Harmonia Macrocosmica
The Harmonia Macrocosmica is a historical star atlas by Andreas Cellarius with numerous copperplate engravings , which was published in 1660 by Johannes Janssonius . The first part contained engravings of the world views of Claudius Ptolemy , Nicolaus Copernicus and Tycho Brahe . At the end there are star maps with classic star constellations as well as representations that follow the Christian view and were introduced in 1627 by Julius Schiller in his Coelum Stellatum Christianum from 1627.
The title reads in German translation:
The harmony of the great world or general and new atlas representing the general and new cosmography of the entire created universe
In which the harmonious connection of all circles of the world, according to the conflicting opinions of different authors, also the description of the heavens or the whole circle of the heavens, the theory of the planets and the globe in the plane and in scenic representation as well as in new descriptions are presented
A new, never-before-seen work, extremely delightful, extremely useful and ornate, useful for people of all classes.
The work in large folio format has a volume of more than 350 pages with 29 double sheets in the size of 50 cm × 60 cm with the engraved plates. It was published by Johannes Janssonius in Amsterdam, who is well known for astronomy and cartography. The "Harmonia Macrocosmica" contains 29 large-format, double-sided engraved plates, plus a copper engraving sheet, the frontispiece, preceding the title. The title page is also generously designed, with elaborate typography, different type sizes, parts in italics and four text blocks. Between the title and printer's note there is a small picture: two male figures, on the left with a spade, on the right an astronomical instrument, between them an astronomical armillary sphere and above a trumpet angel with a waving tape “Vivitur ingenio” - I live through nature. In this context, this little picture could express the unity between the practical activity of the farmer, who with his work provides society and thus also science with the basis of life, while the angel hovers over both as herald of the divine word.
List of panels
frontispiece
Department A. Representations of the most important world systems in flat images
1. The Ptolemaic planisphere, that is the machinery of the heavenly circles according to the hypothesis of Ptolemy in a plane arrangement; 2. The scenario of the Ptolemaic world system; 3. The scenario of the planetary circles that include the earth; 4. The Copernican planisphere, that is the system of the entire world creation according to the hypothesis of Copernicus presented in the plane; 5. The scenario of the Copernican system; 6. The Brahean Planisphere, that is the structure of the whole world according to the hypothesis of Tycho Brahe, represented in a planar outline; 7. The scenario of the construction of the world according to Tycho Brahe; 8. The planisphere of Aratos, that is the structure of the heavenly circles according to the hypothesis of Aratos in a plane view; 9. Tycho Brahe's calculation of the course of the planets and their distances clearly presented; 10. The size of the heavenly bodies;
Section B. The circles on earth, in the sky and those described by the heavenly bodies
11. The position of the earth surrounded by the heavenly circles; 12. The hemispheres, which demonstrate the influence on motion and length both for the earthly and the heavenly spheres, the straight and the crooked, and also for the stars; 13. The hemisphere of the old world circle with its zones and circles as well as the areas of its various inhabitants; 14. The conventional, Ptolemaic hypothesis, as it represents the motion of the planets with eccentrics and epicycles; 15. The figure of the aspects of the planets, oppositions, conjunctions, etc .; 16. The theory of the movement of the sun with an eccentric circle without an epicyclic; 17. The spiraling motion of the sun around the earth; 18. The theory of the moon, its motion on an eccentric circle and an epicyclic; 19. The image of the moon with the various phases and aspects of the moon; 20. The theory of the motion of the three upper planets; 21. The theory of the motion of Venus and Mercury;
Department C. The old and the new names of the constellations
22. The first (northern) hemisphere of the Christian starry sky; 23. The second (southern) hemisphere of the Christian starry sky; 24. The northern hemisphere according to the old fashioned way; 25. The scenery of the northern hemisphere of heaven and earth; 26. The northern hemisphere of the sky with the hemisphere of the earth underneath; 27. The southern hemisphere in the traditional way; 28. The scenery of the southern hemisphere of heaven and earth; 29. The southern hemisphere of the sky in the same proportion with the spheres of the earth.
history
In the foreword of his Chronologica , Gerhard Mercator stated his wish to publish an atlas containing all the known knowledge of his time about the cosmos , geography and the history of the earth. Mercator wrote five volumes of his atlas until his death, the last volume being published by his son Rumold . After Mercator's death, the cartographer Johannes Janssonius took over the project. He and his colleague Henricus Hondius published his Novus Atlas in 1636, which contained more than 320 maps in four languages (Latin, Dutch, German, French). In 1660 the Harmonia Macrocosmica by Andreas Cellarius was published as the seventh volume of this project. The project was completed with a final volume in 1657, which described the cities of the world.
Origin of the engravings
Two engravers were involved in the artistic design. The drawing of the title copper comes from Frederik Hendrik van den Hooven (Hove), who signed the sheet with “FH v. Hoven fec [it] ”signed. Van den Hove (around 1628–1698) is well known in art history as a draftsman and engraver. He was first in Antwerp, is in Amsterdam in 1660, but mainly worked in London on the illustration of books, for which he especially made portraits of scholars, politicians and the military. However, the large copperplate engraving is from Jan (Johann) van Loon . Only some of them are signed. However, if one compares the style of the engravings and some details, for example the faces of the people depicted and the angels, van Loon is undoubtedly the author of all copperplate engravings. Although van Loon proves to be an extremely capable artist with his illustrations for Cellarius, he seems to have received little attention in art history. In addition, all classic constellations were adopted by Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam .
- Stitches from the Harmonia Macrocosmica
1
2
3
4th
Explanation of the stitches shown:
- Table 11. Situs Terrae Circulis Coelestibus Circundatae - The position of the earth and the celestial circles surrounding it (the horizon plane and ecliptic plane are shown )
- Plate 10.Corporum Coelestium Magnitudines - The size of the heavenly bodies (earth (red) largest, followed by sun (yellow), 1st order stars (blue), Jupiter (red) etc.)
- Plate 27. Haemisphaerium Stellatum Australe Antiquum - constellations of the southern hemisphere
- Plate 3. Orbium Planetarum Terram Complectentium Scenographia - The view of the orbits of the planets encompassing the earth (according to the view of Claudius Ptolemy , the planets also include the sun ( Sol ) and moon ( Luna ))
Trivia
Some of the engravings from the book will be exhibited in the form of large-format metal panels for wall decoration in the Kopernikusstraße subway station in Hanover.
literature
- Robert H. Van Gent: Andreas Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica of 1660 , TASCHEN 2006; ISBN 978-3-8228-5290-3 .
- Cellarius, Andreas: Harmonia macrocosmica seu atlas universalis et novus . Amsterdam: Johannes Janssonius, 1661; Reprint of the copy from the Darmstadt State Library, ed. and come by Jürgen Hamel . Berlin 2006
- Richard Schröder : Competing world systems in Andreas Cellarius (1661), in: C. Markschies u. a. (Ed.), Atlas of World Views. Berlin 2011. pp. 260-267.
Web links
- Bio-bibliography of Andreas Cellarius
- http://www.rarebookroom.org/Control/gelmcs/index.html
- Andreas Cellarius: Harmonia Macrocosmica . (1661) at Linda Hall Library, Kansas City.