Sebastian Münster (1488 – 1552)
born in Ingelheim, near Mainz, was a German cartographer, cosmographer and Professor of Hebrew. As a young man, he joined the Franciscan order in which he became a priest and then studied geography at the University of Tübingen. In 1518 he moved to Basel where he started to publish a Hebrew Grammar and three years later he moved again, to Heidelberg where he continued to publish Hebrew texts. After converting to Protestantism in 1529, he took over the chair of Hebrew at the University of Basel where he edited his main Hebrew work, a two-volume Old Testament, accompanied by a Latin translation. He also published a book on the basics of geometry „Rudimenta Mathematica“.
In 1525 Sebastian Münster published his first known map, a map of Germany, and in 1535 he released a map of Europe „Mappae Europae“. The first map of the Nordics titled „Schonlandia“ appeared in „Geographia“ which he compiled in 1540. Its geographic content is based on Jacob Ziegler‘s map of 1532.
Sebastian Münster‘s famous work „Cosmographia“ of 1544 with 24 double-paged maps was one of the greatest geographical and historical works and most popular books of the 16th century, until the advent of Ortelius‘ „Theatrum“. This earliest German-language description of the world passed through numerous editions in 100 years in different languages including Latin, French, Italian, English and Czech until 1628, long after his death. More than a half of all editions was in German language.
The „Cosmographia“ was filled with maps, views and rich descriptions of places throughout Europe and beyond. One of the most fascinating woodcuts is „Gemeine beschreibung aller mittnächtigen Länder …“ which is loosely based on Olaus Magnus‘ „Carta Marina“ in 1529 (in Latin editions in that language „Septentriones Regiones …“)
Most of Münster’s work was published by his step-son Heinrich Petri (1508 – 1579) and his son Sebastian Henric Petri (1545 – 1627), both printers based in Basel, Switzerland.
Map details
This woodcut page comes from the German edition of Sebastian Münster‘s „Cosmographia“, titled „Cosmographey oder beschreibung aller Länder …“, published in 1578 by Heinrich Petri in Basel. It is from the same edition as „Gemeine Beschreibung … (No. 175). In the upper part there is the continuation of a description „Von den Mitnächtigen Ländern“ and underneath the history/family tree of the present kings of Denmark („Genealogy oder herkommen der jetzigen Königen in Dennmarck“).
In the lower part is the map with the title placed above it. The map includes Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic region, the East of Scotland and a part of Iceland. However the picture section is smaller and less detailed than on „Gemeine Beschreibung …“. Similar are the rope-like mountains and broadly-drawn rivers.
Only the main part of Iceland („Ißland) is depicted but without any place-names and symbols.
The reverse side of the front page contains descriptions of the countries Sweden and Norway and various engravings of coat of arms, costumes, sea monsters etc.
