Lot 1866

Munster, pub. 1574 - Map of the Americas

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Lot 1866
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Munster, pub. 1574 - Map of the Americas
Munster, pub. 1574 - Map of the Americas
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Munster, pub. 1574 - Map of the Americas

Estimate: $5,000 - $10,000

Current Bid: $290

(8 Bids)
by Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books
July 18, 2026 9:00 AM CDT
Live Auction
115 Hampsted Lane
Franklin, TN, US 37069

About the map:

This map "sealed the fate of 'America' as the name of the New World." (Burden 12) It was also the first to show American in the 'correct' continental form. This map was also the first to name the Pacific Ocean titled 'Mare Pacificum.' The map was first published in 1540 as part of Munster's edition of Ptolemy's Geography then published for the first time as part of Munster's Cosmographia Universalis in 1544 with this produced from the same woodcut.

Burden notes: "The Portuguese flag is shown flying over the South Atlantic and the Spanish one over her possessions in the Caribbean. The Strait of Magellan is named again, and Mare pacificum appears for the first time on a printed map. Magellan's ship Victoria, the only survivor of five vessels, appears for the first time on a printed map. Marco Polo's influence can be seen with Zipangri (Japan) appearing three years before the earliest known contact with Europeans, and also his Archipelagus 7448 insularu. The Yucatan is still shown as an island and the lake at Temistitan is depicted emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. North America is not shown as accurately as the southern half of the continent, it had to a large extent been neglected so far by explorers. When Giovanni de Verrazzano, in the service of Francis I of France, passed by the Outer Banks of the Carolinas in 1524 he mistook Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds for the 'Oriental Sea' that led to Cathay and the rich Spice Islands. Here Munster perpetuates this error and through the success of this book provided a huge impetus to the exploration of the region. The only placenames appearing here are C. Britonum, marking England's early explorations, Corterati, probably Newfoundland after the Corte Reals, and Terra florida. Francisca is named in honor of Francis I."


About the work:

This very old woodcut is from Sebastian Munster's Cosmographia Universalis or Cosmographey: das ist Beschreibung aller Lander [...] The work was published in Basel in 1574 by Heinrich Petri.

The work was a massive chronicle of all the geographical knowledge of the world to that point. The work included world maps as well as views of smaller cities and woodcut illustrations of historical subjects, mythology, natural history and ethnography. It was the first work to show America in its "correct" continental form and "sealed the fate of 'America' as the name of the New World." (Burden 12)

Sebastian Munster (1489-1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and a Hebrew scholar. He also became a Franciscan monk at an early age. Munster's Cosmographia was the first work of scientific based knowledge in the German language.

  • Dimensions: ~ 15 7/8" by 13 1/4" (Fold Out)
  • Literature: Cosmographia Universalis or Cosmographey: das ist Beschreibung aller Lander [...]
  • Medium: Engraving with Professional Hand-coloring
  • Circa: 1574
  • Condition: The work is in very good to excellent condition overall. There may be some faint offset from the fold out nature of the plate. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.

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Bid Increments
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