3-057-261 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Cygnus as the Holy Cross, 1627. The allegorical figure of Cygnus sits amongst clouds holding the cross. Cygnus is a large northern constellation, also called the swan. The German scholar Julius Schiller christianised the map of the heavens and stars. The classical imagery of the star groups was replaced by religious imagery. Therefore the northern heavens were given New Testament imagery, and the southern heavens were given Old Testament imagery. However his contemporaries were not convinced, perhaps because of the strong Catholic influence in the images. They preferred to adhere to the traditional classical images. From "Coelum Stellatum Christianum".