Creation with Cosmographical Diagram
Title
Creation with Cosmographical Diagram
Description
The map is a painted woodcut from the 1534 edition of the Luther Bible and is found at the beginning of Genesis in the Old Testament. There are two prominent features of the map: God overseeing creation; and the concentric spheres of the cosmos.
God the creator is cloaked in red and has elaborate gold and jewels around the neck. Their deep red cloak embraces creation and gives the impression of great power over the cosmos. Concentric circles of gold and red radiate from the creator’s head as bright rays.
The material cosmos occupies the center of the image beneath the creator and consists of three concentric circles, reflecting the Italian tradition of placing the spheres of the cosmos concentrically (Cosgrove 90). The first ring of the cosmos is blue-green with tightly stacked and fluid wavy lines. Perhaps it reflects the billowing cloud symbols used in medieval, religious, cosmographical diagrams to represent a boundary where human senses are obscured, or perhaps it is the waters above the firmament as outlined in the Genesis creation narrative (Cosgrove 90). Next is the second ring of the cosmos which is twice as thick as the first. This ring contains celestial bodies, clouds, and birds in flight, all of which can be perceived by man. Varying shades of blue dominate the ring and yellow is used as a sharp contrast to denote the celestial bodies—sun, moon, and stars.
The final sphere is a central Eden landscape which two human occupants, likely Adam and Eve. The figures are unclothed and surrounded by a green landscape and diverse wildlife. A body of blue water surrounds the landmass, and a sharp toothed sea creature occupies the bottom left waters. Four rivers radiate from the center of paradise (the Phison, Gehon, Tigris, and Euphrates). (Kaitlin Schaible '19)
God the creator is cloaked in red and has elaborate gold and jewels around the neck. Their deep red cloak embraces creation and gives the impression of great power over the cosmos. Concentric circles of gold and red radiate from the creator’s head as bright rays.
The material cosmos occupies the center of the image beneath the creator and consists of three concentric circles, reflecting the Italian tradition of placing the spheres of the cosmos concentrically (Cosgrove 90). The first ring of the cosmos is blue-green with tightly stacked and fluid wavy lines. Perhaps it reflects the billowing cloud symbols used in medieval, religious, cosmographical diagrams to represent a boundary where human senses are obscured, or perhaps it is the waters above the firmament as outlined in the Genesis creation narrative (Cosgrove 90). Next is the second ring of the cosmos which is twice as thick as the first. This ring contains celestial bodies, clouds, and birds in flight, all of which can be perceived by man. Varying shades of blue dominate the ring and yellow is used as a sharp contrast to denote the celestial bodies—sun, moon, and stars.
The final sphere is a central Eden landscape which two human occupants, likely Adam and Eve. The figures are unclothed and surrounded by a green landscape and diverse wildlife. A body of blue water surrounds the landmass, and a sharp toothed sea creature occupies the bottom left waters. Four rivers radiate from the center of paradise (the Phison, Gehon, Tigris, and Euphrates). (Kaitlin Schaible '19)
Creator
Unknown
Source
The Luther Bible, 1534. Weimar, Germany. Stiftung Weimarer Klassik, Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek, Shelf mark, vol 1: C1, l:58b; vol. 2: C1, l:58c.
Format
Map in a book
Publisher
Martin Luther. Biblia, Das Ist, Die Gantze Heilige Schrifft Deudsch, ed. Stephan Füssel. Köln: Taschen, 2003.
Date
1534
Medium
wood cut
Contributor
Special Collections, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
schaiblek
Language
German
Type
World map
Spatial Coverage
World
References
Cosgrove, Dennis E. “Images of Renaissance Cosmography, 1490 – 1650.” In The History of Cartography, vol. 3, part 1, Cartography in the European Renaissance, ed. David Woodward. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Rights
Rights for maps held by individual publishers and institutions. Thumbnails displayed constitute fair use.
Citation
Unknown, “Creation with Cosmographical Diagram,” Mapping the World, accessed April 24, 2026, https://hist231.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/25.