It is personally one of the most interesting South Korean National Treasures.
In the 17th century, Western civilization was being introduced to Joseon. Song Yi-Yeong (송이영), A professor of Joseon's science institute Gwansangam (관상감), learned European mechanics from Jesuit texts and attempted to create their own mechanical clocks by fusing European engineering with traditional East Asian astronomy.
They utilized the pendulum escapement mechanism, famously invented by Christiaan Huygens in 1657, to create the Honcheon-sigye (Armillary Clock). It is VERY interesting that it only took 12 years (1669) for this cutting-edge European technology to reach Korea and be incorporated into a masterpiece.
The celestial sphere component (Honcheonui) is a typical device used in ancient East Asian astronomy, making the Honcheon-sigye a truly IMPRESSIVE and historically valuable artifact that perfectly combines ancient Eastern astronomy with the latest Western technology.
This masterpiece is currently housed in the Korea University Museum.
by yuchan063