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This mid-18th century perpetual calendar was designed by Tobias Conrad Lotter, a prominent German cartographer and engraver. It harmonizes the Julian and Gregorian (Roman) calendars, offering a comprehensive guide to celestial cycles, liturgical dates, and chronological systems.
This calendar exemplifies the Enlightenment-era emphasis on precision and the rational organization of knowledge, blending scientific, theological, and astronomical insights into a single intricate visual and functional artifact.
At the heart of the design is a central numerical grid that aligns key chronological cycles, such as the Dominical Letter, Golden Number, and Lunar Cycle. Surrounding the grid are a series of concentric rings, each meticulously engraved and color-coded to represent different aspects of timekeeping. The innermost rings track solar and lunar cycles and their synchronization with the ecclesiastical calendar. Moving outward, the bands elaborate on the zodiac, the progression of the seasons, and the alignment of liturgical events with astronomical phenomena like equinoxes, solstices, and lunar phases. These rings are complemented by textual annotations on all sides, providing explanations and instructions for interpreting the calendar’s detailed calculations.
The annotations offer clarity on several topics, including the solar and lunar cycles, zodiacal movements, and the mechanics of liturgical observances. They list feast days, saints’ days, and other significant dates in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, reflecting the ecclesiastical importance of the work. Additionally, historical notes on the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, implemented across Europe at different times, highlight the calendar’s broader cultural and historical significance.
This calendar served as an invaluable tool for scholars, ecclesiastics, and astronomers, allowing users to calculate important dates for any year. It exemplifies Lotter’s skill not only as a cartographer but also as a craftsman adept at combining technical precision with artistic beauty.
Tobias Conrad Lotter (1717-1777) is one of the best-known German mapmakers of the eighteenth century. He engraved many of the maps published by Matthaus Seutter, to whose daughter Lotter was married. He took over Seutter’s business in 1756. Lotter’s son, M. A. Lotter, succeeded his father in the business.
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