No extant examples of the map survive from the sixteenth century. The blocks for the map (together with thirteen other blocks by 

) from which these impressions were taken, were discovered at Castle Ambras in the Tyrol and the former Jesuit College in Graz around 1780. Due to their rarity, it was decided to publish a limited edition in 1781. Joseph Elden von Kurzbeck, a well-known publisher, was approached to fund the project, with editing carried out by Johann Adam von Bartsch, a noted scholar and artist in the employ of the Royal Court Library in Vienna.

The only reference to contemporary geographic discoveries in 

’s world map is the acknowledgement of the circumnavigation of Africa, which was most likely taken from Martin Behaim’s globe of 1492. Known as the ‘Erdapfel’ (potato), it was the first-known representation of the Earth as a free-standing, three-dimensional sphere. The work was well known to both Johannes Stabius and Dürer, as it was housed in the Nuremberg Rathaus until 1531 and is now in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum (inv. no. WI1826). Shirley (2001, 39) speculates that the composition of the map image might have been a largely academic exercise.

When comparing the map with Behaim's globe, it is clear that Dürer carefully chose a perspective that maximized the display of known land masses. Shading is applied at the top and bottom of the map where the graticule narrows, and intentional visual distortion at the edges of the globe increases the illusion of a 360-degree sphere. Even the placement of the twelve winds creates a sense of movement. Unlike the presentation of earlier, flat Ptolemaic planispheres, Dürer’s representational strategy animates the surface of the globe while its projection imbues it with a new sense of volume. To the bottom right is the privilege dated 1515, with the arms of Johannes Stabius in the lower left. The borders also bear the arms of, and dedication to, the work's patron, Cardinal Matthaus Lang, Archbishop of Salzburg.

 (1471–1528), from Nuremberg, first trained as an artist with his father, before joining the workshop of Michael Wolgemut around 1484. His godfather was the printer Anton Koberger, best known as the publisher of the 'Nuremberg 

), and an associate of humanists such as Willibald Pirkheimer, translator of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘

’.

From 1490, Dürer travelled extensively in Europe, working as an artist and illustrator, before establishing his own workshop in Nuremberg in 1496. As early as 1498, he began producing the series of woodcuts for which he is probably best known, including: ‘The Apocalypse’ (1498), ‘The Great Passion’ (1510), and ‘The Life of the Virgin’ (1510).

Although not signed by Dürer, this map is most certainly the work of the artist. It was produced in collaboration with Johannes Stabius, the court astronomer to Maximillian I. The pair had previously worked on a set of star charts, the first printed charts of the heavens, which also bear the date 1515. Probably, these two works were meant as companion pieces. The map features are essentially Ptolemaic with Europe and East Asia appearing on the extreme left and right of the map.

This large and dynamic map was created by 

 in collaboration with Johannes Stabius, court astronomer to Maximillian I, as a companion to a set of star charts. Although it is not signed by Dürer, it is clearly executed by his hand and was most likely inspired by Martin Behaim’s globe of 1492 in the Nuremberg Rathaus.

There is no known surviving copy of this map from the sixteenth century; however, the original woodblocks were discovered in Austria around 1780, and due to their importance, a limited second edition was published in 1781.

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.

’s groundbreaking world map, the first known printed map
to show the earth as a sphere.


 'spherical' map of the world on two joined sheets

Dürer's World Map as a Sphere