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Description

A Geocentric Model of the Earth

Striking example of Cellarius geocentric model of the Universe, a model of the solar system with the earth at the center, from his Harmonia Macrocosmica seu Atlas Universalis et Novus.

This celestial map, titled Orbium Planetarum Terram Complectentium Scenographia, represents a geocentric model of the universe, based on the Ptolemaic system. The illustration depicts the Earth at the center, surrounded by a series of nested, concentric spheres that correspond to the orbits of the known celestial bodies of the time. These spheres include the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, followed by the sphere of fixed stars and the outermost celestial sphere, the Primum Mobile. The map reflects the prevailing cosmological understanding before the widespread acceptance of the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus and later substantiated by Galileo and Kepler.

The spheres are vividly colored and labeled, showing the paths of the planets through the zodiac constellations, which are arranged in a circular band. The orbits are intricately intertwined to illustrate the complexities of the Ptolemaic epicycles, a system devised to account for the apparent retrograde motion of planets. Surrounding the diagram are allegorical figures and cherubs, symbolizing the divine harmony and the philosophical or theological implications of the cosmos. The lower corners include supplementary diagrams, one showing the Ptolemaic hypothesis and the other presenting the Tychonic system, which combined elements of geocentric and heliocentric models.

This is a true representation of the Ptolemaic model. Instead of concentric two-dimensional bands, the planets are here shown as limited to certain spheres, argued to be crystalline by Aristotle. This allows for the slightly different orbital planes of the known planets. In addition, this representation is the first to show epicycles, that is, the spheres within spheres, around which the celestial objects orbit in order to account for non-circular motion. Note these as the small circular drawings located just below each of the astrological symbols.  

The artistic and scientific details of this celestial map demonstrate the fusion of astronomy, theology, and art in 17th-century Europe. It reflects humanity’s attempt to understand and depict the cosmos within a framework that was both mathematically complex and deeply intertwined with spiritual beliefs. The map also serves as a testament to the transitional period in scientific thought, as the Ptolemaic model began to give way to the revolutionary ideas of the Scientific Revolution.  

Cellarius's Harmonia Macrocosmica

The most sought after of all celestial atlases, this is the only one to be produced during the Dutch cartographic golden age. This work, Cellarius's magnum opus, was produced as a means to illustrate competing theories of celestial mechanics, during an era in which these issues were very much still up for debate. With scholarly precision, but in a manner accessible to the contemporary reader, Cellarius describes, contrasts, and analyzes the hypotheses and observations made by the great thinkers of classical antiquity in addition to those made by his contemporaries.

Of particular interest are the volume's finely engraved images designed to illustrate the concepts introduced. Plates in the work depict the Sun, the Earth, and the stars in a way they had not been seen before. These magnificent depictions take all the strengths of Dutch 17th-century engraving and apply it to the sky: information is simply presented and any critical eye will immediately start to understand the points that Cellarius conveys.

The plates themselves would have been engraved by several Dutch master engravers, but only two have signed their names: Frederik van den Hove, who made the frontispiece, and Johannes van Loon, a noted creator of nautical charts. By 1660, the work was complete. 

In the text, Cellarius states his intention to publish a second volume that would adjust for this first volume's overreliance on the Ptolemaic model. This overreliance is present in several ways. In plates that pick a certain model of the Solar System, approximately ten show a pre-Copernican concept of the universe, while only two deal with a Copernican viewpoint and six with a Tychonic system. Further, the plates show little in the way of telescopic discoveries, such as the moons of Saturn. We note but two plates (23 and 28) in which a telescope is in active use among the many representations of astronomical tools in the other plates. It is likely that this intended second volume would have focused more heavily on modern astronomical discoveries.

The plates of the Harmonia can be divided into two sections: the first twenty-one deal with varying hypotheses on how the Solar System functions, citing Claudius Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe, Nicolaus Copernicus, as well as lesser-known figures such as Aratus of Soli and Aristarchus. The plates convey, with two-dimensional in plano and three-dimensional scenographia depictions, how the planetary motions within each model account for contemporary observations. Some plates focus on other themes, these include the influence of the Earth's tilt on climatic effects and how we observe the stars, or the explanation for the phases of the Moon.

The final eight plates look past the Solar System and instead focus on the constellations. While later scientific texts eschew discussions of these human constructions, in Cellarius's time they were still considered of critical scholarly importance. The most important recent innovations, which are displayed in various plates, are the discoveries and naming of Southern Hemisphere stars as well as the attempted renaming of the pagan constellations to fit Christian ideals. Some of these plates show the world as seen from outside the celestial realm, that is, we are looking from beyond the stars into our own existence, and these are truly remarkable in their perspective.

Condition Description
Small area of restoration at bottom center, near Pisces.
Andreas Cellarius Biography

Andreas Cellarius was born in 1596 in Neuhausen and educated in Heidelberg. He emigrated to Holland in the early 17th century, and in 1637 moved to Hoorn, where he became the rector of the Latin School. Cellarius' best-known work is his Harmonia Macrocosmica, first issued in 1660 by Jan Jansson, as a supplement to Jansson's Atlas Novus. The work consists of a series of Celestial Charts begun by Cellarius in 1647 and intended as part of a two-volume treatise on cosmography, which was never issued.