Sea and Land Monsters chart – a print depicting mythical creatures from Sebastian Munster Cosmographia, 1544

Description

An iconic chart of Land and Sea monsters and beasts, both mythical creatures and real, published by Sebastian Munster in his “Cosmographia” in 1544. One of famous 16th century hand-coloured woodblock prints.

Munster’s plate of mythical creatures is taken from Olaus Magnus’ Carta Marina of 1539 and includes abundant tusks, horns and twin-spouts. One vignette shows a galleon trying to outrun one monster by throwing their cargo overboard, while one sailor takes sight with a musket. Ortelius adapted many of the monsters for use on his map of Iceland in 1587. The Cosmographia by Sebastian Munster from 1544 is considered to be the earliest German language description of the world. It had numerous editions in different languages. The last German edition was published in 1628, long after his death. The Cosmographia was one of the most successful and popular books of the 16th century. It passed through 24 editions in 100 years. This success was due to the woodcuts made by the most prominent engravers. The “Cosmographia” of Sebastian Munster was most important in reviving geography in 16th-century Europe.

The Cosmographia by Sebastian Munster from 1544 is considered to be the earliest German language description of the world. It had numerous editions in different languages. The last German edition was published in 1628, long after his death. The Cosmographia was one of the most successful and popular books of the 16th century. It passed through 24 editions in 100 years. This success was due to the woodcuts of the most prominent engravers. The “Cosmographia” of Sebastian Munster was most important in reviving geography in 16th-century Europe.

This poster is a high quality “giclee” reproduction of a restored original, custom-printed on Standard Single-weight Matt Coated art paper 140gsm or  Heavyweight Matt Coated art paper 230gsm (more of a thin card density), or superb Epson Matt Canvas 320gsm, according to your choice. We use the latest UltraChromeHDX pigment inks which guarantee 60 years of colour  permanence (up to 200 years fade-proof for colour prints).  This poster is suitable for mounting and framing, as well as direct display on a wall.

IMPORTANT: If you are going to frame this print we recommend art paper 230gsm or canvas 320gsm. The 140gsm art paper option makes sense if you wish to DIY-frame or to tack the poster to a wall without framing, due to it being lighter and more flexible. All three options are giclee prints of the same high quality.

POSTER PRINT QUALITY

Please note that our reproduction posters are made to order and every print is checked before posting. The images we use in most cases are scans of antique originals, professionally restored in order to remove the most evident stains, folds, tears and other damage. We strive to balance the restoration and saving the overall integrity and antique appearance of the original. Our restored images are unique and these prints can be purchased only from www.VictorianMaps.com.

There will be no watermark on your image but there might be a white border depending on aspect ratio of the original. Please note that when a large antique original is reduced to a smaller size print some text may not be readable. Please check our measurements: every poster has its own aspect ratio same as original and printed exactly as pictured.