Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736) was the most successful field marshal of the era in the service of the Habsburg dynasty and a highly influential person in the Imperial court. His magnificent palace of Belvedere still housing his large art collection is among the main tourist attractions in Vienna. As he remained unmarried and without legal offspring, his large art collection, including the valuable orrery, was sold at auction by his niece.
The orrery was made in London by eminent Watchmaker Thomas Tompion (1639-1713) and came into the Prince’s possession in 1712, at the latest during his visit to England. After his death, it was acquired by Karl VI for the Imperial collection and was maintained and repaired by Court Ebonist Johann Georg Nesstfell (1694-1762). At an unspecified time during the following decades, the orrery disappeared from the collection under mysterious circumstances and its location remained unknown for more than a century. It reappeared in 1930 under the ownership of St Peter’s Archabbey in Salzburg. Having thereafter been held by several dealers, it was finally purchased by the History of Science Museum in Oxford in 1948.
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