Sebastian Munster (1489 - 1552) was one of the three most renowned cartographers of the sixteenth century, along with Mercator and Ortelius. Munster's Geographia and Cosmographia Universalis were two of the most widely read and influential books of the period. His editions of Ptolemy's Geographia, published between 1540 and 1552, were illustrated with 48 woodcut maps, the standard 27 Ptolemaic maps supplemented by 21 new maps. These new maps included a separate map of each of the known continents and marked the development of regional cartography in Central Europe. The antique geography was a prelude to Munster's major work, the Cosmographia, which was published in nearly 30 editions in six languages between 1544 and 1578 and then was revised and reissued by Sebastian Petri from 1588 to 1628. The Cosmographia was a geographical as well as historical and ethnographic description of the world. It contained the maps from the Geographia plus additional regional maps and city views with nearly 500 illustrations which made it one of the most popular pictorial encyclopedias of the sixteen century.

This bold double-page woodcut view of Jerusalem is purely imaginary. Never having seen Jerusalem, the artist, Jacob Clauser (whose monogram appears at bottom right), drew the buildings to reflect contemporary European architecture rather than the actual appearance of the time. Still it is a well-detailed perspective view from outside the walls with numerous buildings and temples named. On a sheet of Latin text measuring 15.3 x 12.3". On verso is a view of the ancient city of Ptolemais in Phoenicia.

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) T.MUN-1e.

Condition: B+

A nice impression on a bright sheet with a bit of toning along the centerfold, a couple of old manuscript ink notations in the image, and marginal soiling. There are several short tears in the bottom margin that have been closed on verso with archival tape.