Andreas Cellarius

A chart of the apparent motions of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

• Andreas Cellarius (Dutch).
• Theoria Trium Superiorum Planetarum.
• Amsterdam: Schenk & Valk, 1708.
• Original color with additions, including gold highlights.
• Unframed.

A chart of the movement of the three apparently largest planets, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The superbly decorated borders feature winged cherubs and wind heads.

This chart was published in the "Atlas Coelestis; seu Harmonia Macrocosmica," the only celestial atlas to be produced in the Netherlands before the nineteenth century. It was a compilation of maps of the Ptolemaic universe and the more modern theories of Copernicus and Brahe, and remains the finest and most highly decorative celestial atlas ever produced. It was originally published by Jan Jansson in 1660; this chart comes from Schenk & Valk's reissue.