Hemelkaart van het stelsel van Ptolemaeus 1660 - 1708

This anonymous engraving depicts the Ptolemaic system, illustrating a geocentric view of the cosmos with Earth at its center. Encircling it are the orbits of the Moon, Sun, planets, and stars. Notice the intricate, ornate borders that frame the scientific diagram. These decorative motifs echo the symbolic importance of the circle, a shape that, since antiquity, represents the cyclical nature of time and the cosmos. In medieval Christian iconography, circular mandorlas often surround Christ, symbolizing divine completeness and eternity. Similarly, in Eastern traditions, mandalas serve as cosmic maps, guiding meditation and spiritual insight. The Ptolemaic system itself, though superseded by heliocentric models, held sway for centuries, deeply influencing philosophical and religious thought. It reflects a human desire to impose order on the vastness of the universe, a quest that continues to resurface, evolving from ancient cosmologies to modern astrophysics, echoing our ongoing search for meaning.