HomeExhibitionsMapping the Heavens: Art, Astronomy, and Exchange between the Islamic Lands and Europe
Mapping the Heavens: Art, Astronomy, and Exchange between the Islamic Lands and Europe
Where are we? When are we?
These fundamental questions drove the development of astronomical sciences and religious practices across different times, regions, and faiths, to map and understand our place in the world and its relationship with the heavens.
The story of Mapping the Heavens begins in the Islamic World during the Early Middle Ages (c. 500s – 1200s CE), where Muslim scientists preserved and advanced the study of astronomy. Access to these scientific texts– many collected and translated in Spain in the 1200s and widely disseminated in books after the invention of the printing press in the 1400s–fueled a revolution of new discoveries and created a shared astronomical knowledge across Europe.
The works presented in this exhibition introduce the advancement of astronomy as a multi-cultural and multi-faith dialogue between scholars and scientists, showcasing the beauty and importance of the books, instruments, and images that communicated these discoveries.
Mapping the Heavens is part of our World Religions Initiative at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This exhibition is co-organized with the Linda Hall Library and generously supported by the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Johannes Hevelius, Polish (1611 – 1687). Prodromus astronomiae. Gdansk, Johann Zacharias Stolle, 1690. Book; paper [and printing ink] bound in vellum over boards, gold leaf, 15.6 x 9.6 x 2.4 inches (39.7 x 24.6 x 6.2 cm). Courtesy of Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology, Kansas City, MO.
A Sage Advises Khusraw When to Attack from the series The Khamsa of Nizami, Perisan, late 15th century. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, 4 x 3/4 inches (10.16 x 9.53 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 47-44/1.
Capricornus, the Kid from the series The Book of Fixed Stars (Kitab al-Kawakib ath-Thabitah), Persian, mid-15th century. Colors on polished paper, 6 1/2 × 4 3/4 inches (16.51 × 12.07 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 35-30/5.
Aries (Mangala), from a series of Astrological Paintings, Indian, about 1810. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 7 3/4 × 6 inches (19.69 × 15.24 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Gift of Wayne and Nancy Hunnicutt, 2019.63.1.
Muhammad ibn al-Fattuh al-Khama’iri, Spain. Astrolabe, 1236/7. Brass, 10 x 7.5 x 1.4 inches (24.9 x 19.3 x 3.6 cm). On Loan From the Adler Planetarium, Chicago.
Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish (1473 – 1543). De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. Nuremberg, Johannes Petreius, 1543. Book; paper [and printing ink] bound in doeskin over pasteboard, 10.6 x 8.1 x 1.5 inches (27 x 20.6 x 3.9 cm). Courtesy of Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology, Kansas City, MO.
Andreas Cellarius, German (c. 1596 – 1665). Harmonia macrocosmica. Amsterdam, Jan Janszoon, 1661. Book; paper and printing ink bound in leather over boards, with hand-colored engraved plates, 20.8 x 13.7 x 2.8 inches (53 x 34.8 x 7.2 cm). Courtesy of Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology, Kansas City, MO.
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