Cellarius Celestial Chart — Antique Celestial Print

This plate from Andreas Cellarius's Harmonia Macrocosmica (1660) belongs to one of the atlas's most unusual features: a pair of 'Christianized' star hemispheres in which the classical mythological constellations are replaced by biblical figures and saints. Where a conventional chart might show Perseus or Andromeda, this sky is populated instead by apostles and martyrs, an attempt to reconcile pagan astronomical tradition with seventeenth-century Christian sensibility. Few celestial atlases before or since attempted anything quite like it, which is part of why art historians still single out these particular plates when discussing the Harmonia Macrocosmica. As elsewhere in the atlas, the design is hand-colored and set within Cellarius's ornate Baroque border of cherubs and drapery.

Materials & origin

• Material: 200 gsm gallery-grade, acid-free fine-art paper (FSC-certified).
• Print: Archival giclée, 12-colour printing, smooth matte finish for glare-free display.
• Artwork: Restored from a public-domain original; colour and detail digitally cleaned for large-format print.
• Origin: Made on demand and shipped from the print hub nearest you, cutting transit and waste.
• Framing: Sold unframed; ships rolled in a protective tube.