Subject: Celestial
Period: 1730-31 (published)
Publication: Mercurii philosophici firmamentum firmianum
Color: Hand Color
Size:
5 x 4.5 inches
12.7 x 11.4 cm
Little is known about Corbinianus Thomas, a Benedictine monk at Salzburg, but his Firmamentum is one of the unsung treasures of celestial cartography. It contained 54 small charts of individual constellations. Thomas used an interesting nomenclature system: Bayer Greek letter, Roman numeral for magnitude, and Arabic numeral for reference to a star catalog. This system originated on the large globes of Coronelli, as did many of Thomas's figures.
Fine miniature star chart of the southern sky. Includes Triangulum Australe, Crux (Southern Cross), Hydrus, Rhombus and several others.
References: Warner, p. 251.
Condition: A
Damp stains in margins.
