Astronomy
not including astrology and cosmography
not including astronomical watches
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Sciences Ancient science Sciences 1600-1800 Physics Autograph 16th century books 17th century books Ancient England
Chronology : 1680-1699
not including astronomical watches
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Sciences Ancient science Sciences 1600-1800 Physics Autograph 16th century books 17th century books Ancient England
Chronology : 1680-1699
Astrolabe
1
1336 for the use of Cordoba
2021 SOLD for £ 740K by Sotheby's
The map of the respective positions of the stars is immutable although the absolute position varies with latitude, altitude and time. The position of the sun also meets strict rules. The astrolabe is an instrument of very high complexity which allows to correlate all these variables in measurements of great accuracy.
Invented a little more than 2,000 years ago, the astrolabe is the computer of the sky. This ancient star tracker measured the time by locating the position of the sky, provided you know the latitude and, to a lesser extent, the altitude.
The astrolabe was described for the first time around 550 CE in Alexandria but its improvement is essentially the work of the Muslim astronomers. Nearly all celestial phenomena were used as references or studied : solstices, equinoxes, eclipses, planet motions. The precision was so high that the error brought by the precession of the equinoxes can now be used to date the instrument.
In the 10th century an enthusiastic theorist listed about 1,000 different uses of this truly universal instrument, in the etymological meaning of 'universal'. In seeking the knowledge of the sky, astronomers also aimed at astrology and watched the zodiacal signs.
This instrument of very high complexity in its geometrical design and of remarkable sharp engraving reached an angular accuracy around one degree.
The use of the astrolabe extends of course to all the Muslim world as far as Spain, but the most advanced theoretical and practical treatises remain the work of the astronomers of the Middle East.
The ibn al-Saffar brothers worked in Cordoba at the beginning of the 5th century of the Hegira. Ahmed is a very important teacher whose writings will be used for four centuries. Muhammad makes the instruments.
Three astrolabes signed by Muhammad ibn al-Saffar are known. The earliest, dated 411AH corresponding to 1020/1021 in our calendar, was sold for £ 610K by Sotheby's on April 26, 2017, lot 170. It is a big piece 19 cm overall including the suspension loop.
This astrolabe is complete but not entirely original, for a valid reason. Indeed the rete which simulates the map of the sky becomes obsolete after a few decades due to the precession of the equinoxes. The ancient users were aware of this phenomenon and the rete of this instrument was changed in Ottoman Turkey. The position of one of its star pointers suggests a date around 1550 of our calendar for this replacement part.
The mater is the rear side of the instrument. This one is set to the 66° latitude corresponding to the longest day time known by the astronomers in the Antiquity. Six original double-sided removable plates are joined with the indication of latitudes and cities, inviting for a fabulous journey into the medieval Muslim world. From South to North : Yemen, Mecca, Medina, Cairo, Qairawan, Damascus, Malaga, Cordoba, Toledo, Zaragoza.
The astrolabe quadrant was invented ca 1288 by a French Jewish medical doctor and scientific translator. The earliest known of eight surviving examples was sold for £ 730K by Christie's on December 11, 2019, lot 1. It had been made between 1291 and 1311 CE, possibly in Montpellier.
Muslim science proceeds by accumulating knowledge, following the antique science. On March 31, 2021, Sotheby's sold for £ 740K from a lower estimate of £ 600K an astrolabe mixing Western and Arab influences, lot 66.
The instrument is dated 737 AH corresponding to 1336-37 CE. It is signed by a craftsman who is not known elsewhere but whose name is significant, Ahmad ibn Abi 'Abdallah al-Qurtubi al-Yamani, located in Tudela, a Navarrese town between Pamplona and Zaragoza. The author's name means that he is of Yemeni origin but had resided in Cordoba, thus combining two of the main centers of production of the astrolabes.
The 12 cm diameter instrument is made of brass. All components except the mater have been gilded, probably later. The alidade, which is used to measure the position of the stars, is missing.
Only one plate has survived. It is for the use of Cordoba with a latitude of 38° 30'. The gap under the rete leaves a place for a second plate. The rete is ornamental although its star pointers are in the pragmatic comma shape, according to Eastern practice.
The throne which carries the suspension holes is in Sevillian style. The structure of the rete seems to be of European inspiration. The choice of the star catalog is Western. The inscriptions are in an elegant mixed Andalusi Kufic script.
Invented a little more than 2,000 years ago, the astrolabe is the computer of the sky. This ancient star tracker measured the time by locating the position of the sky, provided you know the latitude and, to a lesser extent, the altitude.
The astrolabe was described for the first time around 550 CE in Alexandria but its improvement is essentially the work of the Muslim astronomers. Nearly all celestial phenomena were used as references or studied : solstices, equinoxes, eclipses, planet motions. The precision was so high that the error brought by the precession of the equinoxes can now be used to date the instrument.
In the 10th century an enthusiastic theorist listed about 1,000 different uses of this truly universal instrument, in the etymological meaning of 'universal'. In seeking the knowledge of the sky, astronomers also aimed at astrology and watched the zodiacal signs.
This instrument of very high complexity in its geometrical design and of remarkable sharp engraving reached an angular accuracy around one degree.
The use of the astrolabe extends of course to all the Muslim world as far as Spain, but the most advanced theoretical and practical treatises remain the work of the astronomers of the Middle East.
The ibn al-Saffar brothers worked in Cordoba at the beginning of the 5th century of the Hegira. Ahmed is a very important teacher whose writings will be used for four centuries. Muhammad makes the instruments.
Three astrolabes signed by Muhammad ibn al-Saffar are known. The earliest, dated 411AH corresponding to 1020/1021 in our calendar, was sold for £ 610K by Sotheby's on April 26, 2017, lot 170. It is a big piece 19 cm overall including the suspension loop.
This astrolabe is complete but not entirely original, for a valid reason. Indeed the rete which simulates the map of the sky becomes obsolete after a few decades due to the precession of the equinoxes. The ancient users were aware of this phenomenon and the rete of this instrument was changed in Ottoman Turkey. The position of one of its star pointers suggests a date around 1550 of our calendar for this replacement part.
The mater is the rear side of the instrument. This one is set to the 66° latitude corresponding to the longest day time known by the astronomers in the Antiquity. Six original double-sided removable plates are joined with the indication of latitudes and cities, inviting for a fabulous journey into the medieval Muslim world. From South to North : Yemen, Mecca, Medina, Cairo, Qairawan, Damascus, Malaga, Cordoba, Toledo, Zaragoza.
The astrolabe quadrant was invented ca 1288 by a French Jewish medical doctor and scientific translator. The earliest known of eight surviving examples was sold for £ 730K by Christie's on December 11, 2019, lot 1. It had been made between 1291 and 1311 CE, possibly in Montpellier.
Muslim science proceeds by accumulating knowledge, following the antique science. On March 31, 2021, Sotheby's sold for £ 740K from a lower estimate of £ 600K an astrolabe mixing Western and Arab influences, lot 66.
The instrument is dated 737 AH corresponding to 1336-37 CE. It is signed by a craftsman who is not known elsewhere but whose name is significant, Ahmad ibn Abi 'Abdallah al-Qurtubi al-Yamani, located in Tudela, a Navarrese town between Pamplona and Zaragoza. The author's name means that he is of Yemeni origin but had resided in Cordoba, thus combining two of the main centers of production of the astrolabes.
The 12 cm diameter instrument is made of brass. All components except the mater have been gilded, probably later. The alidade, which is used to measure the position of the stars, is missing.
Only one plate has survived. It is for the use of Cordoba with a latitude of 38° 30'. The gap under the rete leaves a place for a second plate. The rete is ornamental although its star pointers are in the pragmatic comma shape, according to Eastern practice.
The throne which carries the suspension holes is in Sevillian style. The structure of the rete seems to be of European inspiration. The choice of the star catalog is Western. The inscriptions are in an elegant mixed Andalusi Kufic script.
#AuctionUpdate This unique 14th-century Astrolabe, the only known version created by a Muslim artist in a Christian-ruled city, sells for £741,000#SothebysMiddleEast pic.twitter.com/B1NdZfYK0r
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) March 31, 2021
2
1505 Ottoman
2014 SOLD for £ 960K by Sotheby's
Sultan Bayezid II encouraged astronomy. Two astrolabes made for the use of his court are known. One of them was sold for £ 960K from a lower estimate of £ 800K by Sotheby's on October 8, 2014, lot 135.
This brass instrument of 9.5 cm diameter is complete with all its fixed and rotating parts. The knob for the rotation on the central axis is later.
This astrolabe is indeed a masterpiece of Ottoman science, with numerous engraved inscriptions and reduced decoration. The choice of the reference star is made by the user among no less than fifteen star pointers.
It is signed and dated 911 AH, corresponding to 1505 to 1506 CE. The fact that the author is not otherwise recorded just means that he did not write a treatise.
This brass instrument of 9.5 cm diameter is complete with all its fixed and rotating parts. The knob for the rotation on the central axis is later.
This astrolabe is indeed a masterpiece of Ottoman science, with numerous engraved inscriptions and reduced decoration. The choice of the reference star is made by the user among no less than fifteen star pointers.
It is signed and dated 911 AH, corresponding to 1505 to 1506 CE. The fact that the author is not otherwise recorded just means that he did not write a treatise.
1540 De Libris Revolutionum by Rheticus
2016 SOLD for £ 1.8M by Christie's
The intense curiosity of the fifteenth century, facilitated by the printed books, generated the modern science. The most advanced universities teach mathematics beside philosophy, theology, law and medicine. Disseminated from Bologna to Vienna or Krakow, humanists exchange new theories together.
Georg Joachim Rheticus was fond of astronomy, perhaps as a result of the appearance of the comet of 1531. He enrolled at the University of Wittenberg led by Melanchthon, the theoretician of Lutheranism.
As early as 1536, Rheticus was appointed professor of mathematics. Barely released from astrology, astronomy was at that time a branch of mathematics. The learned calculations made by Regiomontanus in the previous century had fruitfully revived the speculation about the true movements of the planets.
Two years later, Melanchthon allows Rheticus to suspend his teaching for a tour of Europe where he will visit the humanists. He hears of an old canon who spent his lifetime improving his astronomical calculations at such a point to solve the old issue of the motion of Earth, discussed since antiquity.
Rheticus so becomes the assistant to Copernicus in Frauenburg (Frombork). For nearly thirty years, the canon had refined the text of his demonstration of the heliocentric system, sometimes sending manuscripts to the very few scholars able to understand it. He does not think to edit because of an obvious difficulty to print his figures.
Rheticus supports Copernicus with enthusiasm. The younger scientist prepares a comprehensible summary with the agreement of the master. Printed in Gdansk in 1540, that 'De libris revolutionum ... narratio prima' is the first report ever published on heliocentrism. The theory is clearly and fully attributed to Copernicus without indicating the name of his efficient collaborator.
This first edition is extremely rare. A copy was sold for £ 1.8M from a lower estimate of £ 1.2M by Christie's on July 13, 2016, lot 87.
Georg Joachim Rheticus was fond of astronomy, perhaps as a result of the appearance of the comet of 1531. He enrolled at the University of Wittenberg led by Melanchthon, the theoretician of Lutheranism.
As early as 1536, Rheticus was appointed professor of mathematics. Barely released from astrology, astronomy was at that time a branch of mathematics. The learned calculations made by Regiomontanus in the previous century had fruitfully revived the speculation about the true movements of the planets.
Two years later, Melanchthon allows Rheticus to suspend his teaching for a tour of Europe where he will visit the humanists. He hears of an old canon who spent his lifetime improving his astronomical calculations at such a point to solve the old issue of the motion of Earth, discussed since antiquity.
Rheticus so becomes the assistant to Copernicus in Frauenburg (Frombork). For nearly thirty years, the canon had refined the text of his demonstration of the heliocentric system, sometimes sending manuscripts to the very few scholars able to understand it. He does not think to edit because of an obvious difficulty to print his figures.
Rheticus supports Copernicus with enthusiasm. The younger scientist prepares a comprehensible summary with the agreement of the master. Printed in Gdansk in 1540, that 'De libris revolutionum ... narratio prima' is the first report ever published on heliocentrism. The theory is clearly and fully attributed to Copernicus without indicating the name of his efficient collaborator.
This first edition is extremely rare. A copy was sold for £ 1.8M from a lower estimate of £ 1.2M by Christie's on July 13, 2016, lot 87.
13 juillet Vente des livres scientifiques de la bibliothèque Beltrame Consultez le catalogue https://t.co/akp7LGW1ji pic.twitter.com/CtcSeM2uMW
— Christie's Paris (@christiesparis) July 1, 2016
1543 De Revolutionibus by Copernicus
2008 SOLD for $ 2.2M by Christie's
The exact title was "Nicolai Copernici Torinensis De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium." It was printed in 1543 and appeared just before the author's death. Torun was the name of his hometown. This book forever changed the ideas we had of the universe
Of relatively small size (20 x 27 cm, 202 pages), it is illustrated with woodcuts and tables of calculations.
A copy of the first edition was sold for $ 2.2M from a lower estimate of $ 900K by Christie's on June 17, 2008. In its flexible binding of same period, it was part of a prestigious library during the seventeenth century.
Of relatively small size (20 x 27 cm, 202 pages), it is illustrated with woodcuts and tables of calculations.
A copy of the first edition was sold for $ 2.2M from a lower estimate of $ 900K by Christie's on June 17, 2008. In its flexible binding of same period, it was part of a prestigious library during the seventeenth century.
1605 Dialogo in puerposito de la Stella Nuova
2025 SOLD for £ 1.13M by Christie's
The stellar system is unchangeable, isn't it ? At the time of Aristotle when no telescope was yet available, no supernova had been observed from the Western world. Supernovae visible to the naked eye are indeed extremely rare, much less than two per century.
The very first supernova event caught in Europe was in 1572. Extensively studied by Tycho Brahe, it was the first ever observation challenging the all powerful Aristotelian dogma of the immutability of the skies, fully supported by the Christian church.
In 1602 a reprint of Tycho Brahe's book was overseen by Kepler then in progress of establishing his first two astronomical laws. By chance the next supernova appeared two years later, in 1604. Originally visible in daylight, it gradually faded in a period of 18 months.
In a hurry, an Aristotelian philosopher published in Padua under a pseudonym a book interpreting the supernova as a terrestrial phenomenon, because ‘if a single star were added to the heavens, they would cease to revolve'.
Galileo observed an absence of parallax and concluded that the new star was beyond the moon, so discarding no less than the Aristotelian perfection of the cosmos and promoting measurement as the only secure criterion in scientific research. Seconded by one of his students, he published under a pseudonym in 1605 a book in the form of a witty dialogue between two Paduan peasants. The anonymous essay in Paduan dialect is the first book by the scientist then aged 40.
We must be cautious with the Christian church. The second edition published in Verona later in 1605 removed the direct reference to Aristotle and the Copernican allusion to the Earth's rotation.
12 copies, of which 8 are complete, are surviving from the original Paduan edition. The last one that just surfaced in a private collection is the only example in private hands. This in quarto 20 x 14 cm was sold for £ 1.13M from a lower estimate of £ 500K by Christie's on July 9, 2025, lot 87.
A full report was issued by Kepler in 1606 and the new star was from then identified as Kepler's supernova. Galileo developed his telescope in 1609.
Their remarkable technical feat paved the way to the acceptance of the heliocentrism.
The very first supernova event caught in Europe was in 1572. Extensively studied by Tycho Brahe, it was the first ever observation challenging the all powerful Aristotelian dogma of the immutability of the skies, fully supported by the Christian church.
In 1602 a reprint of Tycho Brahe's book was overseen by Kepler then in progress of establishing his first two astronomical laws. By chance the next supernova appeared two years later, in 1604. Originally visible in daylight, it gradually faded in a period of 18 months.
In a hurry, an Aristotelian philosopher published in Padua under a pseudonym a book interpreting the supernova as a terrestrial phenomenon, because ‘if a single star were added to the heavens, they would cease to revolve'.
Galileo observed an absence of parallax and concluded that the new star was beyond the moon, so discarding no less than the Aristotelian perfection of the cosmos and promoting measurement as the only secure criterion in scientific research. Seconded by one of his students, he published under a pseudonym in 1605 a book in the form of a witty dialogue between two Paduan peasants. The anonymous essay in Paduan dialect is the first book by the scientist then aged 40.
We must be cautious with the Christian church. The second edition published in Verona later in 1605 removed the direct reference to Aristotle and the Copernican allusion to the Earth's rotation.
12 copies, of which 8 are complete, are surviving from the original Paduan edition. The last one that just surfaced in a private collection is the only example in private hands. This in quarto 20 x 14 cm was sold for £ 1.13M from a lower estimate of £ 500K by Christie's on July 9, 2025, lot 87.
A full report was issued by Kepler in 1606 and the new star was from then identified as Kepler's supernova. Galileo developed his telescope in 1609.
Their remarkable technical feat paved the way to the acceptance of the heliocentrism.
1687 Principia by NEWTON
Intro
Isaac Newton was the most brilliant scientific innovator of all time. Late in his life he laid down the rules that had guided his unprecedented method. One of these rules summarizes in a simple sentence how he created the modern physics : to the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes.
One of his outstanding skills was to develop mathematical methods of high complexity to analyze and support his own physical theories. Even before he was 30, he compared the motion of the planets and the fall of the bodies. Essentially preoccupied with his own understanding of the mechanism of the universe, he published reluctantly.
One of his outstanding skills was to develop mathematical methods of high complexity to analyze and support his own physical theories. Even before he was 30, he compared the motion of the planets and the fall of the bodies. Essentially preoccupied with his own understanding of the mechanism of the universe, he published reluctantly.
1
2016 SOLD for $ 3.7M by Christie's
In 1684 in London, the scientists of the Royal Society challenged themselves to find the mathematical formulation of the law of motion of the planets described by Kepler. All failed. Halley visits Newton in Cambridge. He is stunned : Newton knows the solution but has lost his calculation notes. The orbital movement of a celestial body is an ellipse whose position of the other body is one of the foci.
The scientific stake is highly important and Halley manages to persuade Newton to disclose in their entirety his results concerning the law of universal gravitation. Edited and financed by Halley, Newton's Latin book entitled Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica is published in 1687 with the imprimatur of the Royal Society.
The book is difficult in the opinion of the author himself and the circulation probably did not exceed 300 copies but it is of such scientific importance that Halley and Newton took care of organizing their sale through booksellers. One of them named Samuel Smith is more specifically entrusted to the supply onto the Continent and receives about 50 copies for that purpose.
On December 14, 2016, Christie's sold one of the Smith 'Continental' presentation copies of the Principia for $ 3.7M from a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 167. It is bound in its original unrestored morocco with gold and red inlays. The recipient is not identified.
The scientific stake is highly important and Halley manages to persuade Newton to disclose in their entirety his results concerning the law of universal gravitation. Edited and financed by Halley, Newton's Latin book entitled Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica is published in 1687 with the imprimatur of the Royal Society.
The book is difficult in the opinion of the author himself and the circulation probably did not exceed 300 copies but it is of such scientific importance that Halley and Newton took care of organizing their sale through booksellers. One of them named Samuel Smith is more specifically entrusted to the supply onto the Continent and receives about 50 copies for that purpose.
On December 14, 2016, Christie's sold one of the Smith 'Continental' presentation copies of the Principia for $ 3.7M from a lower estimate of $ 1M, lot 167. It is bound in its original unrestored morocco with gold and red inlays. The recipient is not identified.
Newton's deluxe "Principia" far surpasses $1 million @ChristiesBKS today, reaching $3.7 million! https://t.co/V3Bwq6aGsu pic.twitter.com/4xardPPXsM
— Fine Books Magazine (@finebooks) December 14, 2016
2
2013 SOLD for $ 2.5M by Christie's
A Royal copy of the Principia in its original morocco luxury binding was sold for $ 2.5M by Christie's on December 6, 2013 from a lower estimate of $ 400K, lot 170.
It had been presented by Halley to King James II, patron of the Royal Society. The Royal bindings from that reign are extremely rare.
It had been presented by Halley to King James II, patron of the Royal Society. The Royal bindings from that reign are extremely rare.
1694 Autograph Notes by Newton and Gregory
2021 SOLD for £ 1.7M by Christie's
The quest for the divine truth is the passion of Isaac Newton. He appreciates that his original edition of the Principia in 1687 still has some unanswered questions. He does not want being disturbed by outsiders. The book is in Latin and not in vernacular so that only great minds will comprehend it. Somebody said : "There goes a man who has written a book neither he nor anyone else can understand".
David Gregory was one of the happy few who were skilled to construct on the Principia. A professor of mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, he was 17 years younger than Newton. He was the first to lecture on the Principia and began communicating with Newton. In 1691 Newton managed to have Gregory elected to the Savilian chair of astronomy at the University of Oxford.
In May 1694 Gregory visited Newton in Cambridge in a six day working session based on the proposed revisions to the Principia. Their combined autograph manuscripts are heavily revised working documents based on the texts under discussion from throughout the Principia.
A scrap of paper 22 x 19 cm escaped for an unknown reason the deposit of Gregory's papers at the Royal Institution in the 1860s. These one and a half pages in Latin include 39 lines in Newton’s hand, alongside 14 lines and two diagrams by Gregory. They deal with three topics : the force acting in the compression of liquids, the orbit of the comets, the build of conic figures on centripetal forces.
This unpublished scientific draft was sold for £ 1.7M from a lower estimate of £ 600K by Christie's on July 8, 2021, lot 22. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The tweets illustrate both sides of the paper.
David Gregory was one of the happy few who were skilled to construct on the Principia. A professor of mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, he was 17 years younger than Newton. He was the first to lecture on the Principia and began communicating with Newton. In 1691 Newton managed to have Gregory elected to the Savilian chair of astronomy at the University of Oxford.
In May 1694 Gregory visited Newton in Cambridge in a six day working session based on the proposed revisions to the Principia. Their combined autograph manuscripts are heavily revised working documents based on the texts under discussion from throughout the Principia.
A scrap of paper 22 x 19 cm escaped for an unknown reason the deposit of Gregory's papers at the Royal Institution in the 1860s. These one and a half pages in Latin include 39 lines in Newton’s hand, alongside 14 lines and two diagrams by Gregory. They deal with three topics : the force acting in the compression of liquids, the orbit of the comets, the build of conic figures on centripetal forces.
This unpublished scientific draft was sold for £ 1.7M from a lower estimate of £ 600K by Christie's on July 8, 2021, lot 22. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The tweets illustrate both sides of the paper.
#AuctionUpdate A remarkable scientific manuscript by Sir Isaac Newton sold for £1,702,500, setting a new #WorldAuctionRecord for an #IsaacNewton manuscript. The manuscript contains autograph notes showing one of history's greatest scientific minds at work. □ □ pic.twitter.com/5CPmOmsiIO
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 8, 2021
1745-1749 Sistème du Monde selon Neuton by Mme du Châtelet
2012 SOLD for € 960K by Christie's
Helped by Maupertuis and Clairaut, the Marquise du Châtelet is able to understand and comment on Newton and Leibniz. In their château de Cirey, the marquis admires the exceptional intelligence of his wife and closes his eyes on her loves.
In 1734 Voltaire is disgraced. The Marquise lodges him in Cirey. She is 27 years old. The philosopher learns from his mistress the mathematics and physics that he had largely neglected until then.
The Marquise is a tireless worker. Her manuscripts, often written by secretaries and extensively reworked by her, surfaced a few years ago in an attic. Important pieces were sold by Christie's on October 29, 2012. A call for donations had been issued for an acquisition by the French State and 1400 researchers from around the world had signed a petition for a pre-emption. Both moves were unsuccessful because of the high prices that were expected.
The top lot was a set of 35 workbooks prepared from 1745 to 1749 by Madame du Châtelet for the didactic abstracts accompanying her translation of Newton's Principia Mathematica. Estimated € 400K, it was acquired in that sale for € 960K by the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits de Paris which had immediately communicated its commitment to exhibit it to the public.
The museum was managed by Aristophil. In the same sale, Aristophil had anonymously acquired 8 lots of manuscripts by the Marquise, 2 lots of manuscripts by Voltaire on Newton and a portrait of the Marquise attributed to Marie-Anne Loir.
These lots were sold on November 19, 2018 by OVA, the company in charge of the legal dispersion of the Aristophil collections. The auction was operated by Artcurial. The abstracts of the Principia were sold for € 510K, lot 689.
In 1734 Voltaire is disgraced. The Marquise lodges him in Cirey. She is 27 years old. The philosopher learns from his mistress the mathematics and physics that he had largely neglected until then.
The Marquise is a tireless worker. Her manuscripts, often written by secretaries and extensively reworked by her, surfaced a few years ago in an attic. Important pieces were sold by Christie's on October 29, 2012. A call for donations had been issued for an acquisition by the French State and 1400 researchers from around the world had signed a petition for a pre-emption. Both moves were unsuccessful because of the high prices that were expected.
The top lot was a set of 35 workbooks prepared from 1745 to 1749 by Madame du Châtelet for the didactic abstracts accompanying her translation of Newton's Principia Mathematica. Estimated € 400K, it was acquired in that sale for € 960K by the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits de Paris which had immediately communicated its commitment to exhibit it to the public.
The museum was managed by Aristophil. In the same sale, Aristophil had anonymously acquired 8 lots of manuscripts by the Marquise, 2 lots of manuscripts by Voltaire on Newton and a portrait of the Marquise attributed to Marie-Anne Loir.
These lots were sold on November 19, 2018 by OVA, the company in charge of the legal dispersion of the Aristophil collections. The auction was operated by Artcurial. The abstracts of the Principia were sold for € 510K, lot 689.
Les manuscrits d'Emilie du Châtelet "Exposition abregée du sisteme du monde selon les principes de Mr.Neuton" vient d'emporter 507 000 € lors de la vente n°13 des Collections Aristophil par @Artcurial pic.twitter.com/WU40wTQ76c
— Drouot (@Drouot) November 19, 2018
1913 Relativity by Einstein and Besso
2021 SOLD for € 11.7M by Aguttes-Perrine
Albert Einstein early appreciated that physics is a complex inter-relation between the basic concepts of light, electricity, energy, inertia, mass. He therefore brings a modern view to Newton's works.
In physics it is not uneasy to propose theories and equations. None of them is valid until it is verified by an experience.
There was a discrepancy in the application of Newton's universal gravitation theory : the orbit of Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun, is not perfectly elliptic. The tiny discrepancy is 43 seconds of arc per century at the perihelion.
In June 1913 in Zurich, Einstein and his lifelong friend Michele Besso manage a working session on the Mercury issue. Einstein's unprecedented intuition is that the gravity must be distorted by the rotation.
The two friends create and test equations in a method of trial and error. None of them matches the expected result of 43 seconds per century. After some additions in early 1914, Besso keeps their working notes.
This autograph draft document is made of 54 pages on 37 loose sheets 21 x 27 cm in equal parts by Einstein and Besso. It was sold for $ 560K by Christie's on October 4, 2002, lot 81. Coming from the Aristophil judicial liquidation, it was sold for € 11.7M from a lower estimate of € 2M by Aguttes et Perrine supported by Christie's on November 23, 2021, lot A. Please watch the video prepared by Christie's.
Einstein is persistent. He manages to refine the parameters and establish the suitable "Einstein field equations", thus releasing in 1915 a refined theory of gravitation known as the general relativity which is still today the basic of cosmology.
In physics it is not uneasy to propose theories and equations. None of them is valid until it is verified by an experience.
There was a discrepancy in the application of Newton's universal gravitation theory : the orbit of Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun, is not perfectly elliptic. The tiny discrepancy is 43 seconds of arc per century at the perihelion.
In June 1913 in Zurich, Einstein and his lifelong friend Michele Besso manage a working session on the Mercury issue. Einstein's unprecedented intuition is that the gravity must be distorted by the rotation.
The two friends create and test equations in a method of trial and error. None of them matches the expected result of 43 seconds per century. After some additions in early 1914, Besso keeps their working notes.
This autograph draft document is made of 54 pages on 37 loose sheets 21 x 27 cm in equal parts by Einstein and Besso. It was sold for $ 560K by Christie's on October 4, 2002, lot 81. Coming from the Aristophil judicial liquidation, it was sold for € 11.7M from a lower estimate of € 2M by Aguttes et Perrine supported by Christie's on November 23, 2021, lot A. Please watch the video prepared by Christie's.
Einstein is persistent. He manages to refine the parameters and establish the suitable "Einstein field equations", thus releasing in 1915 a refined theory of gravitation known as the general relativity which is still today the basic of cosmology.
