Brass Tellurian and Lunarium Orrery with Cast Iron Stand

A patented Parkes and Hadley's brass tellurian and lunarium orrery, late 19th century, with a candle and reflector as the sun, on a cast iron stand with a crank handle mechanism, 42.5 cm high, note, Planetariums have existed for centuries. A particularly famous one was made 1704 for Charles Boyle, the 4th Earl of Orrery and hence the machine became known as an 'Orrery'. This name however, is properly applied mainly to planetariums illustrating more than one planet revolving around the sun. A device that only illustrates the earth, is called a 'Tellurian' and one that illustrates the movements of the moon, a 'Lunarium'. Nowadays, the term 'Lunarium' is usually not associated with the lunar depiction of a tellurian, but rather a more specialised device.