Heliocentric Planetarium, France, Circa 1820-1830

Heliocentric planetarium, unsigned but attributable to Félix Delamarche, circa 1820-1830.

Mounted on a turned blackened wood stand, the planetarium represents the solar system and the planets known at the time.
There are 11 of them: Mercury, Venus, Earth (the globe is a modern replacement) and its moon, Mars, Vesta, Juno, Ceres, Pallas, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus.
Between 1810 and 1807, astronauts discovered the solar system's first asteroids: Vesta, Juno, Ceres and Pallas, which were initially considered planets in their own right.
After 1845 and the increasing number of discoveries of other asteroids, these four asteroids were downgraded and no longer considered planets.
The planetarium can therefore be dated to circa 1820-1830.

The sun is represented by a wooden ball covered in gilded plaster (small misses and accidents).

Finally, the planetarium is complete with its two castings, its table or ecliptic circle and its band depicting the months of the year and the houses of the zodiac signs.

Although the globe was replaced and the sun damaged, good original condition with no further restoration for this decorative planetarium.
31.5cm in diameter and 50cm high.