Munster, Sebastian “Galliae Regionis Nova Descriptio." From "Cosmographia”

Sebastian Munster. "Galliae Regionis Nova Descriptio." From Cosmographia.

Basel, 1558. Woodcut. 9 7/8 x 14. Several scattered worm holes. Else, very good condition.

A woodcut map of France by Sebastian Munster (1489-1552) from an edition of his Cosmographia. Munster, a Swiss theologian, mathematician and cosmographer, was one of the greatest geographers in the era before "modern" cartography, and beginning in 1540 he issued numerous maps and views, many in his important Cosmographia. His output was a most influential cause of the spread of geographic knowledge from the middle years of the sixteenth century. His works have aptly been described as Renaissance knowledge through a Medieval medium. This is one of the earliest available map of France and a fine example of one of the premier cartographers of the sixteenth century.