until the perfection of dry-plate photography.

 

COLLECTION DETAILS

  • Series title: The Trouvelot astronomical drawings: Atlas
  • Series size: 8 artworks
  • Edition: Limited edition of 1000
  • Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
  • Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
  • Medium: Scientific Illustration
  • Artwork materials:  Illustration paper, still image, chromolithographs
  • Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
  • ID: 2749212597480566...

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Trouvelot was an artist who became interested in astronomy after observing and sketching auroras in the 1870's. To create these drawings, he placed a gridded reticle etched in glass onto the eyepiece of the telescope, so that the telescopic image would appear projected onto the reticle. He would then copy the projection onto a sheet of ruled paper, using the corresponding squares to ensure the accuracy of the drawing. As he wrote, his goal was not only accuracy in the details, however, but “to preserve the natural elegance and the delicate outlines peculiar to the objects depicted.” Of the thousands of astronomical observations he recorded by hand, these pastel drawings created over a period of two years in the early 1870s are the most remarkable.

 

COLLECTION CREDITS

  • Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
  • Artwork: Étienne Léopold Trouvelot
  • Year of original publication: 1881 - 1882
  • Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
  • Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
  • Editorial: Braden Phillips
  • Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
  • Executive production: Victor Zabrockis

 

RIGHTS OVERVIEW

  • Source of artwork: New York Public Library
  • Underlying work rights: PD Worldwide
  • Digital copyrights: No Additional Rights

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