1660 / 1661 Cellarius Celestial Map illustrating the Spheres

This beautiful work is Andreas Cellarius' celestial chart, in its 1661 second state with sumptuous original color, illustrating the position of the Earth within the celestial sphere divided into its circles. Its lush, baroque presentation - filled with clouds, putti, and muses - frames a useful visual glossary illustrating terminology important to the astronomer and the geographer.

Lavish Engraving

This is among the most visually lively of Cellarius' celestial charts: surrounding the globe is a stylized armillary sphere, upon the Zodiac of which are visible seven of the twelve signs of the Zodiac with their symbols: Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn. Framing the chart are engraved clouds teeming with putti, many of whom brandish cross staves, geometer's compasses, and astrolabes (emphasizing the purpose of the chart.) At the bottom left and right are seated the muses of geography and astronomy: Geometria and Urania, respectively: the former bearing a compass and celestial chart, the latter crowned with stars and leaning on an armillary sphere.

A Closer Look

Despite being often described as such, this is not a Ptolemaic model of the Universe. Specifically, the chart pictures the globe at the center of the celestial sphere, subdivided by circles describing different parts of the sky as observed from the ground. Concentric with the Equator, this imaginary sphere is divided into northern and southern hemispheres by its own equator; the sphere also possesses its own tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and its Arctic and Antarctic circles. The striking band sporting illustrations of the Zodiac is the zodiac: the region of the sky extending north and south of the ecliptic, embracing the apparent path of the sun across the celestial sphere.

Dividing the Celestial Sphere

Note first that the chart does not reflect, at all, on the actual form of the solar system. For example, there is no note of the relationship of the Earth to the Sun, Moon, or Planets. It instead illustrates the astronomical concept of the celestial sphere and its primary divisions or circles. The oldest branch of astronomy - spherical or positional astronomy - was based on the observation of the apparent movement of objects over time in relation to the Earth. The celestial sphere - an abstract sphere with the Earth at its center - was a conceptual tool that allowed astronomers to divide the sky into coordinates in a manner analogous to how geographers divided the globe (much of the terminology is the same.) While positional astronomy was applied to both religion and astrology in antiquity, it retained utility for both timekeeping and navigation. So Cellarius' chart here was not a portrayal of an antiquated system of astronomical thought but rather described essential terms useful to any astronomer, whether they were applying them to the ancient astronomy of Ptolemy or the modern models of Tycho Brahe or Copernicus. Cellarius' Harmonia Macrocosmica contained diagrams illustrating the conflicting models of the Solar System in play during the 17th century, but the concept of the celestial sphere was relevant to the study of all.

A State-of-the-Art Depiction of the Globe

The diagram surrounds a depiction of the globe, which reflects the geographical knowledge that was current at the time the chart was engraved. The globe's position focuses on Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean; to the west, the islands of the Indian Ocean are visible, as well as the Indian Peninsula; the imagined Terra Australis Incognita can be seen at the South Pole. To the east - all but obscured in the globe's shadow - can be glimpsed the speculative Pacific coast of North America, including the island of California.

Publication History and Census

This engraving was executed by Johannes van Loon for Jan Jansson, who in 1660 first published Cellarius' Harmonia Macrocosmica. Jansson produced two editions in 1660 and 1661; these are distinguishable by the plate numbers engraved for the 1661 edition - as in the present example, indicating the 1661 second state. Amsterdam publishers Gerard Valk and Pieter Schenk later acquired the plates and republished Cellarius' work in 1708, adding their own imprint and privilege. Separate examples of Cellarius' charts appear on the market from time to time. We see 15 examples of this plate listed in OCLC, only one of which represents this 1661 printing.