1635. Claude Mellan’s engravings

Claude Mellan, Représentation de la lune dans son plein, 1635.

French astronomers, who wished to challenge themselves for the determination of the longitudes, associated themselves around 1630, for the creation of a detailed Moon map. This was the case for the astronomers Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655) and Nicolas Pereisc (1580-1637).

In order to form the project, they contacted Claude Mellan (1598-1688), a famous draughtsman and engraver, known for his precise work execution. Around 1635, three drawings are printed, which represent the Moon on its first and last quarter, as well during its full moon stage. Pereisc’s death in 1637 interrupts the project brutally and Gassendi abandons the nomenclature that was still in the making.