Image: Head of Hipparchus (cropped)

Description: This engraving was made based on a carved amethyst depicting Hipparchus (CARC:1839-881) included among the Poniatowski gems, a collection of early 19th century forgeries passed off as antique engraved gems. It is described in Poniatowski's 1833 catalog (VIII.2.60, vol. 1, p. 105, vol. 2, p. 52): "... Dans le champ de cette pierre on voit une étoile et en beaux caractères le nom du sujet. Améthyste." [In the field of this stone we see a star and in beautiful characters the name of the subject. Amethyst.] The gem was sold at auction in 1839 (Christie's: A catalogue of the very celebrated collection of antique gems of the Prince Poniatowski ..., No. 881) and its whereabouts since are unknown, but in 1842 British naval officer William Henry Smyth sent a letter to the (American) National Institute for the Promotion of Science: Bulletin of the Proceedings of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, 3 (1842), 1845, Stated Meeting, September 12, 1842, Letters and Communications, p. 258, "From W. H. Smyth, Chelsea, England, August 20, 1842: Acknowledging bulletin No. 2, and forwarding his privately printed catalogue of Roman brass medals; also, specimens of impressions of the head of Hipparchus, from the Poniatowski-gem, intended as a vignette illustration of his work." The engraving here was first used for the title page of Smyth's 1844 book: Smyth, William Henry (1844), A Cycle of Celestial Objects, vol. 2, John W. Parker, title page In 1965 this was the source for a Greek stamp celebrating Hipparchus. See: Wilson, Robin (1989). "Stamp corner". The Mathematical Intelligencer. 11 (1): 72. doi:10.1007/bf03023779
Title: Head of Hipparchus (cropped)
Credit: George F. Chambers, A Handbook of Descriptive and Practical Astronomy, Vol. 3 (4th ed.) https://archive.org/details/handbookofdescri0003geor/page/n10/mode/1up
Author: William Henry Smyth
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No