One of the earliest obtainable maps of Europe

Description

This is one of the earliest printed maps of Europe and one of the first based on contemporary geographic knowledge. It is from Sebastian Münster’s Geographia, first published in 1540 by Heinrich Petri in Basel.

Oriented to the south, the map depicts Europe from Iberia and part of Ireland in the west to Istanbul (Costant.nopel) and the Black Sea coast in the east. The northern regions are only partially shown – Scotland and Ireland are truncated, and only southern Denmark and the southernmost tip of Sweden are included. In the south, it reaches the African shores near Gibraltar and the island of Sicily (Sicilia).

The map features detailed pictorial depictions of mountain ranges, rivers, and forests. Cities and towns are symbolised as well, with major population centres such as London, Paris, Antwerp, Nuremberg, Prague, Venice, Rome, and Barcelona easily identifiable.

A decorative sailing ship, possibly a caravel, adorns the map in the Bay of Biscay.

Münster’s Geographia, published between 1540 and 1552, was a revised edition of Ptolemy’s classical work, featuring initially 48, and eventually 54, woodcut maps. While it contained the standard 27 Ptolemaic maps, Münster also added first 21, later 27, new maps, including a separate map of each continent, which was a first. His Geographia thus marked a critical step forward in the development of modern cartography.

Building on the Geographia, Münster published in 1544 the highly successful Cosmographia, a broader and more comprehensive work of encyclopedic nature, eventually published in multiple editions across several languages. It contained maps from the Geographia, as well as extensive additional cartographic material and illustrations, helping to popularise knowledge of the world during the Renaissance.

The Geographia and the Cosmographia were landmark achievements in cartography, playing a crucial role in updating the medieval understanding of geography and integrating new discoveries and knowledge from the Age of Exploration.

The present map appeared in both publications.

Latin text within a decorative border with illustrations on verso.

A beautiful example of one of the milestones of cartography.

Publication

Geographia universalis, vetus et nova, complectens Claudii Ptolemaei Alexandrini enarrationis libros VIII [1540-1545]

Note: Verso shows page number 29. Thus, the present example of the map could be from any of the – likely – four Latin editions of the Geographia, published in the years 1540, 1542, 1545, and 1552, as the pagination of this map was the same across them. However, the 1552 edition is the only edition that features a latitude and longitude grid printed in the margins of the map, which is absent here. Therefore, the current example is from either of the three earlier editions.

Condition

Very good.

A slightly light impression on a sheet issued folding, now flattened. Very light shine-through in left half. Very faint toning along centrefold. Faint staining at top, contained to blank margin. Minor crease at centre bottom, contained to blank margin. Several tiny tears along bottom edge. On verso, professional reinforcement of centrefold.

Reference

Ruland, H.L. (1962). A Survey of the double-page Maps in thirty-five Editions of the Cosmographia Universalis, 1544-1628, of Sebastian Münster and his editions of Ptolemy’s Geographia, 1540-1552. Imago Mundi, XVI, 84-97.

Item #: 01792

US $2,200.00

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