Americae sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio / Die newen Inseln, so hinder Hispania gegen...

Woodcut map of the American continent. Printed in Basle by Sebastian Petri in 1598.

Reference 12430

Description

Beautiful original antique map of America by Sebastian Münster. The west coast of North America features Vázquez de Coronado's Quivira, one of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold, as well as the Sierra Nevada. There are also many interesting place names on the east coast.

Philip D. Burden notes about this map of America by Münster:

The geography of the American map particularly had become very out of date. To replace it he [the publisher: Sebastian Petri] relied upon the earlier copperplate map of America by Abraham Ortelius of 1570; it is virtually identical and bears no relation to the earlier Münster. Clearly when the block was cut they had not had access to Ortelius' third plate of 1587 in which he removed the southern bulge to the Chilean coastline. The familiar Ortelian westem coastline of North America and the large unknown southern continent also appear. There were not many editions after this, just 1592, 1598, 1614 and in 1628.

On verso the title with a woodcut element. From the German edition of Sebastian Munster's Cosmography, titled Cosmographey oder beschreibung aller Länder, published 1598 by S. Petri in Basel. The woodblock of this map was first used in Münster's cosmography of 1588.

Details

Cartographer	Sebastian Münster
Title	Americae sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio / Die newen Inseln, so hinder Hispania gegen Orient, bey dem Landt Indie gelegen
Publisher, Year	Sebastian Petri, Basle, 1588 (1598)
Plate Size	32.0 x 36.1 cm (12.6 x 14.2 inches)
Sheet Size	33.7 x 40.7 cm (13.3 x 16.0 inches)
Reference	Burden, P.D.: The Mapping of North America No. 67

Condition

Partly old colour refreshed. Very good condition.

Cartographer

Sebastian Münster was born 1489 in Ingelheim (Pfalz). First being a Franciscan, he became Professor for Theology, Hebrew and Mathematics after he converted to Protestantism in 1529. He became one of the most influencing geographers of the sixteenth century. His Cosmographia, published in 1544, spread geographical knowledge wide over Europe. It was issued in nearly 40 editions and 6 languages. Münster was the first cartographer publishing each known continent on a separate map. His second important work was the Geographia, a new edition of Ptolemys Geographia. He died May 1552 in Basel on Black Death.

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Sebastian Münster: Americae sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio / Die newen Inseln, so hinder Hispania gegen Orient, bey dem Landt Indie gelegen.

Woodcut map of the American continent. Printed in Basle by Sebastian Petri in 1598.

America Continent - Münster, Sebastian - Americae sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio...