"Planispheres Celeste par Mr. de la Hire...", La Hire/De Fer

This decorative twin hemisphere star chart is the work of Philippe de la Hire, a notable French astronomer, and was engraved by Herman van Loon. Warner speculates this small map was a prototype for his larger celestial maps that were also published by De Fer. The allegorical constellations figures are derived from Bayer's Uranometria. The spheres are surrounded by several diagrams of the sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn - each with their namesakes in Greek mythology. This is the first state.

References: Kanas #7.12.2; Warner, p. 145, #3a.

Condition: A

On watermarked paper with minor soiling.