Theatrum Cometicum
Stanislaw Lubieniecki. Theatrum Cometicum. Amsterdam: F. Cuyper, 1667.
Illustrated with hand-colored engravings.
Inspired by the appearance of a comet in 1664, Polish clergyman Stanislaw Lubieniecki (1623-1695) assembled this collection of astronomical observations throughout history. Blending astronomy with biblical chronology, the work traces the appearance of comets from the Great Flood to the famous sighting in 1665, which was said to have caused England’s Black Death epidemic. Lubieniecki maps the path of comets through their proximity to stars, illustrated with constellations which are elaborately depicted as their mnemonically associated animals and figures.