Poor Father Franz! He is on his way to visit Archduchess Marianne, full of enthusiasm about the latest scientific news he hopes to share with her. The concept of heliocentrism has been removed from the list of forbidden ideas! Now he may finally introduce the model of the universe to his curious pupil.
The famous orrery, once part of Prince Eugene of Savoy’s art collection, was made in London by the eminent watchmaker Thomas Tompion (1639–1713). After the Prince’s death, it was acquired by Emperor Karl VI for the Imperial collection and later maintained and repaired by the court ebonist Johann Georg Nesstfell (1694–1762).
Rushing ahead in time: at some point during the following decades, the orrery vanished from the collection under mysterious circumstances, and its whereabouts remained unknown for more than a century. It resurfaced in 1930 in the possession of St Peter’s Archabbey in Salzburg. After passing through several dealers, it was finally purchased by the History of Science Museum in Oxford in 1948.
However, in the world of the narrative, none of this is yet known. Instead of an elevated intellectual discussion, Father Franz finds himself urgently needed as a confessor and shepherd.
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