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Description : |
This fine
beautifully hand coloured original antique map of
modern contemporary Italy in the mid 16th century was published by
Sebastian Munster in the 1545 edition of
Ptolemy's Geographia, with 54 maps based on text by
the Greek Mathematician Claude Ptolemy.
Munster's Geographia (first published in 1540)
and his later Cosmographia were cartographic
landmarks. The Geographia included not only
Ptolemaic maps, but also a number of landmark modern
maps, including the first separate maps of the 4
continents, the first map of England and the earliest
obtainable map of Scandinavia. The Cosmographia
(first published in 1544) was the earliest German
description of the world and a major work in the revival
of geographic thought in 16th-century Europe.
Altogether, about 40 editions of the Cosmographia
appeared between 1544 and 1628.
Munster dominated cartographic publication during the
mid-16th Century and is generally regarded as one
of the important map makers of the 16th
Century.
Geographia: contained a
total of 54 woodcut maps, first published in 1540 and
re-issued until 1552.
Munsters
"contemporary" maps were a result of data sent to him by
German and European scholars of description of the
villages, towns trades etc in their regions. The
response was so great that over a 12 year period Munster
was able to compile the first of many up-to-date, if not
accurate, maps in both his two major publications,
Geographia and Cosmographia. The result was one of
the first comprehensive cartographical publications of
regions of Europe and other parts of the world. Also as
was the case with many cartographical publications of
the time ancient maps interpreted from the text of the
scholar Ptolemy were included along side the "modern"
ones.
Claude Ptolemy: a
Greek mathematician, astronomer and geographer, living
in Alexandria, assembled and codified his predecessors'
cartographic theories including those of Strabo &
Marinus of Tyre (c. AD 120) to whom he was
especially indebted. In about AD 150 he published his
Geographia, a work in 8 volumes, supposedly
illustrated with a world map, 26 regional maps and a
profusion of smaller maps. Although the text of the
Geographia survived, no maps older than about the
twelfth century have come down to us and, in
consequence, we have no means of knowing whether the
'Ptolemy' maps on which we set so much store were, in
fact, drawn by him or were the interpretations of later
map makers using his text as a basis.
In Europe
the initial awakening of interest in geography arose
from the revival of knowledge of Ptolemy's Geographia
soon after the year 1400. Greek manuscript copies
made in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries were brought
by scholars to Italy from Constantinople and were
subsequently translated into Latin and widely studied.
This work coincided with, and was much influenced by,
the development of printing techniques, particularly, of
course, by the invention of movable-type printing by
Gutenberg about 1450, which made possible for the first
time the production of printed books in quantity. Apart
from this factor, other more far-reaching influences
were compelling the peoples of Western Europe to look
beyond the horizon they had known for so many centuries.
With the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 the Turks
effectively closed Europe's trade routes to the East and
shut off access to traditional sources of luxuries and
precious metals from Asia and, above all, denied the
supply of the spices which had become so important in
the lives of ordinary people. Other factors often based
on long-believed myths and legends added to the urge to
break out into the unknown world.
The interpretation of Ptolemy's text began mainly with
the Italians Angelus, Beroaldus & Vadius in 1477 and was
re-interpreted and re-issued by many over the next
century by the likes Waldseemuller 1513, Gastaldi 1548,
Mercator 1578 & Magini 1596.
Sebastian Münster
(1488-1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and
Hebrew scholar whose work Cosmographia (1544;
"Cosmography") was the earliest German description of
the world and a major work in the revival of geographic
thought in 16th-century Europe.
It had numerous editions in different languages
including Latin, French, Italian, English, and even
Czech.
Altogether, about 40 editions of the Cosmographia
appeared between 1544 and 1628 and
was one of the most successful and popular books of the
16th century.
Münster was a major influence in popular thinking in
Europe for the next 200 years.
This success was due not only to the level of
descriptive detail but also to the fascinating full page
maps & views as well as smaller woodcuts that were
included in the text. Many of the woodcuts were executed
by famous engravers of the time including Hans Holbein
the Younger, Urs Graf, Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch, and
David Kandel.
Aside from the well-known maps present in the
Cosmographia, the text is thickly sprinkled with
vigorous views: portraits of kings and princes, costumes
and occupations, habits and customs, flora and fauna,
monsters, wonders, and horrors about the known -- and
unknown -- world, and was undoubtedly one of the most
widely read books of its time.
Münster acquired the material for his book in three
ways. Firstly he researched all available literary
sources across Germany, Switzerland and other parts of
Europe. Secondly he obtained original manuscript
material from locals all over Europe for description of
the countryside, cities, villages, towns, rivers and
local history. Finally, he obtained further material
first hand on his travels (primarily in south-west
Germany, Switzerland, and Alsace).
In 1588 Sebastian Petri re-released Cosomgraphia
and re-issued many of Munsters maps and views in the "copperplate style". The maps in
this release were more sophisticated than with earlier
publications of Cosomgraphia and were based on
the 1570 release of Abraham Ortelius monumental work
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. (Ref: Shirley; Tooley; M&B)
General Description:
Paper thickness
and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Brown, yellow, orange, blue
General color appearance: - Early
Paper size: - 17in x 13in (430mm x 330mm)
Plate size:
-
17in x 13in (430mm x 330mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)
Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None
If you wish to discuss this or any other item
please email or call...Simon
61 (0) 409 551910 Tel
simon@classicalimages.com
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