The map was first published by Fries in 1522 with the title ‘Generale Ptho’ in a banner above the map, and only windhead names in the border; then by Johannes Gruninger and Johannes Koberger in Strasbourg, 1525, with the same title banner, but with windheads and clouds added to the border; then, as here, by Melchior and Gasper Treschel, in Lyons in 1535, now without the title-banner.

Essentially, Fries’ world map is a reduced version of the old map of the world first published by 

 in his edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘

’ of 1513 (see SC-TM-1513-Waldseemuller-PWorldMap), offering none of the updates of his contemporaries. The world map maintains Ptolemaic projection and many of the traditional features, such as the ‘Mare Congelatum’ in the north, climatic divisions, and lines of longitude and latitude. There is no reference to the Americas or the newly discovered islands in the Pacific. 

 studied medicine at the universities of Pavia, Piacenza, and Montpellier before establishing himself as a physician in the Alsace region, Switzerland, and eventually Strassburg in about 1519. There he met the printer and publisher Johann Grüninger, who worked with the Saint-Dié group, Gymnasium Vosagense, which included Martin Ringmann and 

. Grüninger printed several maps prepared by Waldseemüller and supervised the cutting of the woodblocks for his 1513 edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘

’.

Fries’ first venture into mapmaking was probably in 1520 when he assisted 

 in publishing a reduced version of Waldseemüller’s wall map of the world, first published in 1507 (see SC-TM-1520-Apianus-

WorldMap). Next, in 1522, Fries and Grüninger worked together on Fries’ own edition of Ptolemy’s ‘

’, in which nearly all the maps were copied from Waldseemüller’s atlas. However, they added three new maps of China and Japan, Southeast Asia, and a new world map titled ‘Orbis Typus Universalis’; although the geography is based on information first expressed in Waldseemuller’s maps of 1513.

The 1535 edition of Fries’ ‘

’, from which this world map derives, was the first to be edited by the polymath Michael Villanovanus, better known as Michael Servetus (1511–1553). Born at Villanueva, in Aragon, Spain, Servetus first worked as an editor for the cartographer brothers Gaspar and Melchior Treschel in Lyon where he wrote the preface and many of the modern descriptions for map versos. Servetus would go on to make a number of scientific contributions in his career, including the first description of pulmonary circulation. After rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity later in life, he was condemned for heresy and burned at the stake.

Embellished with original hand colour, this world map is a reduced version 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 floating amidst puffy, energetic clouds. 

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

'. It was edited by Michael Villanovanus, also known as Servetus, 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, the ‘

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

For his writings the challenged the Holy Trinity and the practice of infant baptism, Michael Servetus was burnt at the stake in 1553. There was a total of forty counts of heresy against him, including the offence of having asserted in the text accompanying Fries’ map of Palestine that the region was not as fertile as it was generally believed. As a result of the condemnation, many copies of the book were burned with him on the orders of John Calvin. The offending passage was not actually written by Servetus and had appeared previously in Fries’ 1522 and 1525 editions. It was pointedly omitted from the last edition of 1541.

Ptolemaic world map from the Servetus edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘

’, with superb contemporary hand-colour.

Double-page woodcut map of the world, with contemporary hand-colour in full

General Pto [lemaic Map of the World]

General Phto

Wilibald Pirkheimer, from the notes of Johannes Regiomontanus, edited by Michael Villanovanus, better known as “Servetus” 

Fries’ Reduction of Waldseemüller’s Ptolemaic Map