British Isles Great Britain - an early woodblock engraved map by Sebastian Munster, 1544 art print poster canvas gift

An iconic early map of British Isles with ships and sea monsters, published by Sebastian Munster for his "Cosmographia" in 1544. One of the most thought after 16th century hand-coloured maps, engraved and printed by a woodblock.

Sebastian Munster (1488 - 1552) was a German scholar studying Hebrew, Greek and mathematics, who later became one of the most influential cartographers of 16th century. Before embarking on his most famous work, "Cosmographia", he translated Ptolemy’s "Geographia" from 150 AD and illustrated it with maps based on Ptolemy’s calculations. This work also contains a section of modern maps. Subsequent editions of the “Cosmographia” were to contain a vast number of maps and plans. One consequence of Munster’s work was the impetus it gave to regional mapping of Germany, but Munster was also the first cartographer to produce a set of maps of the four continents on separate maps.

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 "giclée" reproduction of a restored antique 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.