Munster Woodcut World Map

Altera generalis tab. Secundum Ptol... Sebastian Munster (1488-1552). Woodcut map with hand color in full. Basel, 1541 or later (small crack in block right of center). 11 1/2 x 15 inches visible, 20 1/2 x 22 inches framed. An attractive example of Sebastian Munster’s map of the world according to Claudius Ptolemy. The map details the world prior to the great age of discovery. As such, it covers only the “Old World” from the Atlantic (Pillars of Hercules) to Indochina and from the Arctic to the Equator. The map is surrounded by classical illustrations of Aiolos, or wind heads, among clouds. (Shirley)