Andreas Cellarius, Harmonia macrocosmica seu Atlas universalis et novis, totius universi creati …, Amsterdam, 1661
This atlas by Cellarius (1596-1665), a Dutch mathematician and cartographer, conceived as a completion of the great atlas by Gerard Mercator, in turn continued by the cartographer Jansson, was originally published in 1660 and had two successive reissues in 1661 and 1666.
The extraordinary celestial maps, although based on previous works, illustrate the movement of the sun and planets and constellations, offering a historical excursus of the different theories of the cosmos enunciated by Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho Brahe, rather than new scientific intuitions. The beauty of the design and the profusion of details, which make them famous among collectors, place them at the top of the artistic cartography.
Location: Firenze - Biblioteca Umanistica, Sezione Geografia