Observations placeholder
Dürer, Albrecht - Symbolism - Constellations of the northern and southern skies
Identifier
020971
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Constellations of the northern and southern skies, engraved by Albrecht Dürer was published in 1515 in Nuremberg, Germany. The pair illustrated here is one of only three examples known with contemporary hand colouring. These particular charts sold at auction at Sotheby’s in March 2011 for £361,250 ($578,542).
The chart consists of a pair of woodcuts, with ‘constellation figures’. The constellation figures are shown reversed, and the constellations of the zodiac progress anticlockwise.
In other words, this is the Egg/Atom of a person and represents their astrological chart. As every aggregate has its own atom, the functions applicable to it are in one dimension, whilst the destiny and the plan for that person/aggregate instance are in the other dimension
This has nothing absolutely nothing to do with maps of the world.
In the corners of the northern chart, Dürer depicted the four ancient authorities on whose descriptions the constellation figures are based. At top left is Aratus Cilix (Aratus of Soli in Cilicia, who wrote the astronomical poem called the Phaenomena); top right is Ptolemeus Aegyptus (Ptolemy, who worked at Alexandria in Egypt and published a great star catalogue in the Almagest); bottom left is M. Mamlius Romanus (Marcus Manilius, a Roman astrologer of the first century AD who wrote a book of constellation lore called Astronomica); and finally Azophi Arabus (al-Sufi, the Arab astronomer who revised and updated the star catalogue in the Almagest).
In the lower left corner of the southern hemisphere chart Dürer notes the contributions of Stabius, Heinfogel and himself above their individual coats of arms. At top left is the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Salzburg, Cardinal Matthäus Lang, and at top right is a dedication to him. Finally, there is an acknowledgement to the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I, who was the patron of Dürer.
A description of the experience
North
South
