Top Down Whorl-Er

from $49.00

Plato gives us a description of the cosmos in his Myth of Er, in the end of the famous "Republic". He provides an analogy that the cosmos is like a spindle whorl, with layers nested inside each other, and he describes the relative sizes of each layer. This drawing is accurate to the relative sizing and position of each whorl layer as described in the myth. I also tried to stay true to the colors that are listed for the layers. Here is an excerpt from the passage:

“Now the whorl is in form like the whorl used on earth; and the description of it implied that there is one large hollow whorl which is quite scooped out, and into this is fitted another lesser one, and another, and another, and four others, making eight in all, like vessels which fit into one another; the whorls show their edges on the upper side, and on their lower side all together form one continuous whorl. This is pierced by the spindle, which is driven home through the centre of the eighth. The first and outermost whorl has the rim broadest, and the seven inner whorls are narrower, in the following proportions -- the sixth is next to the first in size, the fourth next to the sixth; then comes the eighth; the seventh is fifth, the fifth is sixth, the third is seventh, last and eighth comes the second. The largest (or fixed stars) is spangled, and the seventh (or sun) is brightest; the eighth (or moon) colored by the reflected light of the seventh; the second and fifth (Saturn and Mercury) are in color like one another, and yellower than the preceding; the third (Venus) has the whitest light; the fourth (Mars) is reddish; the sixth (Jupiter) is in whiteness second.”

***the swirly rainbow in the center is the “spindle of Necessity”.


Style rooms with this slimmer-than-ever thin canvas! Order it and hang it straight away with built-in wall mounts and rubber pads on the back ready to protect against damage.
• 0.75″ (19.05 mm) thick canvas
• Canvas fabric weight: 10.15 +/- 0.74 oz/yd² (344 g/m² +/- 25g/m²)
• Wall mounts attached
• Rubber pads on the back to avoid damage
• Slimmer than regular canvases

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

Size:

Plato gives us a description of the cosmos in his Myth of Er, in the end of the famous "Republic". He provides an analogy that the cosmos is like a spindle whorl, with layers nested inside each other, and he describes the relative sizes of each layer. This drawing is accurate to the relative sizing and position of each whorl layer as described in the myth. I also tried to stay true to the colors that are listed for the layers. Here is an excerpt from the passage:

“Now the whorl is in form like the whorl used on earth; and the description of it implied that there is one large hollow whorl which is quite scooped out, and into this is fitted another lesser one, and another, and another, and four others, making eight in all, like vessels which fit into one another; the whorls show their edges on the upper side, and on their lower side all together form one continuous whorl. This is pierced by the spindle, which is driven home through the centre of the eighth. The first and outermost whorl has the rim broadest, and the seven inner whorls are narrower, in the following proportions -- the sixth is next to the first in size, the fourth next to the sixth; then comes the eighth; the seventh is fifth, the fifth is sixth, the third is seventh, last and eighth comes the second. The largest (or fixed stars) is spangled, and the seventh (or sun) is brightest; the eighth (or moon) colored by the reflected light of the seventh; the second and fifth (Saturn and Mercury) are in color like one another, and yellower than the preceding; the third (Venus) has the whitest light; the fourth (Mars) is reddish; the sixth (Jupiter) is in whiteness second.”

***the swirly rainbow in the center is the “spindle of Necessity”.


Style rooms with this slimmer-than-ever thin canvas! Order it and hang it straight away with built-in wall mounts and rubber pads on the back ready to protect against damage.
• 0.75″ (19.05 mm) thick canvas
• Canvas fabric weight: 10.15 +/- 0.74 oz/yd² (344 g/m² +/- 25g/m²)
• Wall mounts attached
• Rubber pads on the back to avoid damage
• Slimmer than regular canvases

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!