16th Century

17th Century

18th Century

19th Century

Early Maps

Celestial

Terrestrial

Atlas

Book

Globes

Manuscript

This rare medieval world map and lunar chart, which is presented on a loose bifolium, was lost in obscurity before it was recovered from binding material from a later book. The map was originally produced in northern France in the late-twelfth or early-thirteenth century, and derives from an illustrated manuscript by William of Conches titled the 'Dragmaticon Philosophiae' (c.1144–1148). 

In his writings, William discusses the natural world and celestial phenomena, including the moon. Lunar phases are illustrated in a diagram in the lower right corner of this extract. His work was part of the broader medieval attempt to understand astronomical events in a way that integrated classical knowledge with contemporary medieval thought.

The upper left of the bifolium shows includes a rare example of a medieval T-O map: the globe is divided into four continents instead of the traditional three, suggesting that the mapmaker may have been referring to the work of Beatus of Liébana (c.730-798 CE), whose maps were reproduced throughout the twelfth century. This depiction may also be influenced by the cosmological treatise of Jewish-Persian scholar, Masha’Allah ibn Athari (c.740-815 CE).

An Early Thirteenth-Century T-O Map by William of Conches 

This is a rare copy of the 'Etymologies' of 

, which is often referred to as the first encyclopaedia. In addition to geography, the work contains information on a very wide range of topics, including mathematics, astronomy, meteorology, botany, human anatomy, medicine, architecture, and more. The 'Etymologies' was a hugely influential source of knowledge for many centuries. In fact, Isidore was so admired for the breadth and depth of his knowledge that he was named the 'Patron Saint of the Internet' by Pope John Paul II (1997). 

This copy of the 'Etymologies' is in original hand-colour. The use of stunning rubrication – applying red highlights by hand to significant printed capital letters – shows the intersection between handwritten manuscripts and the newly invented printing press. The T-O map illustrating this page is the earliest printed European world map. In traditional T-O format, it shows Asia at the top, Europe on the left and Africa on the right, surrounded and divided by oceans and rivers.

The First Printed Edition of Isidore of Seville's 'Etymologies'

The 'Rudimentum Novitiorum' ('A Handbook for Novices') is the earliest known printed European chronicle of the world. It was an educational work, conceived and written by an anonymous theologian, which describes six ages of the Earth; beginning with the Creation and culminating with the contemporary era. As part of this history, it features two maps: one of the world and one of the Holy Land. This hand-coloured volume is especially rare with only a few comparable copies known. 

The chronicle’s world map is a fascinating blend of the traditional medieval T-O map with current geographic knowledge and awareness. Myths, legends, and historical characters wander the Earth in conjunction with more contemporary figures such as the Pope in Rome. Many actual places, such as Egypt, Greece, and Italy, are marked while simultaneously Paradise is depicted as a physical location to the far east, with it's four rivers; Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (Tigris), and Euphrates (Perath).

The map of the Holy Land deliberately avoids the schematic formula of a bird’s-eye-view and instead uses a panoramic perspective. Jerusalem is depicted in the centre with Damascus and Sion to the north and the Red Sea to the south. The map likely originated from an account of the Holy Land by Burchardus de Monte Sion from Magdeburg (fl.1274–1291), whose work is quoted extensively in the 'Rudimentum Novitiorum'.

The First Chronicle of the World with Printed Maps

’s 'Etymologies' contains a variation of the T-O map that was included in the first edition, printed in 1472. Asia is shown at the top, Europe on the left, and Africa on the right. The continents are divided by the Nile and Don Rivers and the Mediterranean Sea, and a world ocean encircles the Earth. Cardinal wind directions and the names of the sons of Noah - who were believed to have repopulated the world after the Biblical Flood described in the Book of Genesis -  are also shown with their corresponding continents: Sem (Asia), Cham (Africa), and Japhet (Europe). Unlike more traditional T-O maps, this example visually expands on the description of the rivers and Mediterranean Sea: the lower polygon labelled 'Meoti[tes Palus'] represents the Don River Delta flowing into the Black Sea. 

Also noted for containing the first printed reference to arithmetic, the 'Etymologies' provided medieval and Renaissance scholars and map makers with an invaluable single source of classical scientific knowledge, and features works by authors such as Pliny the Elder. In addition to geography, the work also covers mathematics, astronomy, meteorology, geology, botany, agriculture, human anatomy, medicine, shipbuilding, architecture, and other technological subjects.

An Alternative T-O Map from Isidore of Seville's 'Etymologies'

Finely engraved on copper, this is the second map known to be printed to the projection of Claudius Ptolemy. It expands to show Great Britain in the North to the Canary Islands in the South, west through Europe to the Islands of Fortune, and east across the Indian Ocean, Taprobana (modern-day Sri Lanka) and China. 

The map shows a pioneering, semi-mechanical engraving technique called 'punch-lettering', which is important to both the history of cartography and the history of printing. The technique streamlined the work and tools of the engraver: it uses small rectangular steel 'punches' shaped into the form of a letter, then pressed onto the page. This technique gives the map a greater sense of uniformity as well as legibility, and the result provides a unique aesthetic.

An Early Ptolemaic World Map

This Ptolemaic map was printed in 1478 on a separately-issued broadsheet rather than as part of an atlas. The map is bounded by twelve curly-haired windheads who float amid the stars. The topography, seas, and rivers are richly depicted and the remnants of a filigree border decorates the left-hand edge of the sheet. 

Although the authorship of this map is generally attributed to celebrated engraver 

, there is no signature or printer's mark. Even the watermark in the paper is ambiguous. Thus, the map’s origins remain shrouded in mystery.

A Ptolemaic World Map attributed to Taddeo Crivelli

’s Italian version of Claudius Ptolemy’s '

' is one of the earliest European printed atlases produced in a vernacular language, and using 'terza rima' verse. The maps within the atlas were created with considerable skill by a master engraver thought to be Francesco Rosselli (1448–c.1513) and include contemporary maps of Spain, France, Italy, and the Holy Land. This is the first time these 'modern maps' appear as copper-engravings, updating the woodcut maps that feature in 

 of 'Cosmographia' released in the same year. Smudges, excess ink, and even the printer’s thumbprints appear as charming fifteenth century 'makers marks' that point to the fact that copperplate printing was still a new technology

Berlinghieri's 'Geographia'

This is one of the most celebrated early world maps, and is colloquially known as the 'Ulm Ptolemy'. It was published in 

’s atlas 'Cosmographia' (1482), based on Claudius Ptolemy’s '

'. The map of the world is shown on a homeotheric, or 'beehive', projection and draws from recent European 'discoveries' to create a fusion of the latest cartographic information with Classical knowledge. 

The world extends from Great Britain and the Canary Islands in the West, mid-China in the East, and North Africa in the South. The Indian Ocean features a large island, Taprobana (modern day Sri Lanka) at its centre and a new addition of a rudimentary Scandinavia appears within an extension of the map above the neat-line in the North Atlantic. 

This handsome map has been printed from a woodblock, is surrounded by a broad decorative board including twelve classical windheads, and features rich contemporary colouring including luxurious blue pigments made from lapis lazuli. 

The Ulm Ptolemy World Map

This gorgeous map in vibrant original hand colour, is from 

'. Twelve energetic windheads representing the classical winds surround the Earth, which is shown on a Ptolemaic homeotheric, or 'bee-hive', projection. The map is dense with information, featuring hundreds of place-names, illustrations of the climates, and detailed depictions of the physical geography including mountains and rivers. It is very rare to find this map in rich contemporary colouring; pigments such as the deep ultramarine blue - likely made using lapis lazuli - would have been very costly. 

Berlinghieri's Ptolemaic World Map in Contemporary Colour

This lyrical map shows the world on a Ptolemaic projection hanging in space, amid four Corinthian pillars. Although the map is quite simple and small in scale, it is packed with interesting content and charming decorative details. Its title captures the expeditionary zeitgeist of the Early Modern world: ‘If, in this new age, man seeks to follow the winding paths of geography, he is bound to find the flowers that grow there, for he deserves them.'

The map illustrated an early printed edition of the ‘Cosmographi Geographica, sive De Situ Orbis’ ('Geographical Cosmographia, or On the Situation of the World'), composed by 

A Bijoux World Map from Mela's 'Cosmographia' 

While stunning maps on Ptolemaic projections were being steadily produced in the late-fifteenth century, simple T-O maps remained a popular illustration in contemporary texts. This example from 

’s highly successful world chronicle entitled 'Fasciculus Temporum' ('Bundles of Time') is an especially engaging example. The work was published by the pioneering German printer 

, and features diagrams and illustrative woodcuts throughout in fine original hand colouring. 

The T-O map presents the earth divided into three parts, each labelled within the map’s outer circle. Jerusalem ('Civitas Hierusalem') is shown at the centre, Europe to the left and Africa on the right. In this version, the three continents are associated with the names of the sons of Noah, who were responsible for populating them, Shem (Asia), Ham, or Cham (Africa), and Japhet (Europe). Above the map is a diagram of heaven and a woodcut of the Creation, collectively expressing a comprehensive Christian cosmology. 

Rolewinck’s World Chronicle with T-O Map

This is a revised edition of one of the most celebrated early world maps from 

’s 'Cosmographia' (1482), colloquially known as the 'Ulm Ptolemy'. This map draws from recent European 'discoveries' to create a fusion of the latest cartographic information with Classical knowledge. 

After Holl’s bankruptcy in 1484, the Venetian publisher Justus de Albano acquired his materials and commissioned 

 to produce this second edition in 1486. While the pigments used on this hand-coloured map would still have been luxurious, they were far cheaper than the ruinously expensive lapis lazuli used in Holl’s edition. The beautiful shades of this map and more restrained colouring allow greater sight of the underlying engraving, including the lovely details of the windheads and rivers.

Reger’s Reissue of the Ulm Ptolemy World Map

This book compiles three early scientific works into a single volume that would have been invaluable to fifteenth-century astronomy students. The compilation is important not only for understanding how medieval authors influenced Renaissance astronomy, and provides an important timeline for tracing the evolution of astronomical theories. 

The first work in this book is an edition of Johannes de Sacrobosco’s ‘Sphere of the World’ (‘Sphaera Mundi’), originally composed around 1230. The ‘Sphere of the World’ was one of the the most popular astronomy textbooks in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. It explains the structure and motions of the planets, provides the dimensions of the Earth; the size of the oceans, and the latitudes of different climatic zones. 

The second work is Johannes Regiomantanus’s, ‘Dispute against [the work of] Cermonensia’ (‘Disputationes contra Cremonensia’)—likely Gerard of Cremona, a twelfth-century astronomer who provided an early translation of Ptolemy’s ‘Amalgest’ from Arabic into Latin. 

The third book is Georg von Peurbach’s, ‘New Theories of the Planets’ (‘Theoricae novae planetarum’) - a work that gradually replaced Sacrobosco’s ‘Sphere of the World’, and features updates to the theories based on the work of Gerard of Cremona. 

This book is packed with diagrams that help explain the theories espoused by these astronomers, and also includes a full-page coloured frontispiece depicting ‘Astronomia’ enthroned, flanked by ‘Urania’ on the left and Ptolemy on the right.

Sacrobosco’s ‘Sphaera Mundi’ with Regiomantanus’s ‘Disputationes’ and Peurbach’s ‘Theoricae’

This delightfully detailed world map derives from the 'Mer des Hystoires' ('Sea of Stories') a French adaptation of the world chronicle ‘Rudimentum Novatorum’, published in 1475. This woodblock map combines myths and religious tales alongside actual geographical information. This map is a hybrid of a T-O map and medieval mappa mundi. Asia is represented in the top half of the map, Europe on the left and Africa on the right. Similar to the world map that features in the 'Rudimentum', the map is divided into four quadrants by a vertical and horizontal axis. Curious creatures such as salamanders and a phoenix (on the far right) are featured alongside historical characters and contemporary leaders such as the Pope.

This is a fascinating example of the progression of one edition to another. While many features are the same as the 'Rudimentum', the anonymous creator of this map has added and corrected place names and included decorative details, such as the whimsical ducks swimming in the upper right quadrant.

The 'Sea of Stories' World Map

This magnificent world chronicle was produced in Nuremberg by 

, and is thus often referred to as the 'Nuremberg 

'. It is a history of the known world from Creation to the date of publishing, presented from a European perspective and with particular emphasis on Germany. With an astounding 1,809 woodcuts, the publication is highlighted by thirty-one double-page city views, some of which represent the first authentic depiction of a city panorama. 

The work features two double-sided maps of the world and Europe, as well as curious profiles of marvellous creatures believed to inhabit the ends of the Earth. Created in the workshop of Michael Wolgemut, the woodcuts may have been designed in part by a young 

 who was completing his apprenticeship at the time in Wolgemut’s studio.

Hartmann Schedel's 'Nuremberg Chronicle' 

A handsome example of the world map from the 'Nuremberg 

', from the first edition and in original hand colour. The map is on the Ptolemaic conical projection and was heavily influenced by the simple woodblock world map used to illustrate 

's 'Cosmographia' (1482). 

This map was printed shortly after Christopher Columbus returned from his first voyage, and is therefore the last important early European map to show the world before these new 'discoveries' would be printed on maps. It features the three sons of Noah - Sem, Cham and Japhet - who were believed to have populated the world after the Great Flood described in the Book of Genesis. To the left of the map are images of strange mythical creatures who were thought to live in the furthest regions of the globe.

World Map from the 'Nuremberg Chronicle'

This rare example of the first printed edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Almagest' forms an important cornerstone of the cross-cultural evolution of human knowledge. The title derives from the transliteration of the Arabic: اَلْمَجِسْطِيّ, ‘al Megiste’ (‘The Greatest’), and it was enormously influential to medieval Islamic scholars and later to Renaissance Europe. Ptolemy’s work discusses astronomy and was arguably his most influential book, alongside the '

' (on geography) and the 'Tetrabiblos' (on astrology). 

First Printed Edition of Ptolemy's 'Almagest'

This world map illustrates Macrobius's (fl. 400 AD) climactic theories within his 'Commentary on The Dream of Scipio'. In this theory, the Earth is divided into five zones: the habitable world is placed in-between inhabitable zones located at the poles which are labelled 'Frigida' and another extremely hot 'Perusta' zone. Maps resembling this one can be found in medieval copies of Macrobius's work, but here the geography is fused with contemporary cartographical trends, in that the shapes of the continents in the upper half resemble those modelled after Ptolemy. The world is oriented north and surrounded by oceans; the known - and labelled - landmasses in the northern hemisphere are balanced by a symmetrical ‘Terra Incognita’ ('unknown land') in the south. Small windheads surround the Earth, with floral decorations in each corner.

Macrobius's 'Commentary on the Dream of Scipio' with Hybrid T-O Map

This characterful map combines whimsy and creativity with the latest geographical information from European expeditions west to the Caribbean and east around Africa. The map notes a sea and islands that were not known to Ptolemy, and uses his homeotheric projection. This allusion to new frontiers evokes the excitement and curiosity of European explorers to dream of what might lie beyond Ptolemy's known world. Decorating this relatively simple map are wonderfully creative windheads that are depicted in a highly naturalistic style. Each windhead has its own personality; one is even wearing glasses, the first known appearance of spectacles in a map.

Reisch's Windhead Map

Exquisitely engraved, this 1507 edition of Claudius Ptolemy's '

' was created by Johannes Ruysch, a friend of Raphael and court painter to Pope Julius II. This atlas featured twenty-seven Ptolemaic maps and seven additional ‘modern’ maps edited by the Celestine monk 

. One of these 'modern' maps includes the fan-shaped world map, which is very rare and celebrated as one of the earliest printed European maps to include the Americas. At the North Pole, Ruysch depicts four islands surrounding a mountainous island of iron that were believed to exist and have magnetic properties - an idea later copied and disseminated by 

Ruysch's 'Geographia'

 in his 1511 Venice edition of Claudius Ptolemy's '

' is the first to use a cordiform (heart-shaped) projection to simulate the curvature of the Earth, a depiction that would be influential and frequently emulated by subsequent mapmakers. It is also among the earliest example of two-colour printing in cartography and include the first cordiform world map of its kind. Place names are printed in red and black, a significant technical advancement in rendering details. Sylvanus states that his maps update Ptolemy’s geography directly with more recent 'discoveries'.

Listed along the right side of the map are the five climatic zones of ancient Greek geographer Strabo (c.64-c.24 BCE) to categorise the Earth's habitability: two frigid, two temperate, and one torrid zone. To the right, the illustrated zodiac signs of Cancer (representing the Tropic of Cancer), Libra (the equator), and Capricorn (the Tropic of Capricorn) are featured, and surrounding the map are twelve charmingly windheads emerging from the clouds, representing the cardinal winds. 

Sylvanus's Heart-Shaped World Map

 in his 1511 edition of Claudius Ptolemy's '

' are among the earliest example of two-colour printing in cartography and include the first cordiform (heart-shaped) world map of its kind. Place names are printed in red and black, a significant technical advancement in rendering details said to be influenced by portolan charts and a useful method to distinguish importance between name of place names. Derived on a Ptolemaic projection, Sylvanus states that his maps update Ptolemy’s geography with more recent 'discoveries'.  

Listed along the right side of the map are the five climatic zones of ancient Greek geographer Strabo (c.64-c.24 BCE) to categorise the Earth's habitability: two frigid, two temperate, and one torrid zone. To the right the illustrated zodiac signs of Cancer (representing the Tropic of Cancer), Libra (the equator), and Capricorn (the Tropic of Capricorn).

Sylvanus's Ptolemaic World Map

Produced in Poland by academic and cartographer Johannes Stobnicza, this map of the Eastern Hemisphere pairs with a second map of the Western Hemisphere forming a small, yet detailed view of the world that is based on the inset maps in the upper border of 

's legendary wall map of the world (1507).

The Stobnicza maps were the first to separate out the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, and were possibly originally included in his ‘Introductio in Ptholomei Cosmographiam’ (Introduction to the Cosmography of Ptolemy) of 1512, one of the most important early writings on the Americas and contains several passages on Amerigo Vespucci and his 'discoveries'. While they are very small and appear quite simple, closer inspection reveals wonderful details such as clouds, windheads, an elephant in southern Africa and a bird in Madagascar.

Stobnicza's Eastern Hemisphere

Stobnicza's Western Hemisphere

This striking windswept map on a Ptolemaic projection comes from 

'. Waldseemüller was a hugely influential and pioneering cartographer. His edition of '

' was significant because it contained twenty ‘modern’ maps alongside the traditional Ptolemaic maps represented in all the earlier versions of the atlas. It also included one of the earliest references to the 

 as ‘America’, in honour of the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512).  

Geographically, this map is a unique combination of ancient cartography with contemporary knowledge, which includes information from explorations of the Americas and voyages around Africa. Surrounding the map is a series of twelve exquisitely rendered windheads with expressive, individualised features.

Waldseemüller's Amended Ptolemaic World Map

’s 1514 translation of Claudius Ptolemy’s '

' is a major landmark in the history of mathematical geography and scientific cartography. It was highly influential to map makers and astronomers, including 

, for over two centuries after its publication. 

Werner's work is significant because it was the first direct translation of the '

' from the original Greek, rather than from a Latin or Arabic translation. It is also important because it features Werner’s additions to Ptolemy’s text. Among these additions are four new maps, including one of his own design: a equal-area projection in a cordiform, or heart-shape, projection. Werner also included an important description and illustration of a meteoroscope - a device developed by Ptolemy and revived by Regiomontanus which is used to help calculate the position of stars. 

Werner’s 'Geographia'

This large and dynamic map was created by 

 in collaboration with Johannes Stabius, the Court Astronomer to Maximillian I (ruled 1486–1508). It was likely intended as a companion to a pair of celestial charts. Although it is not signed by Dürer, it is clearly executed by his hand and was probably inspired by Martin Behaim’s globe of 1492.  

The map itself is significant because it is the first known printed illustration of the Earth as a three-dimensional sphere; gridlines and shading on the globe achieve this effect. The Earth's sphere is surrounded by wonderfully detailed windheads, each unique and full of energy.

Dürer's World Map as a Sphere

This important early map of the 'entire globe' from 1520 was published by 

. Cartographically, it is predominantly based on 

's extraordinary twelve-sheet wall map of 1507 - colloquially known as 'America's birth certificate' - and also the accounts from the voyages of Amerigo Vespucci. This map is one of the earliest maps to use the word 'America' to name the '

'. Here, America is depicted separate from Asia, and a sea passage is shown between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the tip of South America.

The flamboyant, densely engraved cordiform projection is surrounded by an eleborate border featuring eleven windheads representing the cardinal winds, and other elements of classical cartography, such as the five climatic zones of habitability. 

Apianus's Cordiform World Map

'. It is known as the 'Admiral's Map' because Waldseemüller attributes Christopher Columbus, the 'Admiral of the Ocean Sea' as a source of cartographic information.

This influential work was accompanied by twenty 'modern' maps in the '

', which were a radical update to Ptolemy's traditional maps and expanded on the Ptolemaic projection that had dominated earlier European cartography. The edition was hugely influential on other mapmakers, such as 

Waldseemüller's 'Admiral's Map'

’s 'Book of Cosmography' is an instructional work written for the non-academic public on the practice and discipline of 'cosmography'. It covers topics including navigation, geography, cartography, and the weather. It contains his explanations on various map projections, commentary on the shape of the Earth, and instructions for the use of mathematical instruments. 

There are four volvelles in this book. One volvelle, which is often missing from this work, shows the world from the North Pole, including a large piece of America. An exciting feature about this book is the presence of strings attached to a few of the volvelles that are likely from the sixteenth century, and provide a function similar to retes on an astrolabe.

Apianus’s book was a great success and was reprinted steadily through 1607, gaining him favour with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Under Charles’s patronage, Apianus wrote the monumental 'Astronomicum Caesareum' ('

Apianus’s 'Book of Cosmography'

This small, elegant map shows the route followed by Alvise da Cadamosto (1432–1488) to the Canary Islands in 1455. It was created by the eminent cartographer 

 around 1518, and published after his death in 1525 by Johannes Grüninger and 

. Only six other copies are known, making this map a rare cartographic witness to the early voyages to Africa by Portuguese explorers.

Fries' Map of the Canary Islands and West Africa

's famous 'Admiral's Map', first published in 1513, and reissued in 1520. It was engraved against the backdrop of ongoing European exploration of the '

'. An amalgam of traditional and new cartography, the British Isles and Scandinavia are poorly rendered and out-of-date, whereas the American continent is prominently included.

The windheads from earlier maps are still present here, but only by their names which feature in scrolls connected by twisting ropes around the border of the map, a further allusion to seafaring navigation.

Fries’ Reduction of Waldseemüller’s 'Admiral’s Map'

One of the first maps created on a polar projection, and the first to use a double-cordiform (heart shaped) projection, this elegant work was engraved by celebrated French polymath, 

. This example is the first state of six states of the map created between 1531 and 1555, and remains one of the most striking and influential world maps of the sixteenth century.

The use of a double-cordiform projection was a unique attempt to simulate the sphere of the Earth accurately on a two-dimensional surface. The map includes many newly discovered landforms including a mysterious southern continent that blends the landmasses of Australia and Antarctica. Richly embellished with animals, cherubs, mermaids, and flowers, Fine’s map set a new standard in mapmaking and would be emulated by other cartographers such as 

Fine’s Double-Cordiform World Map

This famous and beautiful map, published in 1532, was created by 

 for an edition of ‘Novus Orbis Regionum’ compiled by the protestant theologians Simon Grynaeus and Johann Huttich. It features stunningly engraved elaborate borders by great Renaissance artist, Hans Holbein the Younger. It anticipates Münster's greatest work, the 'Cosmographia', and his oval world map produced eight years later.

The map draws on many sources, including 

. The illustrations around the map contain sensational and fanciful descriptions of the exotic spices, flora, fauna, and peoples who were believed to populate the four known continents. Exquisitely rendered sea monsters and galleons ply the oceans on the map.

At the poles, two angels are shown turning the Earth. This alludes to the radical claim by Nicolaus Copernicus that the Earth moved around the sun and turned on its axis. This heliocentric theory disrupted earlier Ptolemaic and Christian concepts that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

Münster's World Map, with Hans Holbein the Younger

This delightful, restrained woodcut map was created by Joachim von Watte, also known as Vadianus. It is a simplified version of 

's world map of 1532, but lacks the fantastical woodcut borders by artist Hans Holbein the Younger.

Vadianus's map is among one of the earliest to use the name ‘America’ and its representation of the '

' is based on Münster's world map but omits the Caribbean islands. It features a more accurate depiction of India and Sri Lanka.

The windheads surrounding this map are uniquely engraved. Gridlines over the Earth record longitude and latitude; a scroll at the bottom of the map states the date of its production in Roman numerals.

Vadianus's World Map

Enhanced with original hand colour, this world map is a reduced reissue of 

’s famous 1513 map. It was published in 1535 by 

 for his edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘

’. Fries’ version is embellished with decorative details lacking in previous editions. 

s surrounding the map are particularly animated, sporting a range of distinctive hats and headscarves, and floating amidst puffy, energetic clouds. 

The rarity of this map attests in part to a controversy surrounding Fries' 1535 edition of '

'. It was edited by Michael Villanovanus, also known as Michael Servetus, a Spanish theologian and polymath who was later accused of heresy and burnt at the stake in 1553. Of the forty-some allegations against Servetus, one was a commentary on Fries’ map of Palestine that questioned the fertility of the region. As a result, copies of the ‘

’ was burnt with Servetus and the controversial passage was stripped from later editions.

Fries’ Reduction of Waldseemüller’s Ptolemaic Map

' established the convention that a universal atlas should include world and continental maps and was the first printed work to render latitude and longitude in their now-standard form. It also includes the first printed map of the Western Hemisphere, the first set of maps of the four continents, and the first printed map to name the Pacific Ocean.

Although it is not known who was responsible for the woodcut maps themselves, the decorative borders have been attributed to Hans Holbein the Younger. Indeed, Münster’s maps are particularly famous for their embellishments - there are forty-eight of them in total: twenty-seven ancient Ptolemaic maps, and twenty-one ‘modern’ maps. This very rare first edition also features rich contemporary hand colouring throughout. 

Münster's 'Geographia' 


This pioneering textbook on astronomy was produced by 

, an astronomer and professor of mathematics at the celebrated University of Ingolstadt. It is dedicated to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (ruled 1519–1556) and his brother Ferdinand I. 

The works contains a comprehensive review of contemporary astronomical knowledge, conceptualising Ptolemaic astronomical theories. This book includes instructions on how to determine longitude using solar eclipses, how to calculate lunar eclipses, and the observation that the tails of comets always point away from the Sun. 

The work is beautifully illustrated and full of intricate working volvelles, hand-coloured in Apianus’s workshop. These interactive diagrams are tools used to calculate the positions of planets in the sky, eclipses, and even the hour of a baby’s conception. More than one hundred and twenty copies of this iconic work are known, and it was famously expensive in its day: even English astronomer and mathematician Edmund Halley could not obtain a copy, so King Henry VIII made, through his intermediary, a direct appeal to the printer to obtain a copy for the Royal Collection. 

This gorgeous edition preserves all of the silk threads and seed pearls used for reading the volvelles.

Apianus’s ‘The Emperor's Astronomy’

This atlas is especially notable as the Michael Villanovanus, or Michael Servetus, edition. It is his second edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘

’ in which some of the texts were redacted following accusations of heresy by church officials. Servetus would ultimately be executed twelve years after its publication. 

The maps of this edition are printed from the same woodblocks that were created by 

’. These in turn were reductions of the famous maps of 

’s 1513 edition. Spanning decades of revision and reproduction, the atlas is an amalgam of traditional and new cartography.

This work is also notable for a full-page woodcut armillary sphere contributed by 

Servetus Edition of Fries’ 'Geographia'

Johannes Hontor’s two star charts, representing the Northern and Southern Hemispheres were first published individually in 1532 and, later, together in 1541. This chart shows the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere ('Constellationum Borealium') from the 1541 Basel edition of Ptolemy's collected works. This is the first time that the constellations are represented in concave projection and some, such as Boötes, Ophiuchus, and Perseus – in strong contrast with the previous tradition – are dressed in contemporary costumes.

Honter's Star Chart of the Northern Hemisphere

Johannes Hontor’s two star charts, representing the Northern and Southern Hemispheres were first published individually in 1532 and, later, together in 1541. This chart shows the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere (‘Constellationum Australium’) from the 1541 edition. This is the first time that the constellations are represented in a concave projection and some such as Orion – in strong contrast with the previous tradition – are dressed in contemporary dresss.

Honter's Star Chart of the Southern Hemisphere

This cosmographic map from 1564 was created by Gemma Frisius. It is based on a cordiform map by 

, and blends classical cartography with the latest knowledge from European exploration. The work is notable as the first map to employ the term ‘Australia’ and one of the earliest to show the entire eastern seaboard of North America. 

Packed with engaging decoration characteristic of the High Renaissance, ships, sea monsters, and other characters adorn the map. It is framed by signs of the zodiac and classical climate zones. The borders swirl with energetic clouds and windheads; the southern, plague-bearing winds are characterised by grinning skulls. 

The map also acts as a piece work of propaganda: the Roman god Jupiter and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V gaze down on the terrestrial sphere. This likeness of the Emperor was a bold statement, legitimising his political power and celebrating his global reach. Frisus was also said to have sent the map to Charles V for his opinion, and it was sent back with the Emperors' own corrections before being published.

Frisius' Cordiform World Map

's world chronicle is one of the most richly illustrated printed works ever, even surpassing the famous ‘Nuremberg 

, printed in 1493. This is one of only thirty dedication copies that were pre-circulated to representatives of the Thirteen Old Cantons in 1547 to promote the forthcoming publication of the chronicle in 1548. 

The splendid woodcuts, showing deeds, battles, town views, coats of arms, and other facets of Swiss history, also include one of the earliest accounts of the Legend of William Tell. The woodcuts are the work of the most renowned Swiss artists of the day, such as Heinrich Vogtherr the Elder, the Zurich painter Hans Asper, Robert and Johann Rudolf Wyssenbach, the monogramist VS, and the Zurich woodcutter Ludwig Fryg.

The chronicle also contains numerous maps created in collaboration with Aegidius Tschudi (1505–1572). There are five double-page maps of Europe, Germany, France, Hevetii, and contemporary Switzerland, and eight full-page regional maps of the confederation. In addition, Johannes Honter’s reduced-size version of 

Stumpff's World Chronicle

This exquisite portolan atlas illuminated on vellum is one of the jewels of The Sunderland Collection. In its original binding, it contains a delicately drawn diagram of the zodiac, thirteen detail-rich double-page maps, and a thirty-two-point compass inset into the lower board. It was created by 

, a luxury mapmaker who produced highly prized and beautifully decorated manuscript atlases for elite patrons, including Emperor Charles V, Phillip II of Spain, and Henry VIII of England. 

This manuscript has its own distinguished provenance from the collection of the eminent cartographic historian Henry Harisse (1829–1910). Harisse was said to have inscribed the end papers of each copy he encountered, in order to confirm its authenticity.

Portolan Atlas by Agnese 

 created this oval world map for his new edition of Claudius Ptolemy's '

', which also contained a completely fresh translation of the original text. This second edition of the world map has been printed from a new woodblock, created by the engraver David Kandel.

Münster maintained a large network of written sources and informants who fed him information about the shape of the world. This map is a fascinating combination of carefully collated data from both classical and contemporary sources including, Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation (1519-1522), Marco Polo's travels (between 1271-1295), 

’s 1507 world, and traditional Ptolemaic geography.

This map was one of the most influential depictions of the world to date and would be studied by 

, and others. It is skilfully engraved and embellished with spritely windheads, sea monsters, and billowing clouds.

Münster’s World Map on an Oval Projection

This large map is the masterwork of Michael Tramezzino and forms a pair with a map of the Western Hemisphere also in The Sunderland Collection. Each map was printed from two copper plates to accommodate its scale. They are exquisitely engraved and technically superb.

This Eastern hemisphere map centres on Africa. The stippled oceans contain finely rendered ships, and the land masses are filled with place names and geographical features such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. The map is dedicated to Pope Julius III.

Eastern Hemisphere of Tramezzino's Double Hemisphere Maps

This large map is the masterwork of Michael Tramezzino and forms a pair with a map of the Eastern Hemisphere also in The Sunderland Collection. Each map was printed from two copper plates to accommodate its scale. They are exquisitely engraved and technically superb.

This Western hemisphere map centres on the Pacific Ocean. The stippled oceans contain finely rendered ships, and the land masses are filled with place names and geographical features such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. The map is dedicated to Pope Julius III.

Western Hemisphere of Tramezzino's Double Hemisphere Maps

This striking double-hemisphere map is affectionately known as the ‘Bicycle Spoke’ world map. It was designed by 

, a painter from Udine, and published in Venice with privileges granted from the Senate. Floriano writes that he created the map to enable viewers to ‘easily study and learn cosmography and see the entire picture of the world, since it can be reduced to spheric form’.

The design of the map is mysterious. Based on a polar projection, each hemisphere is divided into thirty-six gores of ten degrees longitude each, as if it was intended to be mounted to a globe. However, elaborate strapwork boarders and portraits of Floriano and Claudius Ptolemy in the upper corners make it unlikely that it was intended to be cut apart. Cartographically, Floriano's map is based on 

's double-cordiform map of 1538, with geography and place names exactly replicated.

Floriano's 'Bicycle Spoke' World Map

This densely engraved cordiform map was created by 

, the cosmographer to Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. This map was published posthumously in his ‘Dos Libros de Cosmographia’ of 1556 which describes Brazil, India, and the '

'.

The woodblock print is based on Caspar Vopell’s legendary twelve-sheet wall map from the mid-sixteenth century, of which all known versions have been lost. The map is richly decorated and surrounded by twelve distinctive windheads amid billowing clouds. Atop the map, a cartographer and an astronomer gaze upon the Earth, holding a globe and a armillary sphere, respectively.  The map rests on two celestial charts of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in the lower corners. 

Girava World Map

The 'Cosmographia' is the most famous work of 

, a hugely influential cosmographer and mapmaker. Münster was also well-known for his radical new edition of Claudius Ptolemy's '

', which contained twenty-one exciting new 'modern' maps.

This edition of the 'Cosmographia' is in remarkably fine condition. It contains both of Münster's famous world maps, along with continental maps of America, Asia, and Africa, nine maps of Europe, three folding panoramas, thirty-eight double-page city views, eight full-page city views and over 1,000 woodcut illustrations and diagrams. This edition also features Münster's legendary drawing of sea and land monsters.

The imagery was created by an illustrious roster of artists who included Hans Holbein the Younger, Urs Graf, Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch and David Kandel.

Münster's Universal Cosmography

This elegant little atlas contains a new vernacular Italian translation of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘

’ by Girolamo Ruscelli. He wanted to bridge a gap in scholarship as the previous translation dated back to the fifteenth century (Francisco Berlinghieri's 1482 edition). The atlas was intended for popular use, rather than for the elite and for this reason, not only is the text in Italian instead of Latin, but the atlas is in a smaller format than the grand, folio atlases of the time. 

Ruscelli’s edition of the '

' contains both traditional Ptolemaic maps and 'modern' maps showing the latest ‘discoveries’ in the 

. Among them is a double-hemisphere world map, the ‘Orbis Descriptio’ ('Description of the World') – the earliest of its kind to appear in an atlas, showing North and South America as well as the islands of New Guinea. The atlas also contains a new navigational chart of the Scandinavia and the North Atlantic made by Olaus Magnus in 1539, known as the ‘Carta Marina’.

Ruscelli's 'Geographia'

This influential map by Italian mapmaker 

 was etched on copperplate and is the first known printed map to use the name ‘Canada’. Forlani was heavily influenced by maps created by Giacomo Gastaldi, one of Forlani's colleagues, and was in turn a source of inspiration for later maps by 

. For this work, he uses Gastaldi's 1546 oval world map as the geographical source for most of the world, with exception of the North America, where he has been able to include topographical detail and place names. 

The geographical features shown on the map are rendered with fine detail and precision. Beautifully engraved sea monsters, galleys, and ships adorn the oceans, along with two compass roses. The cartouches to the left of the map contain Forlani's imprint and the map’s title. On the right, an armillary sphere and an Egyptian obelisk decorate the border. Contemporary extended margins have been added around the engraving itself so that the map would fit into a large atlas.

Forlani’s First World Map


 created this finely engraved copperplate map for the famous publisher Antonio Lafreri (1512-1577). It is the second world map to have been made on a double-cordiform projection. Salamanca first published it under his own imprint in Rome in around 1550.

The map contains very little embellishment but is exquisitely engraved. The oceans are minutely stippled, and the geographical features of the map are very delicately drawn. Like its predecessors, this striking map shows a mysterious Southern continent where modern-day Antarctica lies. However, the magnetic iron islands previously thought to stand at the North Pole have been replaced with a much more accurate Arctic region.

Salamanca’s Double-Cordiform World Map

This gorgeous map by Giovanni Cimerlino is significant both for its accuracy and its use of the cordiform, or heart-shaped, projection. 
The increase in European explorations in the Western Hemisphere and concurrent geographical advancements meant that mapmakers in Europe were looking to be able to illustrate these new 'discoveries' more precisely. The cordiform projection offered a solution for this, allowing cartographers to represent the spherical Earth on a two-dimensional plane, and accommodating an expanding world view. The shape also had symbolic meaning to humanist scholars who likened it to the human heart: the innate source of reason, with the grander theatre of the world. 

Rich in geographic details, the map is significant for the accuracy it shows of the eastern seaboard of North and South America. It is framed by a magnificent border of angels and putti, with architectural columns supporting either side. 

The map is dedicated to Henry Fitzalan (1512–1580), the godson of Henry VIII of England - his coat of arms on the right. Cimerlino may have met Fitzalan when was travelling to Italy to escape political pressure in England.  

Cimerlino's Heart-Shaped Map

This richly detailed, famous map of the world by 

 was first printed in Volume Eight of his Polyglot Bible, shown here.  It illustrates the Judeo-Christian theory that the world was repopulated by Noah's sons - Sem, Cham and Japhet - following the biblical Flood mentioned in the Book of Genesis. The map is based on cartography by Giacomo Gastaldi (c.1500–1566), with North America and Asia linked by a prominent land bridge. 

The engraving of Montanus's map is exceptionally fine. Delicately rendered sea monsters and galleons decorate the oceans, which are filled with precise waves. Eight windheads watch over the map – named in Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

Montanus had been ordered to create this Bible by King Philip II of Spain (1556–1598). It contains text in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Syriac. In addition to this world map, Volume Eight contains maps of the Holy Land and of Israel, eleven engraved plates of Old Testaments subjects including Noah’s Ark, the Tabernacle and two of the Temple of Moses, as well as a full-page map of ancient Jerusalem.

Volume Eight of ‘The Polyglot Bible’


's cordiform map 'The Whole World, or the Image of the Terrestrial 

 on a Plane'. De Jode created this map for his atlas 'Speculum Orbis Terrarum', a direct challenge to 

's primacy among mapmakers. The map is a reduction of Ortelius’s eight-sheet world map, which De Jode had himself engraved. It retains many of the features of this wall map, but adds two spheres to the lower corners: one celestial, one terrestrial. 

The heart-shaped projection used in the map is significant for two reasons. First, it was an attempt by early mapmakers to increase the amount of the Earth's surface that could be displayed on a flat plane, particularly after the recent European 'discoveries' of more remote areas of the globe. Secondly, it represented the human heart and human emotions as distinct from the physical world. The present map is the fourth state of five, with place names added to the oceans and 'Terra Incognita' added to North America. This and the final fifth state, do not have text on the verso, and were most likely issued by de Jode separately.

De Jode’s Cordiform Map of the World in Colour

 shows 'The Whole World, or the Image of the Terrestrial 

's primacy among mapmakers. The map is a reduction of Ortelius’s eight-sheet world map of 1564, which De Jode had himself engraved. It retains many of the features of this wall map, but adds two spheres to the lower corners: one celestial, one terrestrial. 

The heart-shaped projection used in the map is significant for two reasons. First, it was an attempt by early mapmakers to increase the amount of the Earth's surface that could be displayed on a flat plane, particularly after the recent European 'discoveries' of more remote areas of the globe. Secondly, it represented the human heart and human emotions as distinct from the physical world. The present map is the fourth state of five, with place names added to the oceans and 'Terra Incognita' added to North America. This and the final fifth state, with did not feature text on the verso, and were most likely issued by de Jode individually.

De Jode’s Cordiform Map of the World

This richly-coloured map on a Ptolemaic projection was engraved onto a copperplate by 

 himself. It was published in his very first '

', which was published alongside an edition of Claudius Ptolemy's '

', printed in 1578 and 1602. 

Two years later, in 1604, the printing plates for Mercator's atlas were acquired by Jodocus Hondius, most likely at the auction of Mercator’s library. Hondius became a very successful mapmaker and publisher in his own right, and in 1606, released his own 'Mercator-Hondius' atlas, from which this map originates. 

Mercator's admiration for Ptolemy is evident in the map's classical design. An intricate strapwork border, featuring billowing clouds and twelve labelled windheads, encircles the world.

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