Map of Africa (1544-1628) German edition by Sebastian Munster.

Woodcut from the famous ‘Typus Cosmographicus Universalis’ or Cosmographia. This map is famous for the fantastical one-eyed “Monoculi” The maps were subject to various updates over the editions. It is likely that this map dates to around 1600.

Cosmographia of 1544 was the earliest description of the world in the German language. It had numerous editions in different languages including Latin, French, Italian, English, and even Czech. The Cosmographia was one of the most successful and popular works of the 16th century. It passed through 24 editions in 100 years. This success was due to the fascinating woodcuts (some by Hans Holbein the Younger, Urs Graf, Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch, and David Kandel), in addition to including the first to introduce "separate maps for each of the four continents known then – America, Africa, Asia and Europe."[8] It was most important in reviving geography in 16th-century Europe. The last German edition was published in 1628, long after his death.

47cm x 56cm framed

R25,000