Voorspelling van en uitleg over de maansverduistering van 25 juli 1748, tweede blad 1747

This is Sebastian Dorn’s depiction of the lunar eclipse of 1748, rendered with ink and watercolor. Dominating the upper portion of the composition are celestial orbs, suns and moons, meticulously illustrated to chart the eclipse’s path. The symbolism of eclipses is ancient, often interpreted as omens of disruption. Consider the serpent Apophis in Egyptian lore, forever trying to swallow the sun, bringing darkness to the world. Here, in Dorn's work, the orderly, scientific rendering attempts to quell such primordial fears by explaining the event rationally. Note how the eclipse is carefully mapped across Europe below, grounding the celestial phenomenon in earthly reality. This urge to map the unknown onto the known echoes through centuries. Even today, we see the urge to give form to chaos, to order the universe through symbols. This quest for order, for understanding, connects us to the anxieties and aspirations of those who gazed at the heavens long before us.