The Planisphere of Ptolemy, plate 1 from Harmonia Macrocosmica, 1660
Andreas Cellarius; Publisher: Gerard Valk and Peter Schenk, Dutch (Amsterdam)expand_more
Hand-colored engravingexpand_more
The Minnich Collection The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund, 1966expand_more P.14,542
Not on Viewexpand_more
Ptolemy's towering treatise the Almagest, dating from about 150 a.d., was the authoritative textbook on astronomy for nearly 1,500 years. Arabic scholars and then mediaeval monks copied the Latin text in illuminated manuscripts before the age of print. Here the cartographer Andreas Cellarius described Ptolemy's geocentric conception of the universe. In the lower margins, the artist included imagined portraits of Ptolemy (lower right), and Aristotle (lower left), the chief source of Ptolemy's ideas.
Details
- Title
- The Planisphere of Ptolemy, plate 1 from Harmonia Macrocosmica
- Artist Life
- German (active in the Netherlands), c. 1596 - 1665
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.14,542
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
800px
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.
Error loading high resolution image. Report this problem.