Abstract
Literally a description of heaven and earth, Renaissance cosmography was primarily confined to the terrestrial realm. In addition to verbal descriptions, cosmography found embodiments in graphic representations, known as imago mundi or mappaemundi and regional maps. Cosmography was connected with various branches of natural philosophy, including astronomy, cosmology, and geography. Though rooted in the medieval examples and textual traditions, during the Renaissance cosmography was transformed through the input of various cultural forces, ranging from the rediscovery of ancient texts offering descriptions of the world to the discovery of the new lands. In addition to flourishing through the continuity in some textual and graphic renditions, Renaissance cosmography and its maps aptly epitomize the achievements and innovations brought about in the early stages of the Scientific Revolution. These can be readily appreciated by comparing medieval mappaemundi, allegorical and nonmetrical in essence, with sixteenth-century Ptolemaic maps, which were measured, scaled, and based on mathematical projections.
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Baldasso, R. (2016). Cosmography. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_1140-1
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Cosmography in the Renaissance- Published:
- 17 October 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_1140-2
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Cosmography- Published:
- 28 January 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_1140-1