Back Aratea de Leiden Catalan Leidener Aratea German Aratea de Leiden Esperanto Aratea de Leiden Spanish Aratea de Leyde French Aratea di Leida Italian Leidensis Vossianus Lat. Q 79 Latin Leidse Aratea Dutch Лейденский Арат Russian
| Leiden Aratea | |
|---|---|
| Leiden University | |
 | |
| Date | Louis the Pious, Judith of Bavaria |
| Language(s) | Latin |
| Size | 225 by 200 mm |
Leiden University Library, VLQ 79, also called the Leiden Aratea, is an illuminated copy of an astronomical treatise by Germanicus, based on the Phaenomena of Aratus. The manuscript was created in the region of Lorraine and has been dated to around 816.[1] It was produced at the court of Louis the Pious, who ruled from 814–840. It is one of the four Carolingian codices that were produced in his court.[2] There are many translations and copies of this text, so it is very well known throughout the Middle East and Europe.[3]
There are 99 extant folios measuring 225 by 200 millimetres (9 by 8 in); four were lost before 1600. Besides these four, the manuscript is complete. The work contains 39 miniatures, including some of the first artistic depictions on paper of the Greek constellations. The artist has made no effort to place the stars correctly according to their positions in the sky so the images cannot be considered true star charts.[4]
- ^ Richard Mostert and Marco Mostert, "Using astronomy as an aid to dating manuscripts, The example of the Leiden Aratea planetarium", Quaerendo, 20 (1999): 248–261.
- ^ Dekker, Elly (2010). "The Provenance of the Stars in the Leiden 'Aratea' Picture Book". Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. 73: 1–37. doi:10.1086/JWCI41418712. S2CID 193326942.
- ^ Katzenstein, Ranee (1988). The Leiden Aratea: Ancient Constellations in a Medieval Manuscript. Malibu, California: The J. Paul Getty Museum.
- ^ Ridpath, Ian. "Illustrating the works of Aratus and Hyginus". Retrieved 2022-10-03.