The Selenic Shadowdial - Athanasius Kirchner, 1646. (Zodiac Wall Art)
This print feels like a smart page from an old science book, but it still looks warm on the wall. The spirals, numbers, and little Moon faces pull you in slowly, so it works great in a study, office, or reading corner where you want calm wall art with a bit of depth.
About this art print
“The Selenic Shadowdial” is a lunar diagram by Father Athanasius Kirchner, published in 1646. “Selenic” simply means it is about the Moon, and this chart tries to make the Moon’s month readable at a glance. The spirals show how long the Moon stays above the horizon, with its rising and setting worked into the layout.
It also connects to the idea of a lunation, which is one full cycle of the Moon’s phases, roughly a month (about twenty-nine and a half days). In early modern Europe, diagrams like this helped people track time, tides, travel, and calendars, even when they did not have modern instruments.
The same urge to make the sky “readable” shows up in the 16th century Geocentric Zodiacal Calendar by Francesco Ghisolfi, where the zodiac is arranged in tight circles around the Earth, almost like a working diagram on a study page.
Craft & finish
Every replica we make is individually hand-processed in our family workshop. We finish the paper with a traditional beeswax seal to give it a warm, heavy texture. Our team also adds subtle gold paint details by hand to help the artwork truly shine. To complete the look, we hand-burn the edges to give each piece the feel of a true historical artifact.
While our smaller sizes are perfect for gallery walls, our 43x61 cm Large replica is a museum-scale centerpiece. Because of the size, the hand-processing and beeswax application take much longer. This extra time and care ensures that every centimeter of the historic illustration is preserved with a rich, authentic glow.
Find more prints like this in our Vintage Art Prints collection.
The Selenic Shadowdial (Athanasius Kirchner, 1646.) - Vintage Art Print
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At Artifex Historical Replicas, we bridge the gap between museum archives and your home. Each piece is a handcrafted historical art print recreated from authentic primary sources, including antique city views and botanical illustrations.
Hand-Processed Paper: We use specialized paper with burned edges and a beeswax finish to replicate the weight and feel of genuine old parchment.
Gilded Details: Our workshop adds subtle real gold accents, bringing the same glow to your walls found in 16th-century illuminated manuscripts.
Custom Sizes & Worldwide Shipping: We offer bespoke sizing for custom frames and ship our historical replicas globally from our family workshop.
Explore our full guide on how we create, display, and restore parchment-style replicas.
