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 entitled LIBER III (page 759), expressly dedicated by Münster to the description of the territories of Germany and to the intricate dynastic history of the rulers of the Palatinate. The Latin text opens with a recounting of the political events and the election of Rupert of the Palatinate (Rupertus elector & Rom. rex), while at the same time celebrating the excellence of Heidelberg University (Heidelbergẽsis academia), a leading cultural center of the time. The visual composition of the front is extraordinarily dominated by a grand typographic genealogical woodcut that develops into an imposing genealogical tree. This monumental schematic diagram meticulously illustrates the dense network of descendants, marriages, and geopolitical ties of Palatine nobility, among which stand out the historical profiles of Louis the Bearded (Ludovicus bellator cum barba), Count Stephanus, and the alliances with the houses of Bavaria and Bohemia. Of extraordinary collectible interest is the precision of this complex editorial grid, designed to render the feudal Germanic continuity visually immediate. Turning the page, the back (page 760) continues the development of the territorial chronicle with the heading DE GERMANIA containing the chorographic chapter entitled De fertilitate Palatinatus (Cap. CCCLVII). The Latin text unfolds as a dense and scholarly geographical and historiographical dissertation on the extraordinary natural riches of the mountainous and flat territories surrounding the city of Heidelberg. Münster extols the remarkable abundance of harvests, the excellent viticulture that yields generous wines on the hillside slopes, and the dense presence of wild chestnut forests, also dwelling on the prosperity of livestock and the aquatic abundance of local watercourses. The narrative then focuses on the roughnesses and resources of the famous Forest of Oden (Ottonica sylua), describing the diligence of the people resident in the extraction and river transport of timber that, via guided rafts along the Neckar and the Rhine, supplied the great commercial centers up to Bingen. The page is solemnly enriched by the presence of a refined animated initial woodcut and accompanied by typographical marginal glosses (Mater Philippi principis Palatini, Ottonica sylua). The discussion 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 sixteenth century a universal guide to understand the morals, geography, and changes of the peoples of the Earth through the ages. Dimensions 30 x 20 cm Will be shipped via courier

估價:$224.04

查看所有物品來自Catawiki或Books, Maps & Manuscripts