Octo Mundi Miracula

Octo Mundi Miracula is a series of engravings published in 1572 by the Flemish engraver Philips Galle, based on drawings by Dutch painter Maarten van Heemskerck. The engravings feature eight famous ancient monuments, with poems written by Hadrianus Junius to accompany each one.

The series is important because it was the first complete visual representation of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Before this, different classical sources listed different monuments as the wonders, so there was no agreed-upon list. This series helped create the modern, standard list of the seven wonders that many people still know today.

Besides the seven wonders, the engravings also include an eighth monument—the Colosseum—inspired by van Heemskerck’s earlier painting called Self-Portrait with the Colosseum. Architectural historian Professor Andrew Hopkins of the University of L'Aquila noted that these images were so powerful that they helped establish the standard list, much like another famous architect, Sebastiano Serlio, did for architectural styles in 1537.

History

The series was published during the late Northern Renaissance in the Habsburg Netherlands during the early stages of the Dutch Revolt. The artist Maarten van Heemskerck was inspired by his visits to Rome where he studied ancient ruins and monuments. Philips Galle, an engraver and publisher, worked with the humanist poet Hadrianus Junius to create this important set of engravings.

Heemskerck used information from Pedro Mexía’s book Silva de varia lección, published in 1540. Classical writings about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World did not always agree on which buildings or structures should be included. Mexía explained that while six wonders were generally agreed upon, there was debate over the seventh. Some lists included different structures such as the Hanging Gardens or the Lighthouse of Pharos. This series became the first complete visual representation of the Seven Wonders, creating the list we still use today.

Work

The eight engravings in Octo Mundi Miracula show famous ancient buildings and structures. They include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Hanging Gardens and Walls of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The artist also added the Colosseum of Rome, called "Amphitheatrum," which he visited and admired.

Each picture places the wonder in the center, surrounded by scenes from history or myths, with important people and gods. Latin poems written by Hadrianus Junius go with each engraving, giving thoughts and stories about the buildings.

Influence and legacy

The series Octo Mundi Miracula was copied and adapted by many artists, including Louis de Caullery and Willem Janszoon Blaeu, who used it in works like the 1630 Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula.

It played a key role in shaping how people visualize the ancient wonders, as there was no standard way to picture them before this series existed.

Collections and conservation

Prints from the Octo Mundi Miracula series are kept safe in several famous museums and libraries around the world. You can find them at the British Museum in London, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Louvre in Paris, and the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel.

The series shows the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in the order they were first published in 1572. These wonders include the Pyramids, the Lighthouse, the buildings of Babylon, the Temple, the Statue of Zeus, the Colossus, the Mausoleum, and the Colosseum. There is also an image that combines all of them together.