Cellarius Andreas Pair Of Celestial Maps 18th Century From Harmonia Macrocosmica

Cellarius Andreas Pair of 18th Century Watercolor Celestial Maps within gilt frames, titled
Planisphaerivm Aratevm sive Compages Orbivm Mvndanorvm ex Hypothesi Aratea in Plano Expressa and
Planisphaerium Braheum, sive Structura Mundi Totius ex Hypothesi Tychonis Brahei in Plano Delineata.
Taken from Harmonia Macrocosmica, an atlas of the stars dating from the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, maps the structure of the sky in twenty-nine extraordinary double-page plates, published in Amsterdam in 1708 by Gerard Valk and Petrus Schenk. The wonderful celestial charts in this astronomical work illustrate the movement of the sun and planets and the constellations, offering a historical survey of the various theories of the cosmos enunciated by Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho Brahe, rather than new scientific insights. The beauty of the design and profusion of detail place them at the pinnacle of artistic cartography.
Each double-page sheet measures 44 x 53 cm and is presented within a gilded wooden frame.
The first is a geocentric celestial chart based on the observations of the Greek poet Aratus, and the second represents Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe’s model of the universe.
As a compromise between the models of Ptolemy and Copernicus, the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe proposed a model of the Universe with the Earth at the center and the Sun and Moon revolving around the Earth, while the other planets revolve around the Sun. The four moons of Jupiter are depicted, and around the map are the zodiac signs.The map includes a portrait of Tycho Brahe in the lower right corner.
This pair of antique prints with coeval coloring comes from a private collection in Milan and is in good overall condition considering the date. The underside of one of the two engravings complains of minimal scabs and two small holes.