Astronomical Clock of Strasbourg Cathedral

Günther Oestmann, Ph.D. (1992), Technical University Berlin, is a professional clockmaker and Professor for History of Science. His fields of research are the history of scientific instruments and clocks, history of astronomy and mathematical geography, as well as maritime history.

• PrefaceList of IllustrationsList of AbbreviationsIntroductionPart 1: The First Clock in the Strasbourg Cathedral and the Project for a New Clock in the Sixteenth Century1 The First Clock in the Strasbourg Cathedral1.1 The Automata of the First Cathedral Clock2 The Clock on the Tower Platform3 The Project for Building a New Clock in the First Half of the Sixteenth Century4 Completion of the Second Clock in 1571–15744.1 Conrad Dasypodius4.2 Isaac and Josias Habrecht4.3 Tobias Stimmer4.4 The Commission of 1571 and the Completion of the Second Cathedral ClockPart 2: The Artistic Embellishments of the Second Clock5 The Artistic Decoration of the Clock Housing5.1 Pictorial Representations of the Clock5.2 General Description of the Clock Housing5.3 The Lowest Tier5.4 The Central Clock Tower5.5 The Tower for the Weights6 The Portrait of Copernicus: Did Conrad Dasypodius Adhere to Heliocentrism?Part 3: The Technical Components of the Clock7 Gear Trains and Layout7.1 Principal Arrangement7.2 The Clockwork7.3 Gear Train for the Mechanical Cock and Carillon7.4 Transmissions8 The Celestial Globe8.1 The Sphere of Archimedes8.2 Gear Train of the Celestial Globe9 The Astrolabe Dial9.1 Layout of the Tympanum9.2 Ecliptic Ring and Hands for Planets9.3 Gear Train for the Astrolabe10 Calendar Disk and Sundials10.1 The Calendar Disk10.2 The Sundials on the Gable of the Cathedral’s Southern TranseptPart 4: Programmatic Meanings11 Clock Construction and Architectural Theory11.1 Dasypodius’s Reception of Vitruvius11.2 The Emblematic Painting on the Weight Drive Tower11.3 The ‘Late Gothic’ Architecture of the Clock Housing12 Influences of Alexandrine Technology13 The ‘Inventio Prima’ of Dasypodius13.1 Claudius Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos13.2 Dasypodius’s Commentary to Ptolemy’s TetrabiblosConclusionAppendicesAppendix 1: Dasypodius’s Commentary on Chapter 2 of Book III of Ptolemy’s TetrabiblosAppendix 2: The Lost Astronomical Clock of 1583Appendix 3: Excerpt from the Protheoria mathematica by Conrad Dasypodius, 1593Appendix 4: Excerpt from a Letter by Paul Virdung to Kepler, 1604Appendix 5: The Divisions of Mathematics according to GeminosSources and BibliographyA. ManuscriptsB. Printed Sources and Secondary LiteratureIndex

“A volume that should find readers among scholars interested in the history of science and technology, early modern studies, the Reformation, urban studies, and the relationship between engineering, art, and design.”E. R. Truitt, University of Pennsylvania, in: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 74, No. 3 (Fall 2021), pp. 963–964.“This penetrative account is technically and historically fascinating, richly referenced, amply illustrated and indispensible to the many who fall under Strasbourg’s spell.”Sebastian Whitestone, in: Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 41, No. 3 (September 2020), pp. 411–413."Günther Oestmann’s The Astronomical Clock of Strasbourg Cathedral: Function and Significance is a welcome addition to the literature on early modern astronomical clocks. Both a historian of science and a professional clockmaker, Oestmann is uniquely qualified to understand the Cathedral Clock’s design and function. Moreover, Oestmann’s research in Strasbourg’s archives brings a wealth of unpublished materials to bear, and his knowledge of the history of science literature permeates the text."Michael J. Sauter, University of Suffolk, in: ISIS, A Journal of the History of Science Society, Vol.114, No. 3 (June 2023), pp.431-432.