Scenographia Systematis Mundani Ptolemaici

Andreas Cellarius (1596-1665)
Plate 2 – Scenographia Systematis Mundani Ptolemaici
From: Atlas Coelestis seu Harmonia Macrocosmica
Amsterdam: Pieter Schenk and Gerard Valk, 1708
Hand-colored copperplate engraving
24" x 20" sheet
36 1/2" x 32" framed

This stunning celestial map illustrates the planetary hypothesis devised by Greco-Egyptian astronomer Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century. According to this geocentric model, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets all orbit the Earth, which sits at the center of the universe. From nearest to farthest, the celestial bodies drawn and labelled are: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Surrounding the orbital rings is a thick belt which displays pictorial representations of the zodiac signs.