The Spheres of the Heavens and the Planets
Title
The Spheres of the Heavens and the Planets
Alternative Title
Le Sphaerae Coelestis et Planetarum; De Sphaera
Description
Le Sphaerae Coelestis et Planetarum [The Spheres of the Heavens and the Planets], also referred to as De Sphaera, is one of the most elaborate illuminated manuscripts created in Renaissance Italy. Cristoforo de Predis, the presumed illustrator of the codex, was a disciple of Leonardo da Vinci. Additionally, Predis was described as deaf, mute, and dumb in contemporary documents. It is thought Predis influenced da Vinci’s decision to write Codex Urbinas, where he explained what he learned from dumb people about painting.
De Sphaera is a 24 by 17 cm manuscript, richly decorated with twelve different colors and gold leaf. The first couple of pages display astrological charts containing constellations and diagrams demonstrating how to utilize astrolabes. Each page has an undecorated margin on the parchment. Gold leaf outlines each painted image, centered on each page.
The pages are elaborately embellished with pictures of the zodiacs and human representations of the Sun, Moon, and the first six planets in the solar system, excluding earth. Each of these representations appears on the left page, with the right page displaying an image of daily life corresponding to the astrological significance of the planet. The representations of life include detailed depictions of all aspects of society, including images of peasants, beggars, merchants, criminals, disabled people, and the elites.
Under each painting, Predis includes a commentary that describes the painting's connection to the work of Johannes de Sacrobosco, the author of an influential astronomy textbook. De Sphaera serves as a commentary for the 13th-century De Sphaera Mundi astronomy text written by Sacrobosco.
The most striking image from the book is the image of Saturn. Saturn is centered on the page in a starry night sky and is surrounded by multiple colorful rings. Saturn is portrayed wearing only a loincloth with a star centered on his genitals and has long brown hair and a long beard. He carries a long wooden staff and a sickle. A shaggy goat and a partially nude woman dumping water from a vessel into a river appear in circles to either side of Saturn’s legs. Two faces are in the act of blowing in both top corners, and their breath is directed towards the rings. A cloudy sky serves as a background surrounding Saturn. The town below is crowded with armed figures. These figures are depicted, carrying out various actions, such as playing games, killing a person, and patrolling the town.
De Sphaera is a 24 by 17 cm manuscript, richly decorated with twelve different colors and gold leaf. The first couple of pages display astrological charts containing constellations and diagrams demonstrating how to utilize astrolabes. Each page has an undecorated margin on the parchment. Gold leaf outlines each painted image, centered on each page.
The pages are elaborately embellished with pictures of the zodiacs and human representations of the Sun, Moon, and the first six planets in the solar system, excluding earth. Each of these representations appears on the left page, with the right page displaying an image of daily life corresponding to the astrological significance of the planet. The representations of life include detailed depictions of all aspects of society, including images of peasants, beggars, merchants, criminals, disabled people, and the elites.
Under each painting, Predis includes a commentary that describes the painting's connection to the work of Johannes de Sacrobosco, the author of an influential astronomy textbook. De Sphaera serves as a commentary for the 13th-century De Sphaera Mundi astronomy text written by Sacrobosco.
The most striking image from the book is the image of Saturn. Saturn is centered on the page in a starry night sky and is surrounded by multiple colorful rings. Saturn is portrayed wearing only a loincloth with a star centered on his genitals and has long brown hair and a long beard. He carries a long wooden staff and a sickle. A shaggy goat and a partially nude woman dumping water from a vessel into a river appear in circles to either side of Saturn’s legs. Two faces are in the act of blowing in both top corners, and their breath is directed towards the rings. A cloudy sky serves as a background surrounding Saturn. The town below is crowded with armed figures. These figures are depicted, carrying out various actions, such as playing games, killing a person, and patrolling the town.
Creator
Cristoforo de Predis
Source
Modena, Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, α.X.2.14 = Lat.209
Format
map in book
Publisher
Modena: Il Bulino, edizioni d'arte, 2010
Date
Ca 1450x1460
Medium
Manuscript
Contributor
Special Collections, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Relation
Language
Italian
Type
Celestial Map
Spatial Coverage
Cosmos, Astrological Charts
References
Cosgrove, Denis E. "Images of Renaissance Cosmography, 1450-1650." In Historyof Cartography, vol. 3, edited by David Woodward, 55-98. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.
Jacobsen, Michael A. "A Sforza Miniature by Cristoforo Da Preda." The Burlington Magazine 116, no. 851 (1974): 91-96.
Prosperi, Adriano, and Jeremy Carden. Crime and Forgiveness: Christianizing Execution in Medieval Europe. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: Harvard University Press, 2020.
Jacobsen, Michael A. "A Sforza Miniature by Cristoforo Da Preda." The Burlington Magazine 116, no. 851 (1974): 91-96.
Prosperi, Adriano, and Jeremy Carden. Crime and Forgiveness: Christianizing Execution in Medieval Europe. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: Harvard University Press, 2020.
Rights
Rights for maps held by individual publishers and institutions. Thumbnails displayed constitute fair use.
Original Format
Manuscript
Physical Dimensions
24 by 17 cm
Collection
Citation
Cristoforo de Predis
, “The Spheres of the Heavens and the Planets,” Mapping the World, accessed May 3, 2025, https://www.hist231.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/39.