Astrology as Art

Is astrology an art? How does art represent astrology and its practice? Is the visual language used by astrologers artistic? From Mesopotamia and Mediterranean culture to Mesoamerica and into the European Renaissance and the modern era, the nine chapters in this anthology explore the meanings of art and astrology, the iconography of astrology and the nature of its practice, the use of zodiac signs, and the portrayal stars and planets in literature and the visual arts. With contributions by Spike Bucklow, Ruth Clydesdale, Richard Dunn, Martin Gansten, Liesbeth Grotenhuis, John Meeks, Suzanne Nolan, Micah Ross, and Claudia Rousseau.

Foreword

Nicholas Campion and Jennifer Zahrt

Introduction: Ars, Technē, śāstra,ʿIlm: What’s in a Name?

Martin Gansten

The Iconography of Libra and Pisces in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece

Micah Ross

Dwarfs as an Ancient Mayan Metaphor for the Stars

Suzanne Nolan

Astrological Imagery in the Rulership Propaganda of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici

Claudia Rousseau

Astrological Symbolism in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzivâl

John Meeks

Seeing the World Soul: Marsilio Ficino and Talismanic Art

Ruth Clydesdale

Lower Astrology and Silent Poetry

Spike Bucklow

Picturing the Practitioner: Notes Towards an Iconography of Astrological Practice

Richard Dunn 

Twinkling Voices from the Gods: Fernand Khnopff’s Use of Stars as Mystical Guides in ‘Avec Verhaeren, un ange’

Liesbeth Grotenhuis