Sebastian Münster
1489-1552, Swiss theologian and cartographer
Find Maps by Sebastian Münster
After Ortelius and Mercator, Münster was one of the greatest names in sixteenth century cartography. His work probably had the widest influence in spreading geographical knowledge throughout the length and breath of Europe in the mid-1500's.
Most famous as the author of the monumental 'Cosmographia' (first edition 1544) , which contained a large number of city views and a level of information, previously unavailable in one publicaton. Using up-to-date information gathered from sources around the world led to it being one of the most widely read books of the age. It eventually went to almost 40 editions in six languages. His other major work the 'Geographia' was equally as popular.
A German by birth, Münster, settled in Switzerland in 1529, taking a position as Professor of Hebrew at Basle. He was a noted mathematician and more importantly a linguist, and thus was able to compile maps for his publications from foreign sources with contemporary information, although the accuracy left a little to be desired.
The early maps were all printed from woodblocks, which gives them an extra sense of antiquity for today's collector. This is reinforced by Münster's use of the old "molehill' style in his representation of mountain ranges, and his forests by groups of trees. He used pairs of lines for rivers.
Unfortunately, Münster's dominance of the market was cut short by the arrival of Ortelius' 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum'. His pretty, but relatively naive engravings were revised with more sophisticated maps by his step-son, Henri Petri in 1588, with the 'Theatrum' being used as a base for later editions. The woodcut maps were modernised, to be replaced by engravings in the copperplate style for these later editions.
Image(s): Sebastian Münster by Christoph Amberger, c. 1552
