1561 Munster Leaf: Austria Danube Vienna 3 Woodcuts
1561 Description of Austria
from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster
History, the Habsburgs, the Danube, Vienna
Three Woodcut Pictures
Single authentic woodcut leaf from
"Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster. German edition; Basel printing
house of Sebastian Heinrich-Petri 1561. Book III ("Von den
Deutschen land"), pages
dcccclxxiii-dcccclxxxiii (973-974).
Sebastian
Münster (1488-1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and
Hebrew scholar whose Cosmographia (1544; "Cosmography") was the earliest
German description of the world and a major work
- after the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 - in the revival of
geographic thought in 16th-century Europe. Altogether, about 40 editions of the
Cosmographia appeared during 1544-1628.
Although other cosmographies predate Münster's, he is given
first place in historical discussions of this sort of publication, and
was a major influence on his subject for over 200 years.
Cosmographia contained not
only the latest maps and views of many well-known cities, but included
an encyclopaedic amount of detail about the known - and unknown - world
and undoubtedly must have been one of the most widely read books of its
time. Aside from the well-known maps and views present in the
Cosmographia (including
the first separate printed map of the Western Hemisphere),
the text is thickly sprinkled with vigorous woodcuts:
portraits of kings and princes, costumes and occupations, habits and
customs, flora and fauna, monsters and horrors.
Click here for more information about Münster
and Cosmographia, including the content and
list of editions and artists
This authentic
leaf from the German edition of Cosmographia
is devoted to Austria.
Page 973 (top) gives general facts on Austria. Münster writes about
the union of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia.
The text talks about Rudolf of Habsburg and Albert I
and then describes the
Duchy of Austria. The Danube ("Tonaw"),
Linz ("Lintz"), and provinces of Austria
are mentioned.
Thereafter follows interesting text on towns, castles, and monasteries
on the Danube river. Bratislava (Presbourg) is mentioned as well as Krems and Passau,
and Kalenberg, a mountain near Vienna.
Page 974 (bottom) contains the beginning of a longer
section on Vienna.
The description of the city is based on the relation of Wolfgang Lazius,
famous Hungarian historian and cartographer, publishing in Vienna.
The leaf contains
three woodcut pictures:
-
Arms of Arch-Duchy of Austria (double-headed eagle).
The arms combine the lion of the Habsburg
dynasty with the silver bar of the Duchy of Austria and the arms of Lotharingen.
The eagle was added in 1325 as the supporter behind the shield. The
eagle was the Imperial Eagle as the Dukes of Austria, from the Habsburg dynasty,
were Kings (and Emperors) of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. Ever since the
Habsburg family has used the eagle, first one-headed, later two-headed as the
main supporter.
-
A ship sailing on the Danube ("Srudel in der Tonaw"; a whirl at the Danube)
-
A man with a large key chain
See pictures for more details; click image to view larger version.
Page measures 7.8 x 11.8 inches.
Printed on watermarked laid paper.
The leaf is in good condition.
Imperfections: several
wormholes in the side margin; marginal repairs.
This is a rare and exceptionally interesting historical document which
will look great with a mat and frame.
-
This item is unconditionally guaranteed to be original and as described. We do not sell reproductions or
copies.
-
I am a member of
the International Map Collectors' Society (IMCoS)
and
the Washington Map Society.
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about this item, please
contact me
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