A magnificent title page to a 17th century celestial atlas

The superbly decorated title page engraved by F.H. van Hoeven for the 'Atlas Coelestis; seu Harmonia Macrocosmica'. First published by Jan Jansson in 1660, it was the only celestial atlas to be produced in the Netherlands before the nineteenth century. It depicts Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, at the centre, surrounded by the most important astronomers. Left to right they are: Tycho Brahe (1546-1601); Claudius Ptolemy (c.90-168 AD); probably the Islamic astronomer al-Battani (c.850-929); Alfonso X of Castile (1221-84), who had Arabic scientific texts translated into Castilian; Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543); and Philippe van Lansberge (1551-1632), pointing up at a zodical band held aloft by cherubs. At the feet of the astronomers are instruments of astronomy, including a globe, astrolabe, armillary sphere and sextant. Two other cherubs hold cross-staffs.