Detail from Jan Gossaert, 'A Little Girl', about 1520
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Armillary Sphere

The object held and spun by this little girl is not a toy, although she appears to be using it as one. It is actually an astronomical instrument called an armillary sphere, which was used during the 16th and 17th centuries to represent the movements of the planets.

In the 1520s, when this portrait was painted, it was still commonly believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe. In 1543 the astronomer Nicholas Copernicus published 'On the Revolutions of the Celestial Orbs', which disproved this and argued that all the planets revolve around the sun (as we now know to be true).

We are not sure who the little girl is or why she is shown holding this piece of scientific equipment.

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