CELLARIUS ATLAS HARMONIA MACROCOSMICA

Often described as the most beautiful celestial atlas ever published, Harmonia Macrocosmica is one of the masterworks from the Golden Age of Dutch map-making. Ascend to the stars via a famously dazzling 17th-century atlas of 29 double-folio celestial maps, created by a master cartographer and cosmologer. Representing thinkers from Ptolemy to Copernicus, the richly adorned skies, ornate borders and constellations in this gorgeous reprint revive history's most breathtaking visions of the skies. This unique volume revives Andreas Cellarius's 17th century masterpiece, an iconic atlas that captured man's ambition to grasp infinity. First published in 1660, its 29 sweeping, double-folio maps detail the vast celestial systems of Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe, alongside intricate motions of the sun, moon, and planets. Each plate is a vision of wonder: constellations traced across radiant skies are framed by opulent borders adorned with cherubs, astronomers, and instruments of discovery. More than a visual feast, this reprint includes an illustrated introduction by renowned scholar Robert van Gent that delineates the journey from ancient stargazers to the scientific revolution. He lays out the cultural, historical, and astronomical significance of Cellarius's magnum opus, as well as the craftsmanship of his publisher, Johannes Janssonius. A detailed appendix further enriches the voyage, listing constellation myths, star names, and technical glossaries that illuminate every turn of the page. This volume is both a delight for the senses and a portal to the skies as they were once mapped, at a time when the universe itself was viewed as a work of art. For dreamers, scholars, and astronomers alike, Cellarius's heavens still inspire awe, inviting us to lose ourselves in the theatre of the cosmos. Outsize astronomical beauty of a tome, exquisitely designed in colour and on heavyweight paper by the German art publisher Taschen. 29 x 48cm, 3.72 kg, 248 pages. Text in English, French and German. In protective mailing box, new from Taschen.
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