Verbiest's Prints

In the exhibition we were able to present only a selection from Ferdinand Verbiest’s Xinzhi Yixiangtu. All 105 of the prints are available here. Click on a thumbnail for larger versions, or choose a group from the list of themes such as astronomy and mechanics.

Theme: Beijing observatory [3]

The Beijing observatory as re-equipped by Ferdinand Verbiest Illustrations based on the decomposition of forces and the inclined plane (top), and an illustration of the capstan carrying pieces of the instrument platforms up a ramp (bottom) Correcting the East-West alignment of the Beijing observatory with a compass corrected for the needle