Creator
Filippo Morghen (1730–1807).
Title
Raccolta delle cose più notabili vedute da Giovanni Wilkins erudite vescovo Inglese nel suo famoso viaggio dalla Terra alla Luna, con i disegni di animali, e machine a noi incognite e dal medesimo descritte nella sua celebre istoria.
Date
[Naples, c. 1767–1768].
Description
Provenance: Arthur and Charlotte Vershbow.
Although the focus of my collection is on Venetian illustrated books and prints, these engravings published in Naples were irresistible. The nine prints describe an imaginary voyage to the moon and show the Amerindian-like lunarians living in a vast swamp, on floating platforms or in hollowed-out pumpkin houses, domesticating fowl, fishing, and hunting fantastic beasts. The exotic images belong with Tiepolo’s “Capricci” and “Scherzi,” and the unbuildable prisons of Piranesi, among the medium’s most imaginative and original works. As an engineer, I’m intrigued by the lunar technology: giant bellows worked to fill sails, and a gigantic mousetrap operated by windlass and pulley.
Although the focus of my collection is on Venetian illustrated books and prints, these engravings published in Naples were irresistible. The nine prints describe an imaginary voyage to the moon and show the Amerindian-like lunarians living in a vast swamp, on floating platforms or in hollowed-out pumpkin houses, domesticating fowl, fishing, and hunting fantastic beasts. The exotic images belong with Tiepolo’s “Capricci” and “Scherzi,” and the unbuildable prisons of Piranesi, among the medium’s most imaginative and original works. As an engineer, I’m intrigued by the lunar technology: giant bellows worked to fill sails, and a gigantic mousetrap operated by windlass and pulley.
Source
Lord Browne of Madingley