Silvio A. Bedim 



The Borghesi Astronomical Clock 



In the Museum of History and Technology 



The history of the 18th-century Borghesi astronomical 

 clock is described here from contemporary source material. 

 The evolution of its design by Father Francesco Borghesi 

 and the building of the complex mechanism devised by the 

 clockmaker, Bartolomeo Antonio Bertolla, is a story of the 

 vision of one man turned into reality by another. The 

 result of their collaboration is the unique, astronomical 

 timepiece now in the Museum of History and Technology . 



The Author: Silvio A. Bedini is curator of me- 

 chanical and civil engineering in the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution's Museum of History and Technology. 



" . . . All this work I had performed eagerly, so 

 that, while in my room, 1 might contemplate 

 leisurely, both during the day and in the night, 

 the true face of the heavens and of the seas un- 

 obscured by clouds, even though I had no 

 astronomical equipment." ' 



With these words, Father Francesco Borghesi (1723 

 1802) of Mechel described the reasons which inspired 

 him to invent a unique astronuinir.il clock which is 



1 Borghesi, Novusimum Theorico-Practicum Astronomicum Auiho- 

 ma Ju\ta Paritej Novissimum Mundt Systema . . . , pp. 8—9. 



PAPER 35: THE BORGHESI ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK 



now in the horological collection of the Museum of 

 I li-ii i] v and Technology. 



This complicated mechanism, which performs a mul- 

 titude of functions, was designed byFather Francesco 

 Borghesi. a secular priest in Venezia Tridentina. It 

 was constructed in I764underhis direction bya pro- 

 vincial clockmaker named Bartolomeo Antonio Bertolla 

 ( 1 702 1 789) of Mocenigo di Rumo. It was the second 

 ol two complicated astronomical clocks which Father 

 Borghesi designed and which Bertolla constructed. 

 According to contemporary sources, this clock was 

 presented to the Empress Maria Theresa "I Austria 

 soon after its completion. 



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