Ricky Jay reference

[Guest]

Ricky Jay's cups and balls "history lesson" in his "52 Assistants" act makes several references to the historical preponderance of the effect. There is one that throws me, and I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the "famous planetary drawings of Ohm(sic?)" And where I might look for these?

I've already located Seneca's work (Moral Epistle # 45), Alciphron of Athen's really humorous retelling of the effect ("Letters of Alciphron, #17--not mentioned by Jay, however), and have seen many of the other more widely known paintings and references. This last one is just a puzzler.

Ron Giesecke

[David Ben]

See page 17 of Edwin Dawes "The Great Illusionists", as it reproduces "a woodcut by an unknown artist for the Block Book WIRTUNG DER PLANTETEN (1470) derived from the orginal CHILDREN OF THE PLANETS drawing by Joseph of Ulm (1404)"

Hope this helps.

[Todd Karr]

Ron:
Another source for many of the "Children of the Moon" images is Kurt Volkmann's book The Oldest Deception. For more on Alciphron, Seneca, and other early Cups and Balls references, check my notes in the back of the recent Annals of Conjuring. These quotes are among the earliest historical accounts of sleight-of-hand, but more undoubtedly await discovery by alert scholars.

[Guest]

Thank you both for the info . . . this is the first time I've ever been able to get anywhere on this.

I am indeed grateful

Ron

[Pete Biro]

So, Todd... what do you know about the "earliest" references on the Linking Rings? Cardano? :confused:

[Edward Pungot]

Children of the Planets, Luna (detail)
Joseph of Ulm (1404)
https://images.app.goo.gl/K5tb8Ev2npJo9v5X6

Children of the Planets, Luna (folio 272v)
Tübingen University Library
http://idb.ub.uni-tuebingen.de/opendigi/Md2