Typus orbis descriptione Ptolemaei

Acquired From: Gowrie Galleries

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Very Good

Confirmed: 27/09/2024

Date Acquired: 26/6/2000

Dealers ID No.: M138/2 (STK 90.01)

Description: Martin Waldseemüllers Ptolemaic world map was first published in 1513 and republished in 1520 by Johann Schott. It appeared at the head of a sequence of twenty-seven Ptolemaic maps that complemented the twenty modern maps included in Waldseemüllers Geography.nIn 1522, Johann Grüninger acquired the woodblocks used for Waldseemüllers maps from Schott in order to produce a smaller-format edition of the atlas. Edited by Lorenz Fries, this version simplified and reduced the size of the original maps. The atlas proved commercially successful, leading to an improved edition in 1525 with revised text by the Nuremberg humanist Willibald Pirkheimer. After Grüninger's death around 1531, his son Christoph continued the business and ultimately sold the Geography materials to the Lyon-based publishers Melchior and Gaspar Trechsel, who issued a joint edition in 1535, followed by a solo edition by Gaspar in 1541.nThis Ptolemaic world map derives from the 1535 Trechsel edition and is identifiable by the missing segment in the top right corner of the map. Titled Typus Orbis Descriptione Ptolemaei, it reflects Ptolemys second-century conception of the world, and employs his second projection spanning 180 degrees of longitude and representing half the Earths circumference. The Equator and the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are highlighted in red, while Africa extends only as far south as the Tropic of Cancer.nThe source of the Nile is depicted as a mountain range labelled Montes Lunae (Moon Mountains). In keeping with Ptolemaic tradition, the river is shown originating from snowmelt in these mountains and flowing northward into two lakes labelled Paludes and Nili (Swamps or Marshes of the Nile). The Indian Ocean appears as an enclosed basin, though the landmass traditionally connecting southern Africa to Asia is notably absent. Surrounding the map are twelve classical wind-heads, each blowing from a cardinal or intermediate direction, contributing both decorative and symbolic elements.nFor other maps by Fries in this collection, see nos. View Record (#1), View Record (#2), View Record (#3), View Record (#89), and View Record (#359).

First published: Fries, Lorenz Geographia Strasbourg: Johann Grüninger, 1522

Mapmaker: Fries, Lorenz (ca. 1490-1532)

Other states: First 1522 (Strasbourg), Second 1525 (Strasbourg), Third 1535 (Lyon)

Price: A4,600 plus gst

Primary Category: World

Purchase Reference: Letter 26 June 2000 on green paper

Rarity: R4 Common – often seen on the market

References: Karrow (1993), Lorenz FriesnDewez, The Printed World nDewez, The Printed World II

Shirley ID #: 47 Mapping of the World

Technique: Woodcut

This state: 1541, Fourth