I planned to share a lot of clues in this blog but time is short, so I’ll give you a hint at what I’m going to share in the next one. First of all I want to share some information about the portraits that Johann Bessler placed in one of his books.
The mystery which lies in front of the portrait of Johann Bessler in the front of his book, Das Triumpirende Perpetuum Mobile ORFFYREAN may be less mysterious than it appears to be..
Bessler placed his own portrait behind another one of an older style which had a number of scientific instruments displayed. He seems to have taken some care to find a portrait which matched his own in size and position. He carefully cut out the face of the old style portrait and lined them up so precisely that his own face appeared to be looking through.
See his portraits below
According to various dictionaries a geometer/geometrician is a mathematician specializing in geometry. A list of famous Geometers includes, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Apollonius and of course, Euclid.
Geometers are concerned with properties of space that are related with distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures.
In his Apologia Poetica Bessler tells us that, “I became an expert in astronomical matters and in the calculation of calendars. The surveying of woods, meadows and fields was another serious pursuit for me. I’m sure he was familiar with the instruments common to both Geometers and surveyors.
So I looked into the history of Geometric instruments and found several pictures and here are some I found which, as can be seen, are similar to the ones at the bottom of the Geometer portrait.
If the older portrait is of another person as you suggest, then the instruments shown, and their relative positioning, may not be of any significance. However, what could change this is if Bessler's fingers are pointing to instruments on the older portrait. I think some time ago, someone made the older portrait transparent so you could see Bessler in the background, and where his hands/fingers point. Not sure where that can be found though.
ReplyDeleteYes I remember but it was too difficult to see the instruments. I suppose he could have used tracing paper, (apparently around 1400, the Italian painter Cennino Cennini gave a detailed account in his celebrated manual of late mediaeval painting techniques (Libro dell'arte) of how to manufacture transparent paper – either by soaking paper in oil, or by boiling fish size and brushing it onto a stone slab in a transparent layer) and laid it over his portrait to position his hands accordingly.
DeleteThanks for reminding me, I might give that a try and post the results here.
JC
I checked the positions of Bessler’s hands relative to the figure in the old portrait and the only interesting thing I could find was this.
DeleteBessler’s right hand index finger actually connects with the index on the left hand of the figure in the older portrait. The only thing I can think of with that image is ‘The creation of Adam’, a fresco by Michelangelo in the Sistene Chapel. God gives life to Adam.
JC