The Sunderland Collection

The Sunderland Collection

Oculi Mundi is the virtual home of the Sunderland Collection.

The Sunderland Collection comprises around 130 exquisite objects dating from c.1200 to the early 1800s.

Featuring world maps, celestial maps, atlases, books of knowledge and globes, the Collection is a unique curation showcasing the evolution of knowledge, as well as a striking celebration of human exploration, discovery and sheer wonder.

The Collection was founded by Dr. Neil Sunderland, an avid traveller to remote places and a friend of high mountains who has been a passionate consultant and admirer of maps, diverse cultures and ideas for many years. It began as a personal passion over 30 years ago and has evolved into a sophisticated corporate collection.

Dr Sunderland plays an ever-active role, supporting its goals and ensuring that each acquisition is of the highest quality.

Today, the core mission of The Sunderland Collection is to be as accessible as possible worldwide, for study or simple enjoyment. It is for this reason that the collection has been digitised in full and presented on the virtual platform of Oculi Mundi — The Eyes of the World.

As the Collection continues to grow, it endeavours to include further items that show a broader representation of cultural lenses and thought systems.

Honouring human achievement and skills across the centuries, its vision is to be inclusive and dynamic, moving forward as part of a global community of engaged and curious travellers.

Enquiries and collaborations from individuals are most welcome, as is engagement with other collections, and academic institutions.

The journey of human discovery is still not over — and it beckons!