Cosmographia map, Die Statt Plauen Germany by Sebastian Münster 1572
Titel: Die Statt Plauen
Description: Historic map of Plauen Germany in bird eye view, the map is woodcut engraved and hand colored, an literate description indicates the places. Original woodcut from the Cosmography by Sebastian Munster, published by Sebastian Henric Petri. The map is a more than 400 years old woodblock print, hand colored and from Sebastian Munsters Cosmographia, one of the most successful and popular books of the 16th century.
The map was published first in the German edition of his book "Cosmographia". This book was a comprehensive work, featuring 659 pages and approximately 520 woodcuts, Münster's "Cosmographia" was his most significant work, and it was published in various editions and translations throughout Europe The map "La ville d'Eger" depicts the city of Cheb, also known as Eger, located in the Czech Republic. It was published in the French edition of the "Cosmographia" The map is based on a mix of information derived from Verrazano's explorations between 1522 and 1524, indicating that Münster's work was influenced by contemporary exploration and geographical knowledge.
Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, Hebrew scholar, and humanist. He was born in Ingelheim near Mainz and completed his studies at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in 1518. Afterward, he was appointed to the University of Basel in 1527 as a Professor of Hebrew. In 1540, he published a Latin edition of Ptolemy's Geographia, which was followed by his principal work, the Cosmographia, in 1544. The Cosmographia was the earliest German description of the modern world and became a popular book for anyone who wished to know about places further than a day's journey from home. It was published in numerous editions and languages, including Latin, French, Italian, and Czech. The Cosmographia was printed with woodblocks in Basle with the help of his step-son, Henricus Petrus (1508–1579) and his son Sebastian Henric Petri (1546, Basel – 1627, Basel) headed the printer shop of Basel (Basilea in Latin), called Officina Henricpetrina. Petri continued to publish many editions of Münster's works after his death in 1552.
Size sheet app.: 42 x 35 cm. 16.75 x 13.75 inches Image app. : 39 x 23 cm. 15.25 x 9 inches.
Condition Very Good • Paper: Bright and clean with only minimal toning and no tears or creases. • Image: Sharp engraved lines with hand coloring and minimal foxing or discoloration. • Overall: An excellent example of an antique map with exceptional preservation.
