ARATUS (c.315-240 BCE) and Jakob van GHEYN (1596-1641, artist). Arataea sive signa coelestia. Amsterdam: Joannes Jansson, 1621.
Small folio (320x185mm. text, 380x198 mm., binding). 43 finely engraved plates of the constellation figures ((lacking the unnumbered plate with the celestial globe; plate Aquarius with notes to margin, some slight spotting, title with some soiling, repaired tear to lower margin).
Early 20th century half calf binding, only slight wear, richly gilt spine, dark red title label.

First edition of the separate suite of van Gheyn's engravings of the constellations. These images were first used to illustrate Grotius's 1600 edition of Aratus, the ancient astrological poet, which was the very first engraved star atlas. They were also used as models from Bayer's 1603 Uranometria. The compositions are based on the famous suite of woodcuts which illustrate early editions of Hyginus and other astrological texts; they are "perhaps the finest illustrations of the individual Hyginus constellations" (Warner). The first numbered plate is signed 'I.D. Gheyn figur.', and the remaining ones 'IDG'.

Jakob ven Gheyn, was a pupil of Hendrik Golzius.
Brunet II, 1766.; Warner, The Sky Explored (1979), p 93 1a.