Star Lore Art The Planispheres of Dürer and Apianus 1515 - 1540

Painter Albrecht Dürer was one of the most famous and most influential artist of the German Renaissance. In 1515, he created two woodblocks for the first western printed star charts - a true merge of astronomy and art. Dürer's planispheres of the northern and southern celestial hemispheres inspired generations of artists. Throughout the centuries, there have been literally hundreds of artistic renderings of the constellations - some done with amazing accuracy, others using a large degree of creative freedom. Some of these creations can be seen here. Dürer's charts are shown below. A detailed description can by found in Ian Ridpath: Star Tales and at atlascoelestis.com.

Northern Hemisphere; source: Ian Ridpath: Star Tales

Southern Hemisphere; source: Ian Ridpath: Star Tales

On the frame of the planisphere of the northern hemisphere, Dürer pays tribute to those who are credited with the development of the constellations. In 270 BC, Greek poet Aratus (top left) wrotePhenomena, a verse setting on a star catalogue developed by Eudoxus in the 4th century BC. In 147 AD, Ptolemy (top right) created the Almagest, a comprehensive treatise on astronomy, defining 48 constellations. In 30-40 AD, Roman poet and astrologer Marcus Manilius (bottom left) wrote Astronomica, the oldest existing record on the lore of the Greek Zodiac constellations. About the year 964, Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi (bottom right) wrote the Book of Fixed Stars, enhancing Ptolemy’s Almagest with his own observations. On the frame of the planisphere of the southern hemisphere, Dürer mentions the help of Johannes Stabius and Konrad Heinfogel, writing Ioann Stabius ordinauit - Conradus Heinfogel stella posuit - Albertus Durer imaginibus circumscripsit (Johannes_Stabius ordained, Konrad Heinfogel positioned the stars, Albrecht Dürer drew the circle.

Aratus, Ptolemy, Manilius and Al-Sufi

Austrian cartographer Johannes Stabius was the designer of the chart's projection and most likely the initiator of the entire idea. German astronomer and mathematician Konrad Heinfogel updated the position of the stars from Ptolemy's observation to the year 1500. Heinfogel and Dürer had worked previously (in 1503) on a chart of the northern hemisphere and also drew a lot of inspiration from the Vienna Manuscript, a chart hand-drawn by an unknown astronomer in Vienna around the year 1440. Sources: Ian Ridpath atlascoelestis.com (Heinfogel) atlascoelestis.com (Vienna Manuscript)

Vienna Manuscript; source: atlascoelestis.com

Heinfogel's star chart, 1503; source: atlascoelestis.com

The first one to follow in Dürer's footsteps was German astronomer and cartographer Petrus Apianus.

His planisphere of the northern hemisphere (see right), published in 1540 in Astronomicum Caesareum is one of the most elaborate and most colorful constellation charts of its time. An extensive description of Petrus Apianus' planisphere is provided by Ian Ridpath. Many others followed in throughout the centuries, some of them I put together on a More Planispheres site. One work of art, however, Harmonia Macrocosmica, created in 1660 by Andreas Cellarius is so extensive and artistic, that it deserves its own entry. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTwo plates of Harmonia Macrocosmica

Petrus Apianus' planisphere, 1540 Sources: ETH-Bibliothek Zurich, Ian Ridpath: Star Tales

http://www.atlascoelestis.com/Horos%20Pagina.htm

Back to Star Lore Start Page

Back to Art Start Page

Back to Space Page

Back to English Main Page

Back to Start Page