"Donati's Comet Over Florence" (2007) - Imagine yourself transported back to a warm evening in early autumn of 1858. From a vantage point just above the tiled rooftops of Florence, you look to the western sky and witness the awesome spectacle of Donati's Comet. With its gracefully curved dust tail and two distinct, straight ion tails, it has been described as a textbook depiction of cometary tail structure—and perhaps the most beautiful comet in recorded history.

Almost three years of painstaking research, rendering and revision was required to recreate the Florentine cityscape as it might have appeared one-hundred and fifty years ago. From the evening mists rising from Arno, to the ornate marble-work of the famous Duomo and its flamboyant bell tower, the peaceful vista of the city of Dante and the Medici is so lovingly detailed you can almost hear the Angelus tolling. As the artist's own homage to the beauty of the night sky—and to the world's most beloved city—this is a work of astronomical art like none other. It will add an understated touch of serenity to any home or office. © Copyright 2007, J. Hervat

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