1550 Munster Leaf Avignon Lyon Vienne Allobroges 1 Pic
1550 Description of France
from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster
Avignon, Lyon, the Allobroges, Vienne
One Woodcut Picture
One authentic woodcut leaf from
"Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster. German edition; Basel printing
house of Sebastian Heinrich-Petri 1550. Book II ("Von Gallia"), pages
cix-cx (109-110).
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.
Of about 20 German editions of the Cosmographia, the 1550 edition
is the most valued.
Click here for the title page of the 1550
German edition
(not included).
Click here for more information about Münster
and Cosmographia, including the content and
list of editions and artists
This most interesting authentic woodcut
leaf from the 1550 German edition of Cosmographia
is devoted to towns on the Rhône River.
Page 109 (top) talks about Avignon ("Auenion"),
a city on the east bank of the Rhône.
In 1309, the city became the capital of the papacy in 1309.
At that time, Avignon was not on French soil but belonged to vassals of
the pope. Avignon was bought by Clement VI ("bapst Clemente dem sechten"),
the fourth of seven Avignon
popes, in 1348 from Queen Joan of Provence and remained papal property
until the French Revolution. The Avignon papacy, derisively referred to
as the "second Babylonian captivity" of the popes, lasted from 1309 to
1377.
Thereafter follows a section on
Lyon ("Lugdun oder Leon";
Lyons), is a capital of Rhône departement.
A Roman military colony called Lugdunum was founded there in 43 BC, and
it subsequently became the capital of the Gauls. Lyon reached its peak
of classical development in the 2nd century AD, during which time
Christianity was introduced. In 177 the Christian community was
persecuted by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, and in 197 Lucius
Septimius Severus decimated Lyon. In 1032 Lyon was incorporated into the
Holy Roman Empire, but the real power lay with the city's archbishops,
whose influence caused important ecumenical councils to be held there in
1245 and again in 1274. Lyon was annexed to the kingdom of France in
1312.
The last section on p. 110 talks about the Allobroges,
an ancient Celtic tribe living in the northeast of Gallia Narbonensis
(i.e., Narbonne Gaul, in the part of southeastern France bounded by the
Rhône and Isère rivers) and in the area around Geneva. The Allobroges
were first mentioned in history when Hannibal passed through their
territory in 218 BC. Later, they were attacked by the Romans and finally
conquered (121 BC), and were
thereafter incorporated in Transalpine Gaul.
The town of Vienne was the capital of
the Allobroges. It was conquered by the Romans in 121 BC and was
subsequently one of the most important towns of Gaul until Roman rule of
the area ended in AD 275. Late in the 9th century the town became part
of the Holy Roman Empire, and it was transferred to French sovereignty
in 1450.
The leaf contains
one woodcut picture: view of Avignon
See pictures for more details; click image to view larger version.
Page measures 8.3 x 12.8 inches. Margins suitable
for framing. Printed on quality laid paper.
The leaf is in good condition.
Imperfections: soiling and handling in margins; two marginal wormholes.
This is a rare and exceptionally interesting historical document which
will look great with a mat and frame.
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This item is unconditionally guaranteed to be original and as described. We do not sell reproductions or
copies.
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and
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