Meerwunder und Seltzame Thier/Wie Die In Den Mitnacßtigen Landern Gefunden Werden

Acquired From: Leen Helmink

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Fair, repaired lower edge

Confirmed: No

Dealers ID No.: 19547

Description: Sebastian Münster was a German mapmaker, cosmographer and professor of Hebrew at the University of Basel. Among his notable works was the Latin edition of Claudius Ptolemys Geography, first published in Basel in 1540. nFour years he produced Cosmographei oder beschreibung aller länder (commonly known by its Latin title Cosmographia universalis), a more expansive and comprehensive work incorporating broader geographical, historical, and cultural content. Initially published in German in 1544, it was later translated into several languages, including Latin, French, Italian, and Czech, with editions produced between 1544 and 1578. nThe 1550 edition of Cosmographia universalis, published in both Latin and German, represents the culmination of Münster's ambition to create a comprehensive geographical work. It includes a section on sea creatures and exotic animals from the northern regions, featuring this engraving Meerwunder und Seltzame Thier/Wie Die In Den Mitnacßtigen Landern Gefunden Werden (Sea Wonders and Strange Creatures/How They Are Found in the Northern Lands).nMany of the sea creatures shown in the foreground are derived from Olaus Magnus's 1539 map of northern Europe, the Carta marina et descriptio septentrionalium terrarium. Each creature is labelled with a letter corresponding to descriptions on the verso, detailing the danger it posed. One scene portrays men aboard a caravel throwing barrels of food overboard and sounding trumpets to calm a whale-like monster. Another depicts an enormous lobster with massive claws, one of which holds a man in a powerful grip.nIn contrast to the sea creatures, the top of the engraving features terrestrial animals, also accompanied by letters. These include reindeer, bears, leopards, and snakes. One scene on the right shows a man confronting two snakes while on the left, another man appears to have harnessed a reindeer to pull what might be a cart or sled.

Engraver: Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch

First published: Münster, Sebastian Cosmographei oder beschreibung aller länder…, Basel: Heinrich Petri, 1550

Image Size (cm): 333.5×23.5

Mapmaker: Münster, Sebastian (1488-1552)

Notes: Purchase details

Primary Category: Prints & Related Material

Rarity: R3 Uncommon – dealers can usually obtain a copy

References: On seamonsters on maps, see Chet Van Duzer, Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps (London: British Library, 2013).

Sheet size (cm): 43×34

Technique: Woodcut

This state: 1550