ABSTRACT Inga Elmqvist Söderlund possession of astronomy Taking The frontispieces and illustrated title pages in books on astronomy of the 17th century are beautiful works of art. They show a wide variety of designs, each pointing out the particularity of the title and what makes Taking possession of astronomy it noteworthy. The thesis is a survey of 291 frontispieces and illustrated title pages in European books on astronomy from the 17th century. It is a quantitative and qualitative survey of how motifs are related to consumption, identification and display. Elements in the motifs related to factual content as opposed to those aimed to raise the perceived value of astronomy are distinguished. The quantitative study shows that astronomical phenomena (90 per The author Inga Elmqvist Söderlund was born cent) and scientific instruments (62 per cent, or as much as 86 per cent if in 1967. She holds a degree of Master of Arts only titles with illustrations occupying an entire page are considered) are with a major in the History of Art (Stockholm the most common motifs to inform the reader of the genre. Besides these, University 2001) and a degree of MSc in Business a wide range of depicted features indicate the particularity of each title. Administration and Economics (Lund University Different means for raising the value of astronomy and its attributes are 1993). She has curated several exhibitions and held posts at various museums in Sweden. Since identified. The interplay of “real” or “credible” elements with fictional 1996 she has been Curator at the Observatory ones was used to attract attention, create positive associations and Museum in Stockholm. This is her PhD Thesis for promote acquisition and reading. The motifs mainly promote delectation presentation at the Department of Art History, and erudition, although some attract attention through their deliberately Stockholm University in 2010. She has published enigmatic design and a few through fear. The survey determines prevalent FRONTISPIECES AND ILLUSTRATED TITLE PAGES several articles on the interface between the arts settings (palaces, the theatre, gardens, the wilderness and the heavens), IN 17TH-CENTURY BOOKS ON ASTRONOMY and sciences. activities (skilful use of instruments, conversations or disputes), references to the ancients and heraldic components. They present both the self- image of astronomers at the time and ideal components that contain connotations of an enhanced reality. This self-image also contributed to the definition of normative values for astronomers in the 17th century. The affinities between painters and astronomers are examined. In addition, an analysis of descriptions of frontispieces is undertaken, which shows that the user of the book was expected to devote considerable time to the frontispiece in order to understand all of its particular features and that the illustrations were suitable for as display and learned digression. Front page illustration: Frederik Hendrik van den Hove: Frontispiece in Andreas Cellarius, Harmonia macrocosmica, Amsterdam, 1660 (detail). Inga Elmqvist Söderlund Photograph: The National Library of Sweden. ,QJDBRPVODJBRULJLQDOBB$%LQGG TAKING POSSESSION OF ASTRONOMY Inga_orig1A_9_sid1-123_AB.indd 1 2010-04-22 13.02 Inga_orig1A_9_sid1-123_AB.indd 2 2010-04-22 13.02 Inga Elmqvist Söderlund Taking possession of astronomy FRONTISPIECES AND ILLUSTRATED TITLE PAGES IN 17TH-CENTURY BOOKS ON ASTRONOMY Inga_orig1A_9_sid1-123_AB.indd 3 2010-04-22 13.02 © Inga Elmqvist Söderlund, 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to identify the copyright holders for the images in this publication, if errors have been made, the author would be grateful for further information. Please contact the author at The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences/ The Observatory Museum, Drottninggatan 120, 113 60 Stockholm, Sweden Published by The Center for History of Science at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Lilla Frescativägen 4A, PO Box 50005, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden Bidrag till Kungl. Vetenskapsakademiens historia / Contributions to the history of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences No 40 PhD diss. Department of Art History, Stockholm University, Sweden. Distribution: The Observatory Museum, Drottninggatan 120, 113 60 Stockholm, Sweden. [email protected] Graphic design: Åsa Waldton, Waldton Design AB Print: Katarina Tryck AB, Stockholm, Sweden, 2010 ISSN 0081-9956 ISBN 978-91-7190-137-8 Inga_orig1A_9_sid1-123_AB.indd 4 2010-04-22 13.02 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 7 II. ASTRONOMY, THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE BOOK IN THE 17TH CENTURY 23 The discipline of astronomy 23 Astronomy in the visual arts 32 The astronomer and the practitioners of astronomy 55 The astronomer 55 Pictorial representations of the astronomer 57 The products/output of the astronomers 69 The astronomical book and its illustrations 77 The anatomy of the book 77 Production and trade of books 79 The illustrated book: Types of illustrations 86 The artists in astronomical books 89 The relationship between the subject of the frontispiece and the subject of the book – Judging a book by its cover 102 III. DREAM, DISPLAY AND LEARNED DIGRESSION: PICTORIAL THEMES IN FRONTISPIECES 119 The Dream of endless riches, the Ideal and the Utopian 120 “Do see how his instruments that have been spread out, are glittering with gold”: Unlimited consumption: books and instruments 120 “Do you see the temples of the gods arise?” Fictional means: Place, levels of reality and eras 153 PLACE: IN THE PALACE, IN THE GARDEN OR IN THE HEAVENS 153 Inga_orig1A_9_sid1-123_AB.indd 5 2010-04-22 13.02 DIFFERENT ERAS AND LEVELS OF REALITY: AMONG THE GODS AND IMMORTALS 176 The putto and the beautiful maiden: sugaring the pill of science 217 Acquisition, identification and heraldry 242 The frontispiece – a conversation-piece? 273 Keys to the learned digression 274 Access for a chosen elite – arousing interest and mechanisms of exclusion 290 IV. THE BOOK AS A WORK OF ART: THE ROLE OF THE FRONTISPIECE 313 Display: The book as a work of art 313 “with the intellects of poets, with the guidance of learned Apelles” Astronomy, Ekphrasis and invention 332 V. TAKING POSSESSION OF ASTRONOMY 361 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 369 APPENDIX 370 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 382 REFERENCES 387 6 Inga_orig1A_9_sid1-123_AB.indd 6 2010-04-22 13.02 INTRODUCTION I. Introduction his thesis invites the reader to look at frontispieces and illustrated title pages in books on astronomy, and to see how they attract the attention of potential buyers and readers. I have undertaken to show how a frontispiece in a 17th-century astronomy-book is able to invite the user to enter into a sumptuous palace or a beautiful garden, ornate with works of art, to be offered to drink from the fountain of wisdom. In this place monetary means pose no restrictions. A myriad mathematical constructions and astronomical instruments of glistening precious metals, together with treatises of eternal wisdom, are at the reader’s disposal. Famous astronomers, venerable figures from history and the Old Testament, church fathers, angels, or perhaps princes, invite participation in the most learned of conversations. Additionally, there might be some mythological creatures, beautiful learned ladies and little naked children at play who wish to persuade readers to amuse themselves with optical mirabilia or apparatuses. All of these joys are to be found compounded in one work of art, a picture, at the front of the book, promising the reader an exciting experience as he peruses the volume. The image may seem to imply that the book is an instrument which will change the reader into a different, more refined person. The frontispiece may entice the beholder to possess: possess the book and possess astronomy. What is a frontispiece? A frontispiece is an entire illustrated page found at the beginning of a book.1 It is normally placed just before or after the title page. Whereas the name of the author, title of the book, year of printing, publisher’s name, city of origin etc. is written on the title page, the frontispiece has limited information on these matters. It can be seen as the face of the book, just as a facade is the entrance of a building, which ideally represents and expresses its content. The title page of the book can be just as lavishly 1 Weismann 1989 p. 68. Earlier the concept of frontispiece could signify any pictorial representation on the title page, but nowadays it mainly denotes a whole illustrated page. In Italian “Frontespizio” however usually designates the title page whereas “antiporta” is used to indicate the frontispiece. 7 Inga_orig1A_9_sid1-123_AB.indd 7 2010-04-22 13.02 INTRODUCTION illustrated. This thesis is mainly concerned with frontispieces and illustrated title pages which were individually designed to be used for one specific title. Astronomy as an article of consumption Within the natural sciences, astronomy was a field which saw extensive publication during the 17th century. It is therefore a fruitful field of research. The great popularity of astronomy was partly due to the invention of the telescope. It is plausible to assume that the novelty of the instrument and the new discoveries enhanced consumers’ expectations. But already before the invention and spread of the telescope there was a market for popular goods and services related to astronomy. Knowledge of the night sky and its changes was useful to many people, which contributed to this demand. The celestial bodies and their movements helped, for example, to keep track of time and astronomy had many other applications such as navigation and mapping, which were useful for several professions, not least for military purposes and trade. In the long run it contributed to the acquisition of wealth and hence power. It is no wonder that there was fervent activity in publishing astronomical texts, and that there were large groups of people interested in the study and applications of astronomy.