Andreas Cellarius was born in 1596 in Neuhausen and educated in Heidelberg. He emigrated to Holland in the early 17th century, and in 1637 moved to Hoorn, where he became the rector of the Latin School. Cellarius' best-known work is his Harmonia Macrocosmica, first issued in 1660 by Jan Jansson, as a supplement to Jansson's Atlas Novus. The work consists of a series of Celestial Charts begun by Cellarius in 1647 and intended as part of a two-volume treatise on cosmography, which was never issued.
Cellarius' charts are the most sought after of celestial charts, blending the striking imagery of the golden age of Dutch Cartography with contemporary scientific knowledge. The present examples come from the Valk & Schenk edition of Cellarius' atlas, which is unchanged from the 1661 edition. The 1660 and 1661 editions can be distinguished by the inclusion of a plate number in the lower right corner of the 1661 edition. The Valk & Schenk edition can be distinguished by the addition of the printer's name (Valk & Schenk) in the titles of the maps.
Decorative example of this striking map of America, showing California as an Island based upon the Second Sanson Model, published by the Valk family. Terrae Esonis and Fretum Anian shown in the Northwest. Intriguing detail in the interior. Mississippi...
Fine example of Cellarius's chart illustrating Claudius Ptolemy's earth-centered model of the universe. In the second century, Claudius Ptolemy, an important Egyptian Astronomer and Geographer, postulated that the Sun and Planets revolved around the...
Scarce and highly detailed map of Scotland, published by Gerard and Leonard Valk. The map locates towns, roads, rivers, lakes, islands, etc. The map has an inset of the Orkney Islands in the upper-right corner.
Scarce and highly detailed map of the Low Countries, published by Valk. The map locates towns, roads, rivers, lakes, islands, etc. Finely engraved.
Detailed map of the Champagne region of France. Old Color. Double Thick Paper.
Scarce map of Russia and Ukraine, hand colored by political subdivisions, by Gerard and Leonard Valk. The map extends far to the east, showing some portion of the Tartar and Mongol regions.
Fine map of Scandinavia and the Baltic, published in Amsterdam by Valk. Shows Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. It depicts a significantly contracted Swedish Empire having suffered defeats against both Norway and Russia over the previous...
Striking map of Central Italy, from Milan, Mantua and Rvigo in the North to Rome, Aquila and Civita in the South and including a portion of Sardinia and various islands in the region.
Detailed map of Greece and neighboring islands, engraved in Amsterdam by Valk.
Detailed map of Morea and neighboring islands, engraved in Amsterdam by Valk.
