The Northern Celestial Hemisphere

1515

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer
Artist, German, 1471 - 1528
The artwork is a detailed woodcut illustration depicting the Northern Celestial Hemisphere. It features a circular arrangement of constellations, each designed with figures of animals, mythical creatures, and human forms. The constellations are labeled in Latin, and lines connect the stars within each constellation. Surrounding the central circle are four figures, each positioned in a corner, holding celestial globes. The figures are dressed in period attire. The entire composition is rendered in a monochrome palette, emphasizing the intricate linework and detailed carvings. The background is plain, focusing attention on the celestial map and its surrounding figures.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 46 × 42.9 cm (18 1/8 × 16 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1954.12.233

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 260

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(H. P. Kraus, New York); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1932d), 1954; gift to NGA, 1954.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 2: no. 243.

Inscriptions

in block, above image: Imagines coeli Septentrionales cum duodecim imaginibus zodiaci.

Wikidata ID

Q18339672

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