VISUAL ARTS

Sara Schechner, David P. Wheatland Curator, Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Harvard University. Susan Dackerman, Carl A. Weyerhaeuser Curator of Prints, Division of European and American Art, Harvard Art Museums

Albrecht Dürer’s woodcuts of the northern and southern skies, created in collaboration with astronomers Johannes Stabius and Conrad Heinfogel, were the first printed celestial maps and became the cartographic model for generations afterward. This talk will examine how 16th-century artists shaped not only the design of maps and scientific instruments such as sundials and globes, but also the way people understood space and time. Followed by evening stargazing using historical and printed instruments.

Gallery talks are informal and include discussion. Limited to 25 participants; please arrive early.

This gallery talk is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.