 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 8 in the atlas, is unsigned.



, 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 Jodocus Janssonius, who would later include Cellarius’ ‘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.

When Cellarius included this image in his ‘Harmonia Microcosmica’, he attributed this unusual hybrid model of the cosmos to the classical scholar Aratus (c315-240 BC), as did his contemporaries. However, Aratus was more poet than natural philosopher, and while his epic poem, the ‘Phenomena’, does describe the Heavens, he does not go into nearly enough detail for his words to be the source for this image. A much more likely candidate is Martianus Capella (fl415-420), whose ‘De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii’ includes a modified geocentric astronomical model. The Earth is at the centre of the Cosmos, orbited by the Moon, the Sun, three planets and the stars, but Mercury and Venus circle the Sun, as here.

 (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, here re-issued (1708) by the publishing partnership of Gerard Valk (1652–1726) and Peter Schenk the Elder (1660–1711).

’ ‘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.

When Cellarius included this engraving in his ‘Harmonia Microcosmica’, he attributed this unusual hybrid model of the cosmos to the classical scholar Aratus (c. 315–240 BCE), as did his contemporaries. However, Aratus was more poet than a natural philosopher, and while his epic poem, the ‘Phenomena’, does describe the Heavens, he does not go into nearly enough detail for his words to be the source for this image. A much more likely candidate is Martianus Capella (fl. 415–420 CE), whose ‘De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii’ includes a modified geocentric astronomical model. The Earth is at the centre of the Cosmos, orbited by the Moon, the Sun, three planets, and the stars, but Mercury and Venus circle the Sun, as here.

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

Cellarius' Map of the Cosmos According to Aratus