Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) - Cosmographia Universalis...

This original sheet is a precious Renaissance page drawn from the inner sections of the third book’s Latin edition of 1550 of Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia universalis, printed in Basel by the publisher Heinrich Petri. The front of the page hosts the solemn chorographic section titled LIBER III, expressly dedicated by Münster to the historical and ecclesiastical description of important urban centers and thermal stations of southern Germany, divided into the chapters Reutlingen, Esslingen, Heilbronn (Ch. CCCXXXIII), Thermae Sylvestres atque Cellenses (Ch. CCCXXXIV) and Rotenburgum iuxta Neccarum (Ch. CCCXXXIX). The Latin text opens by celebrating the development and fortifications of the historic Swabian towns under Emperor Frederick II, then proceeds to a detailed medical and geographic chronicle of the hot springs of the Black Forest near Wildbad and Bad Teinach, analyzing the curative properties of waters rich in minerals, sulfur and copper, and concluding with the events of the city of Rottenburg on the Neckar River struck by an ancient earthquake. The visual composition of the front is enhanced by two splendid wood engravings: the first, embedded in an ornamental medallion, shows the harvest and pressing of grapes in a Renaissance vineyard, while the second depicts a lively social scene inside a thermal establishment of the era with bathers immersed in the curative pools. Of extraordinary collectible interest is the presence of ancient marginal notes printed that testify to the contemporary critical apparatus of the work aimed at highlighting the most significant historical and scientific passages. Turning the page, the verso continues the development of the historical chronicle with the header DE GERMANIA containing the chorographic chapters on the noble territories and houses of Teck (Ch. CCCCXXXVI), Zollern, commonly Hohenzorn (Ch. CCCCXXXVII), Göppingen (Ch. CCCCXXXVIII) and Veringen (Ch. CCCCXXXIX). The Latin text unfolds as a dense and erudite philosophical and historiographic treatise on dynastic origins, feudal loyalty accords, and territorial conflicts that have involved the great aristocratic families of the region. Münster sets the customs, dynastic rights, and military enterprises of the noble lineages in parallel, with particular attention to the historic events of the Hohenzollern fortress, the long sieges that led to the destruction of the original castle, and the subsequent rise of the Margraves of Brandenburg. The page is solemnly enriched by the presence of a fine heraldic woodcut depicting the noble coat of arms protected by a feathered tournament helm, accompanied by important marginal glosses (Kirchen ande t ducum, Zollern destruitur, Balneu[m] Geppingense). The Preface introduces the methodological motivations that guided the author in composing the Cosmographia, understood as a monumental work aimed at offering rulers and scholars of the XVI century a universal guide to understanding the morals, geography, and changes of the peoples of the Earth through the ages. Dimensions 30 x 20 cm Will be shipped by courier

Estimate:£126.47

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