Constellations in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Picturing the stars between science and imagination Vo. II 1200-1500

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Dieter Blume
• Subject Area: Art History
• Term: from 2014 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 268679597

The second volume on hand is the final result of a research-project on the history of the pictures of constellations, which for the first time studies all existing illustrated astronomical and astrological manuscripts from 800 to 1500. The results present now a new basis for understanding the uses of images, the transformation of antiquity and the astronomical sciences in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The first volume concerning the time from 800 to 1200 was already published in 2012. The publication of the second volume will again master a great variety of sources and pictures and will therefore have the character of a handbook and will be of great importance for all historical disciplines.Among the sciences Astronomy and Astrology have to work in a special way with images to explain their objects and their theories. The history of the pictures of the constellations is therefore an ideal example to understand the mechanism of picturing and knowing, of tradition and imagination. The constellations are in the time between 1200 and 1500 important for three areas of knowledge. These are Astronomy, Astrology and Mythology.The Astronomy works for a better observation of the stars and a better understanding of the exact position of the single stars and ends up with an cartography of the sky. Astrology starts in the 12th century and only in the 13th century have also some influence in the daily life. Id deals with the interpretation of the movements of the stars. Because of her practical components there is a growing Interest in this field and the astrological theories disseminate in a great variety of popularizations. Since the 14th century are Poetry and Mythology a special area of interest, where the correspondences between the ancient myths and the cosmic reality have a great importance. Often the same persons work in the field of astronomy or astrology as well as mythology. The specific interactions between these areas of knowledge becomes evident only in the complete synopsis of the whole tradition, which is done for the first time during this research project.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants