Old coloured celestial chart from the first Jan Jansson edition of Andreas Cellarius’ celestial atlas entitled “Harmonia Macrocosmica”. The Harmonia, which is generally considered to be finest celestial atlas ever produced, contained 29 charts of the heavens including several showing the movement of the planets according to various contemporary theories and others displaying the constellations as seen from different parts of the Earth. This chart, whose title is translated as “The southern stellar hemisphere of antiquity”, displays the classical interpretation of the constellations as seen in the southern hemisphere. The charts were printed in three editions; two by Jansson in 1660 and 1661, the latter edition with plate numbers inserted in the bottom right, and one by Schenk and Valk in 1708 with their names imprinted on the plates, The borders are decorated with putti and banks of clouds. Blank verso. The chart has a repaired centrefold split, otherwise a lovely old coloured example in very good condition. 44 cm x 52 cm (Provenance: QE II first class library)