Cellarius employed various engravers to work on the plates of the atlas, but only two have signed their work: Frederik Hendrik van den Hove, author of the frontispiece, and Johannes van Loon, who engraved ten charts. All of the designs of the classical constellations were taken from the ones created by Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam. The current chart, which appears as Plate 11 in the atlas, is signed by van Loon.



, a pastor in Neuhausen from 1596 to 1599, who later moved to Heidelberg. The young Andreas was educated at the Sapierzkolleg in Heidelberg, and enrolled as a student at the University of Heidelberg in 1614. From 1625, the same year in which he married Catharina Eltmans, he was a schoolmaster in Amsterdam and then in the Hague. In 1637, he became headmaster of the Latin School in Hoorn. Once there, he settled down to writing. 

His earliest known work, in 1645, was on military architecture. Written in German, it was published in Amsterdam by 

, who would later include Cellarius’s ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’, as the last volume of his ‘

 Maior’, in 1660. However, before then, in 1659 Cellarius’s description of Poland was published, suggesting that he may have travelled extensively through that country.

Cellarius had three sons, Andreas (1626), Johannes (1631), and Joris (1635), and a daughter, Catharina (1628). He died in February or March of 1665, in the same year as his eldest son.

Here Johannes van Loon has essentially drawn a Ptolemaic armillary sphere, a scientific instrument designed to show the movement of the celestial spheres around the Earth.

The Earth, centred on the East Indies, and showing a rudimentary outline of the coast of Western Australia, is seen mounted on its axis (Axis Globi Terrestris), surrounded by the equatorial ring, the parallel Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, immediately to the north and south, and then the Polar Circles. At oblique angles to these circles are the celestial equator (Horizon), and the ecliptic circle or 

 ring. This ring represents the annual pathway of the Sun as, independently of the other stars, it makes its unique journey through the constellations of the 

. Where the celestial equator touches the 

 are the two points representing the two Equinoxes, where night and day are the same length.

 (c. 1596–1665) was a Dutch-German cartographer and cosmographer best known for his 1660 ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’, a major star atlas. The young Cellarius attended the University of Heidelberg in 1614 and later worked as a schoolmaster in Amsterdam and then in the Hague, eventually settling in Hoorn in 1637 to become headmaster of the Latin School. 

His earliest known work, in 1645, was on military architecture. Written in German, it was published in Amsterdam by 

. In 1659, Cellarius published his first cartographic work, a description of Poland, whose detail suggests that he may have travelled extensively through that country. The following year in 1660, Janssonius published Cellarius’ ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ and was so impressed with the work that he included it as the last volume of his own ‘

 Maior’, published the same year. 

The ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ was the only celestial atlas published during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, and probably the finest celestial atlas ever realized. Its twenty-one sumptuous Baroque-style charts majestically represent the three competing astronomical models of the day: the Ptolemaic, Tychonic, and the Copernican.

’ ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ (1660), was the only celestial atlas published during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography and probably the finest celestial atlas ever realized. This is one of twenty-one sumptuous Baroque-style charts that majestically represent the three competing astronomical models of the day: the Ptolemaic, Tychonic, and the Copernican.

The engraving demonstrates a Ptolemaic armillary sphere, a scientific instrument designed to show the movement of the celestial spheres around the Earth. Centred on the East Indies and showing a rudimentary outline of the coast of Western Australia, the earth is mounted on its axis (‘Axis Globi Terrestris’) and surrounded by the equatorial ring, the parallel Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, immediately to the north and south, and then the Polar Circles. At oblique angles to these circles are the celestial equator (Horizon), and the ecliptic circle or 

’ beautiful representation of the Ptolemaic geocentric theory of the Cosmos, with the Earth at the centre surrounded by “celestial circles”, as if in an armillary sphere.

Double-page engraved copperplate celestial chart, with contemporary hand-colour in full.

Cellarius' Map of a Ptolemaic Armillary Sphere