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Celestial Sphere, Beijing Ancient Observatory - Neil Folberg
Neil Folberg
Celestial Sphere, Beijing Ancient Observatory, 2021
31 x 31 cmFramed: 50 x 40 cmsilver gelatin print$2,400.00
In 2001 Neil Folberg had just finished working on his "Celestial Nights" book, a series of black and white photographs featuring starry nights along with intricate representations of the earth beneath them. Having had a long-standing interest in astronomy, Neil knew that his first visit to Beijing wouldn’t be complete without exploring the ancient imperial observatory, originally built by the Ming dynasty in 1442, and later expanded by the Qing. Since every emperor of China was considered to be the “Son of Heaven”, it was of great importance to them to monitor the movement of the stars, and so they hired the world’s leading astronomers for the task. The instrument depicted in this photo is an armillary sphere, which was used by the renowned Jesuit astronomer, Ferdinand Verbiest, during the Qing dynasty.
This photo is part of a small selection of Neil’s private and unique China photographs, which have only now been published by Neil, as a limited edition to mark the 20th anniversary of his remarkable journey in China.
