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

This original sheet is a precious Renaissance page drawn from the inner sections of the sixth book of the 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 VI, expressly dedicated by Münster to the description of the customs of Egypt and to the opening of the chapter DE AETHIOPIA ET interiori Libya (Chapter XL). The Latin text opens by celebrating the rigid education, the frugal diet, and the deep geometric and astronomical knowledge of the Egyptian priests, then proceeds to a detailed faunal chronicle of inner Libya, focused on the storks and the legendary bird Ibi, revered for its capacity to devour the winged snakes defending the harvests, and concluding with the geographical introduction of the complex and mountainous land of Ethiopia, rich in peoples with extraordinary customs and physiognomies. The visual composition on the front is enriched by two superb wood engravings: the first displays in detail the figure of the sacred ibis immersed in river vegetation, while the second depicts an indigenous Ethiopian in traditional dress armed with a bow inside his own village. Of extraordinary collectible interest is the presence of ancient marginal notes printed contemporaneously (Tenuis uictus puerorum, Cultus animatib. exhibitus) that attest to the critical apparatus of the work aimed at highlighting the most significant passages of the African description. Turning the page, the reverse continues the development of the historical chronicle with the heading DE AFRICAE REGIONIBVS containing the chorographic chapters De variis Aethiopiae gentibus (Chapter XLI). The Latin text unfolds as a dense and erudite philosophical and historiographical discourse on ancestral customs, religious beliefs, and the legendary kingdoms of the populations of Deep Africa. Münster places side by side the customs, the mineral riches of the historic river island like Meroe and the ancient royal dynasties, focusing in particular on the rich and powerful Saba and the warrior queens known by the dynastic title of Candace, also cited in Sacred Scripture, and analyzing the labors of nomadic peoples such as the Rhizophagi who fed on roots along the rivers and defended themselves from wildlife attacks. The page is solemnly enriched by the presence of an important Renaissance heraldic woodcut showing a noble shield topped by a sumptuous royal crown supported by two putti, accompanied by marginal typographic glosses (Meroe insula, Saba regia, Candaces reginae, Rhizophagi). The preface introduces the methodological motivations that guided the author in composing Cosmographia, intended as a monumental work to offer rulers and scholars of the sixteenth century a universal guide to understanding the morals, geography, and changes of the peoples of the Earth through the centuries. Dimensions 30 x 20 cm Will be shipped by courier

Estimate:£168.63

View all items fromCatawikiorBooks, Maps & Manuscripts