16th Century

17th Century

18th Century

19th Century

Early Maps

Celestial

Terrestrial

Atlas

Book

Globe

Manuscript

This star chart of the proto-Andean Valdivia culture is one of a group of ‘Cosmograms’, or ideograms, believed to reflect the inherent relationship between the stars and Earth. It is among the oldest objects that evidence the human interest in finding their place in the universe and express a relationship between the heavens and the earth. It has been suggested that Valdivian cultures regarded the Earth as a convex arc and the Milky Way as a river of stars with waterways, like the Valdivia River, being terrestrial extensions of the same cosmic hydrology.

This stele is one of the most elaborate cosmograms known from the Valdivian culture. Carved from soft igneous rock, it most likely shows cosmic space, represented by a strapwork ‘X’-shaped cross, surrounded by a strapwork border, each outlined with double-fillets and dotted with numerous finely crafted cupules, with a delimitation symbolised by an elegant furrow running along all the edges. It has been theorized that the stele was used to locate stars on dates of religious importance. The observer on the ground may have used the cosmogram’s sight lines to identify prominent and sacred features on the horizon.

Cosmogramme from the Valdivia Culture

This medieval world map and lunar chart, currently on a loose bifolium, was lost in obscurity before it was recovered from binding material from a later book. The map was originally painted in northern France in the late-twelfth or early-thirteenth century, and illustrated a manuscript containing a copy of 

’s 'Dragmaticon philosophiae' (c.1144–1148). 

In his writings, William of Conches discusses various aspects of the natural world, including the moon – its phases illustrated in a diagram in the lower right corner. His work was part of the broader medieval attempt to understand celestial phenomena in a way that integrated classical knowledge with contemporary medieval thought.

The map in the upper left of the bifolium shows us a rare type of medieval T-O map because the globe is divided into four continents instead of the traditional three, suggesting that the map maker may have been referring to the work of Beatus of Liébana (d. 798), whose maps were reproduced throughout the twelfth century, or perhaps from a cosmological treatise by the Jewish-Persian scholar, Masha’Allah ibn Athari (d. 815).

An Early Thirteenth-Century T-O Map from William of Conches 

This is a rare copy of the 'Etymologies' of 

, often referred to as the first encyclopaedia. It contained information on a very wide range of topics. The 'Etymologies' were a hugely influential source of knowledge for many centuries. In fact, Isidore was so admired for the breadth and depth of his knowledge that he has been named the Patron Saint of the Internet.

This copy of the 'Etymologies' is in original hand-colour. The use of stunning rubrication – applying red highlights by hand to significant printed capital letters – shows the intersection between handwritten manuscripts and the newly invented printing press. The T-O map illustrating this page is the earliest printed European world map. It shows Asia at the top, Europe on the left and Africa on the right, surrounded and divided by oceans and rivers.

The First Printed Edition of Isidore of Seville's 'Etymologies'

The 'Rudimentum Novitiorum' ('Handbook for Novices'), is the earliest known printed European chronicle of the world. It was an educational work, conceived and written by an anonymous theologian, which describes six ages of the earth beginning with the creation and culminating with the contemporary era. As part of this history, it features two maps: one of the world and one of Palestine. This hand-coloured volume is especially rare with only a few comparable copies known. 

The chronicle’s world map is a fascinating blend of the traditional medieval T-O map with current geographic knowledge and awareness. Myths, legends, and historical figures wander the earth in conjunction with more contemporary characters such as the Pope in Rome. Many actual places, such as Egypt, Greece, and Italy are marked while simultaneously Paradise is depicted as a physical location to the far East from which flow the four rivers of Paradise. 

The Map of Palestine eschews the schematic formula for a bird’s eye view. Jerusalem is depicted in the centre with Damascus and Sion to the north and the Red Sea to the south. The map likely originated from an account of the Holy Land by Burchardus de Monte Sion from Magdeburg (fl. 1274–1291), whose work is quoted extensively in the 'Rudimentum Novitiorum'.

The First Chronicle of the World with Printed Maps

’s 'Etymologies' contains an updated woodcut that was included in the first editions printed in 1472. Asia is shown at the top, Europe on the left, and Africa on the right. The continents are divided by the Nile and Don rivers, and the Mediterranean, all surrounded by a world ocean. The names of the sons of Noah, who were believed to have settled the world after a great flood, are also shown. Unusually for a T-O map, this example depicts triangular areas that describe the rivers and Mediterranean Sea more fully. The lower triangle represents the Don River Delta flowing into the Black Sea. 

Also noted for containing the first printed reference to arithmetic, the 'Etymologies' provided medieval and Renaissance scholars an invaluable single source of late classical scientific knowledge, and features works by authors such as Pliny the Elder. In addition to geography, the work also treats mathematics, astronomy, meteorology, geology, botany, agriculture, human anatomy, medicine, shipbuilding, architecture, and other technological subjects.

An Alternative T-O Map from Isidore of Seville's 'Etymologies'

Finely engraved on copper, this is the second map to be printed to the projection of Claudius Ptolemy. The map shows from Great Britain in the north to the Canary Islands in the south, west through Europe to the Islands of Fortune, and east across the Indian Ocean, Taprobana (modern-day Sri Lanka) and China. 

The map shows a pioneering, semi-mechanical engraving technique called 'punch-lettering', which is important to both the history of cartography and the history of printing. The technique streamlined the work and tools of the engraver and utilized small rectangular steel 'punches' shaped into the form of a letter, then pressed onto the page. This technique gives the map a greater sense of uniformity as well as legibility, and the result provides a unique aesthetic.

An Early Ptolemaic World Map

This Ptolemaic map was printed in 1478 on a broadsheet rather than part of an atlas. The map is bounded by twelve curly-haired windheads who float amid the stars. The topography, seas and rivers are richly depicted and the remnants of a filigree border decorates the left-hand edge of the sheet. 

Although the authorship of this map is traditionally attributed to 

, a celebrated engraver, there is no signature or printer's mark. Even the watermark in the paper is ambiguous. Thus, the map’s origins remain shrouded in mystery.

A Ptolemaic World Map Engraved by Taddeo Crivelli

’s Italian version (produced in rhyme, called 'terza rima' or verse) of Claudius Ptolemy’s 'Geographia' is one of the earliest atlases produced in a vernacular language. The maps within were created with considerable skill by a master engraver thought to be Francesco Rosselli (1448–c.1513) and includes contemporary maps of Spain, France, Italy, and Palestine. Smudges, excess ink, and even the printer’s thumbprints appear as fifteenth century 'makers marks' that point to the fact that copperplate printing was still a new technology. The atlas contains the only examples of Ptolemy’s maps printed in his original projection, which consists of equidistant parallels and meridians. Berlinghieri’s edition is also the first to provide gazetteers for each individual map.

Berlinghieri's 'Geographia'

This is one of the most celebrated early world maps, and is colloquially known as the 'Ulm Ptolemy'. It was published in 

’s atlas 'Cosmographia' (1482), based on Claudius Ptolemy’s 'Geographia'. The map of the world is shown on a homeotheric, or 'beehive', projection and draws from recent European 'discoveries' to create a fusion of the latest cartographic information with Classical knowledge. 

The world extends from Great Britain and the Canary Islands in the West, mid-China in the East, and North Africa in the South. The Indian Ocean features a large island, Taprobana (modern day Sri Lanka) at its centre and a new addition of a rudimentary Scandinavia appears within an extension of the map above the neat-line in the North Atlantic. 

This handsome map has been printed from a woodblock, is surrounded by a broad decorative board including twelve classical windheads, and features rich contemporary colouring including luxurious blue pigments made from lapis lazuli. 

The Ulm Ptolemy World Map

This gorgeous map in vibrant original hand colour, is from 

's edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia'. The wonderful engraving is attributed to Francesco Rosselli (1448–c.1513). Energetic windheads that represent the twelve classical winds surround the world on a Ptolemaic projection showing the climates, hundreds of place-names, and detailed depictions of mountains, rivers and other geographical features. It is very rare to find this map in colour; the pigments likely include lapis lazuli and would have been very costly.

Berlinghieri's Ptolemaic World Map in Contemporary Colour

This lyrical map shows the world on a Ptolemaic projection hanging in space, amid four pillars. Although the map is quite simple and small in scale, it is packed with interesting content and charming decorative details. Its title captures the expeditionary zeitgeist of the early modern world: ‘If, in this New Age, man seeks to follow the winding paths of geography, he is bound to find the flowers that grow there, for he deserves them’. 

The map illustrated an early printed edition of the ‘Cosmographia’, composed by 

 around 43 CE. It was the first to depict contemporary Portuguese knowledge of the west coast of Africa and was consulted by the Columbus brothers before they set out on their western voyage in 1492. It is also the source for another important and early map of the world: 

A Bijoux World Map from Mela's 'Cosmographia' 

While stunning maps on Ptolemaic projections were being steadily produced in the late fifteenth century, simple T-O maps remained a popular illustration in contemporary texts. This example from 

’s highly successful world chronicle entitled 'Fasciculus Temporum' ('Bundles of Time') is an especially engaging example. 

The T-O map at the bottom of the page presents the earth divided into three parts, each labeled within the map’s outer rim. Jerusalem ('civitas hierusalem') is in the center, Europe to the left and Africa on the right. In this version, the three continents are associated with the names of the sons of Noah, who were responsible for populating them, Shem (Asia), Ham (Africa), and Jafet (Europe). Above the map is a diagram of heaven and a woodcut of the creation, collectively expressing a comprehensive Christian cosmology. 

T-O map from Rolewinck’s World Chronicle

This is a revised edition of one of the most celebrated early world maps from 

’s 'Cosmographia', now better known as the 'Ulm Ptolemy'. It drew from recent discoveries to create a fusion of the latest cartographic information with Classical knowledge. 

After Holl’s bankruptcy in 1484, the Venetian publisher Justus de Albano acquired Holl’s materials and commissioned 

 to produce this second edition in 1486. While the pigments used on this hand-coloured map would still have been luxurious, they were far cheaper than the ruinously expensive lapis lazuli used in Holl’s edition. The beautiful shades of this map and more restrained colouring allow greater sight of the underlying engraving, including the lovely details of the windheads and rivers.

Reger’s Reissue of the Ulm Ptolemy World Map

This delightfully detailed world map derives from the 'Mer des Hystoires' ('Sea of Stories') a French version of the world chronicle ‘Rudimentum Novatorum’ published in 1475. This woodblock map combines myths and religious tales alongside actual geographical information. The structure of the map is similar to a medieval T-O map. Asia is represented in the top half of the map, Europe on the left and Africa on the right. Like the world map from the 'Rudimentum', the map is divided into four quadrants by a vertical and horizontal axis. Curious creatures such as salamanders and a phoenix (on the far right) are featured alongside historical characters and contemporary leaders such as the Pope.

This is a fascinating example of the progression of one edition to another. While many features are the same as the 'Rudimentum', the anonymous creator of this map has added place names and decorative details, such as the whimsical ducks swimming in the upper right quadrant.

The 'Sea of Stories' World Map

This magnificent world chronicle was produced in Nuremberg by 

, and is thus often referred to as the 'Nuremberg 

'. It is a history of the known world from a European perspective, with particular emphasis on Germany. With an astounding 1,809 woodcuts, the publication is highlighted by thirty-one double-page city views, some of which represent the first authentic depiction of a city panorama. 

Two double-sided maps of the world and Europe are also included and feature profiles of marvellous creatures believed to inhabit the ends of the Earth. Created in the workshop of Michael Wolgemut, the woodcuts may have been designed in part by a young 

 who was completing his apprenticeship at the time in Wolgemut’s studio.

Hartmann Schedel's 'Nuremberg Chronicle' 

A beautiful version of the world map from the Nuremberg 

, from the first edition and in original hand colour. The map is on the Ptolemaic projection and was heavily influenced by the simple woodblock world map used to illustrate 

's 'Cosmographia'. 

This map was printed shortly after Christopher Columbus returned from his travels, and is therefore the last important early map to show the world before the new 'discoveries'. It features the three sons of Noah, who were believed to have populated the world after a great flood. On the left are images of mythical creatures who were thought to live in the furthest regions of the globe.

World Map from the 'Nuremberg Chronicle'

This rare example of the first printed edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Almagest' forms an important cornerstone of the cross-cultural evolution of human knowledge. The title derives from the transliteration of the Arabic: اَلْمَجِسْطِيّ, ‘al Megiste’ (‘The Greatest’), and it was enormously influential to medieval Islamic scholars and later to Renaissance Europe. Ptolemy’s work discusses astronomy and was arguably his most influential book, alongside the 'Geographia' (on geography) and the 'Tetrabiblos' (on astrology).

First Printed Edition of Ptolemy's 'Almagest'

This world map illustrates Macrobius's (fl. 400 AD) climactic theories within his 'Commentary on The Dream of Scipio'. Maps resembling this one can be found in medieval copies of Macrobius's work, but here the geography is fused with contemporary cartographical trends, in that the shapes of the continents in the upper half resemble those modeled after Ptolemy. The world is oriented north and surrounded by oceans; the known (and labeled) landmasses in the northern hemisphere are balanced by a symmetrical ‘terra incognita’ (unknown land) in the south. Tiny windheads surround the earth, with floral decorations in each corner.

Hybrid Map in Macrobius' 'Commentary on the Dream of Scipio'

This characterful map combines whimsy and creativity with the latest geographical information from European expeditions west to the Caribbean and east around Africa. Expanding on Claudius Ptolemy's projection, the map notes a sea and islands that 'were not known to him'. This allusion to new frontiers captures the excitement and curiosity of European explorers to dream of what might lie beyond Ptolemy's calculations. Decorating this relatively simple map are wonderfully creative, detailed windheads that are depicted in a highly naturalistic style. Each windhead has its own personality; one is even wearing glasses, the first known appearance of eyewear in a map.

Reisch's Windhead Map

Exquisitely engraved, this map was created by Johannes Ruysch, a friend of Raphael and court painter to Pope Julius II, for a 1507 edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia'. The edition featured all the usual Ptolemaic maps of different territories around the world, along with a number of additional ‘modern’ maps edited by the Celestine monk 

. This fan-shaped world map is very rare. It is celebrated as one of the earliest printed maps to include the Americas. At the North Pole, Ruysch depicts four islands surrounding an island of iron, an idea later copied and disseminated by 

. In the centre of the fan shape are the islands of iron that were believed to exist at the North Pole.

Ruysch's 'Geographia'

 in his 1511 Venice edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia' is among the earliest example of two-colour printing in cartography and include the first cordiform (heart-shaped) world map of its kind. Place names are shown in red and black, a significant technical advancement in rendering details. Derived on a Ptolemaic projection, Bernard Sylvanus states that his maps update Ptolemy’s geography with more recent discoveries. The signs of the zodiac are shown on the right with Strabo’s climatic zones listed on the left.

Sylvanus' Heart-Shaped World Map

 in his edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia' are among the earliest example of two-colour printing in cartography and include the first cordiform (heart-shaped) world map of its kind. Place names are shown in red and black, a significant technical advancement in rendering details. Derived on a Ptolemaic projection, Sylvanus states that his maps update Ptolemy’s geography with more recent discoveries. The signs of the zodiac are shown on the right with Strabo’s climatic zones listed on the left.

Sylvanus's Ptolemaic World Map

This windswept map on a Ptolemaic projection comes from 

's 1513 edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia'. Waldseemüller was a hugely influential and pioneering cartographer. His 'Geographia' was significant because it contained twenty ‘modern’ maps alongside the traditional Ptolemaic maps represented in all the earlier versions of the atlas. It also includes one of the earliest references to the new world as ‘America’ in honor of the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.  

Geographically, this map is a unique combination of ancient cartography with contemporary knowledge, which includes information from explorations of the Americas and voyages around Africa. Surrounding the map is a finely rendered series of exquisitely rendered windheads with expressive, individualized features.

Waldseemüller's Amended Ptolemaic World Map

This map of the 'entire globe' was published by 

. It builds on earlier knowledge, particularly from 

 and Amerigo Vespucci, and is one of the earliest maps to use the word 'America' to name the New World.

The flamboyant, densely engraved cordiform projection is surrounded by windheads and includes elements of classical cartography, such as climatic zones. America is separate from Asia, and a sea passage is shown between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the tip of South America.

Apianus World Map

's 1520 edition of  Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia'. It is known as the 'Admiral's Map' because Waldseemüller attributes Christopher Columbus, the 'Admiral of the Ocean Sea' as a source of cartographic information.

This influential work was accompanied by twenty 'modern' maps in the 'Geographia', which were a radical update to Ptolemy's traditional maps and expanded on the Ptolemaic projection that had dominated earlier European cartography. The edition was hugely influential on other mapmakers, such as 

Waldseemüller's 'Admiral's Map'

's famous 'Admiral's Map' that was created two years earlier. It was engraved against the backdrop of ongoing European exploration of the New World. An amalgam of traditional and new cartography, the British Isles and Scandinavia are poorly rendered and out-of-date, whereas the American continent is prominently included.

The windheads from earlier maps are still present here, but only by their names. These are connected by twisting ropes around the border of the map, a further allusion to seafaring navigation.

Fries’ Reduction of Waldseemüller’s 'Admiral’s Map'

One of the first maps created on a polar projection, this elegant work was engraved by 

, a celebrated French polymath. This is the first state of six states of the map created between 1531 and 1555 and remains one of the most striking and influential world maps of the sixteenth century.

The use of a double-cordiform (heart-shaped) projection was a unique attempt to render the sphere of the earth accurately on a two-dimensional surface. The map includes many newly discovered landforms including a mysterious southern continent that blends the landmasses of Australia and Antarctica. Richly embellished with animals, cherubs, mermaids, and flowers, Fine’s map set a new standard in mapmaking and would be emulated by other cartographers such as 

Fine’s Double-Cordiform World Map

This famous and beautiful map, published in 1532, was created by 

, with elaborate borders by Hans Holbein the Younger. It anticipates Münster's greatest work, the 'Cosmographia', and his oval world map produced eight years later.

The map draws on many sources, including 

. The illustrations around the map contain sensational and fanciful descriptions of the exotic spices, flora, fauna, and peoples who were believed to populate the four known continents. Exquisitely rendered sea monsters and galleons ply the oceans on the map.

At the poles, two angels are shown turning the Earth. This alludes to the radical claim by Copernicus that the Earth moved around the sun and turned on its axis. This heliocentric theory disrupted earlier Ptolemaic and Christian concepts that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

Münster's World Map, with Hans Holbein the Younger

This delightful, restrained woodcut map was created by Joachim von Watte, known as Vadianus. It is a simplified version of 

's world map of 1532 but lacks the fantastical borders from Hans Holbein the Younger.

Vadianus's map is among the earliest to use the name ‘America’. The representation of the New World is based on Münster's world map but omits the Caribbean islands. It contains, however, a more accurate depiction of India and Sri Lanka.

The windheads surrounding this map are uniquely engraved. Gridlines over the Earth record longitude and latitude; a scroll at the bottom of the map states the date of its production in Roman numerals.

Vadianus's World Map

Embellished with original hand colour, this world map is a reduced version of 

’s famous 1513 map. It was published in 1535 by 

 for his edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘Geographia’. Fries’ version is embellished with decorative details lacking in previous editions. 

s surrounding the map are particularly animated, sporting a range of distinctive hats and floating amidst puffy, energetic clouds. 

The rarity of this map attests in part to a controversy surrounding Fries' 1535 'Geographia'. It was edited by Michael Villanovanus, also known as Servetus, who was later accused of heresy and burnt at the stake in 1553. Of the forty-some allegations against Servetus, one was a commentary on Fries’ map of Palestine that questioned the fertility of the region. As a result, the ‘Geographia’ was burnt with Servetus and the controversial passage was stripped from later editions.

Fries’ Reduction of Waldseemüller’s Ptolemaic Map

’s edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia' established the convention that a universal atlas should include world and continental maps and was the first printed work to render latitude and longitude in their now-standard form. It also includes the first printed map of the Western Hemisphere, the first set of maps of the four continents, and the first printed map to name the Pacific Ocean.

Although it is not known who was responsible for the woodcut maps themselves, the decorative borders have been attributed to Hans Holbein. Indeed, Münster’s maps are particularly famous for their decorative elements. There are forty-eight of them in total: twenty-seven ancient Ptolemaic maps, and twenty-one ‘modern’ maps. This very rare first edition contains full original hand colour.

Münster's 'Geographia' 


This pioneering textbook on astronomy was produced by 

, astronomer and professor of mathematics at Ingolstadt, and dedicated to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (ruled 1519–1556) and his brother Ferdinand. It contains a comprehensive review of contemporary astronomical knowledge, including theories from the use of solar eclipses to determine longitude and Apianus' own observation that the tails of comets always point away from the Sun. 

The work is beautifully illustrated and full of intricate volvelles, hand coloured by Apianus. These circular devices could be used to calculate everything from eclipses to the hour of a baby’s conception. Only thirty-five copies of this iconic work are known and it was famously expensive in its day (even Edmund Halley could not obtain a copy). This gorgeous edition preserves many of the silk threads used for turning the volvelles, including twelve of the original seed pearls placed at the end of the threads.

Apianus’s ‘Astronomy of the Kings’

This atlas is especially notable as the second Michael Servetus edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s ‘Geographia’ in which some of the texts were redacted following accusations of heresy by church officials. Servetus would ultimately be executed twelve years after its publication. 

The maps of this edition are printed from the same woodblocks that were created by 

 for the 1522 edition of Ptolemy’s ‘Geographia’. These in turn were reductions of the famous maps of 

’s 1513 edition. Spanning decades of revision and reproduction, the atlas is an amalgam of traditional and new cartography.

This work is also notable for a full-page woodcut armillary sphere contributed by 

Servetus Edition of Fries’ Ptolemy 

Johannes Hontor’s two star charts, representing the Northern and Southern Hemispheres were first published individually in 1532 and, later, together in 1541. This chart shows the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere ('Constellationum Borealium') from the 1541 edition. This is the first time that the constellations are represented in concave projection and some, such as Auriga, Boote, and Perseus – in strong contrast with the previous tradition – are dressed in contemporary costumes.

Honter's Star Chart of the Northern Hemisphere

This cosmographic map from 1564 was created by Gemma Frisius. It is based on a cordiform map by 

, and blends classical cartography with the latest knowledge from European exploration. The work is notable as the first map to employ the term ‘Australia’ and one of the earliest to show the entire eastern seaboard of North America.

Packed with engaging decoration characteristic of the High Renaissance, ships, sea monsters, and other characters adorn the map. It is framed by signs of the zodiac and classical climate zones. The borders swirl with energetic clouds and windheads; the southern, plague-bearing winds are characterised by grinning skulls.

The map also acts as a piece work of propaganda: the Roman god Jupiter and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V gaze down on the terrestrial sphere. This likeness of the Emperor was a bold statement, legitimising his political power and celebrating his global reach. Frisus was also said to have sent the map to Charles V for his opinion, and it was sent back with the Emperors' own corrections before being published.

Frisius' Cordiform World Map

's chronicle is one of the most richly illustrated printed works ever, even surpassing the famous ‘Nuremberg 

, printed in 1493. This is one of only thirty dedication copies that were pre-circulated to representatives of the Thirteen Old Cantons in 1547 to promote the forthcoming publication of the chronicle in 1548. 

The splendid woodcuts, showing deeds, battles, town views, coats of arms, and other facets of Swiss history, also include one of the earliest accounts of the Legend of William Tell. The woodcuts are the work of the most renowned Swiss artists of the day, such as Heinrich Vogtherr the Elder, the Zurich painter Hans Asper, Robert and Johann Rudolf Wyssenbach, the monogramist VS, and the Zurich woodcutter Ludwig Fryg.

The chronicle also contains numerous maps created in collaboration with Aegidius Tschudi (1505–1572). There are five double-page maps (Europe, Germany, France, Hevetii, and contemporary Switzerland) and eight full-page regional maps of the confederation. In addition, Johannes Honter’s small version of 

Stumpff's World Chronicle

This exquisite portolan atlas illuminated on vellum is one of the jewels of the Sunderland Collection. In its original binding, it contains a delicately drawn diagram of the zodiac, thirteen detail-rich double-page maps, and a thirty-two-point compass inset into the lower board. It was created by 

, a luxury mapmaker who produced highly prized and beautifully decorated manuscript atlases for elite patrons, including Emperor Charles V, Phillip II of Spain, and Henry VIII of England. This manuscript has its own distinguished provenance from the collection of the eminent cartographic historian Henry Harrisse (1829–1910).

Portolan Atlas by Agnese 

 created this oval world map for his new edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia', which also contained a completely fresh translation of the original text. This second edition of the world map, from a new woodblock created by the engraver David Kandel.

Münster maintained a large network of written sources and informants who fed him information about the shape of the world. This map is a fascinating combination of carefully collated data from both classical and contemporary sources including, Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation, Marco Polo's travels, 

’s 1507 world map, and traditional Ptolemaic geography.

This map was one of the most influential depictions of the world to date and would be studied by Ortelius, Mercator, and others. It is skillfully engraved and embellished with wonderful windheads, sea monsters, and clouds.

Münster’s World Map on an Oval Projection

This large map is the masterwork of Michael Tramezzino and forms a pair with a map of the Western Hemisphere also in the Sunderland Collection. Each map was printed from two copper plates to accommodate its scale. They are exquisitely engraved and technically superb.

This Eastern hemisphere map centres on Africa. The stippled oceans contain finely rendered ships, and the land masses are filled with place names and geographical features such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. The map is dedicated to Pope Julius III.

Eastern Hemisphere of Tramezzino's Double Hemisphere Maps

This large map is the masterwork of Michael Tramezzino and forms a pair with a map of the Eastern Hemisphere also in the Sunderland Collection. Each map was printed from two copper plates to accommodate its scale. They are exquisitely engraved and technically superb.

This Western hemisphere map centres on the Pacific Ocean. The stippled oceans contain finely rendered ships, and the land masses are filled with place names and geographical features such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. The map is dedicated to Pope Julius III.

Western Hemisphere of Tramezzino's Double Hemisphere Maps

This striking double-hemisphere map is affectionately known as the ‘Bicycle Spoke’ world map. It was designed by 

, a painter from Udine, and published in Venice with privileges granted from the Senate. Floriano writes that he created the map to enable viewers to ‘easily study and learn cosmography and see the entire picture of the world, since it can be reduced to spheric form’.

The design of the map is mysterious. Based on a polar projection, each hemisphere is divided into thirty-six gores of ten degrees longitude each, as if it was intended to be mounted to a globe. However, elaborate strapwork boarders and portraits of Floriano and Claudius Ptolemy in the upper corners make it unlikely that it was intended to be cut apart. Cartographically, Floriano's map is based on 

's double-cordiform map of 1538, with geography and place names exactly replicated.

Floriano's 'Bicycle Spoke' World Map

This densely engraved cordiform map was created by 

, the cosmographer to Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. This map was published posthumously in his ‘Dos Libros de Cosmographia’ which describes Brazil, India, and the New World.

The woodblock print is based on Caspar Vopell’s legendary twelve-sheet wall map (1829–1910), of which all known versions have been lost. The map is richly decorated and surrounded by distinctive windheads. It rests on two celestial charts of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in the lower corners. Atop the map, a cartographer and an astronomer look down onto the Earth. 

Girava World Map

The 'Cosmographia' is the most famous work of 

, a hugely influential cosmographer and mapmaker. Münster was also well-known for his radical new edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 'Geographia', which contained exciting new modern maps.

This edition of the 'Cosmographia' is in remarkably fine condition. It contains both of Münster's famous world maps, along with maps of America, Asia, and Africa, nine maps of Europe, three folding panoramas, thirty-eight double-page city views, eight full-page city views and over 1,000 woodcut illustrations and diagrams, as well as Münster's delightful drawing of sea monsters.

The illustrations were created by an illustrious roster of artists who included Hans Holbein the Younger, Urs Graf, Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch and David Kandel.

Münster's Universal Cosmography

 was etched on copperplate and is the first known printed map to use the name ‘Canada’. It was heavily influenced by maps created by Giacomo Gastaldi, one of Forlani's colleagues, and was in turn a source of inspiration for later maps by 

. 

The geographical features shown on the map are rendered with fine detail and precision. Beautifully engraved sea monsters, galleys, and ships adorn the oceans, along with two compass roses. The cartouches to the left of the map contain Forlani's imprint and the map’s title. On the right, an armillary sphere and an Egyptian obelisk decorate the border. Contemporary extended margins have been added around the engraving itself so that the map would fit into a large atlas.

Forlani’s First World Map


 created this finely engraved copperplate map for the famous publisher Antonio Lafreri. It is only the second world map to have been made on a double-cordiform projection. Salamanca first published it under his own imprint in Rome in around 1550.

The map contains very little embellishment but is exquisitely engraved. The oceans are minutely stippled, and the geographical features of the map are very delicately drawn. Like its predecessors, this striking map shows a mysterious Southern continent where modern-day Antarctica lies. However, the iron islands previously thought to stand at the North Pole have been replaced with a much more accurate Arctic region.

Salamanca’s Double-Cordiform World Map

This richly detailed, famous map of the world by 

 was first printed in Volume Eight of his Polyglot Bible, shown here.  It illustrates the Judeo-Christian theory that the world was repopulated by Noah's sons. The map is based on cartography by Giacomo Gastaldi (c.1500–1566), with North America and Asia linked by a prominent land bridge. 

The engraving of Montanus' map is exceptionally fine. Delicately rendered sea monsters, ships and galleons decorate the oceans, which are filled with tiny waves. 

s watch over the map – named in Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

Montanus had been ordered to create this Bible by King Philip II of Spain (1556–1598). It contains text in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Syriac. In addition to this world map, Volume Eight contains maps of the Holy Land and of Israel, eleven engraved plates of Old Testaments subjects including Noah’s Ark, the Tabernacle and two of the Temple of Moses, as well as a full-page map of old Jerusalem.

Volume Eight of ‘The Polyglot Bible’


 shows 'The Whole World, or the Image of the Terrestrial Globe on a Plane'. De Jode created this map for his atlas 'Speculum Orbis Terrarum', a direct challenge to 

's primacy among mapmakers. The map is a reduction of Ortelius’s eight-sheet world map, which De Jode had himself engraved. It retains many of the features of this wall map, but adds two spheres to the lower corners: one celestial, one terrestrial. 

The heart-shaped projection used in the map is significant for two reasons. First, it was an attempt by early mapmakers to increase the amount of the Earth's surface that could be displayed on a flat plane, particularly after the recent European 'discoveries' of more remote areas of the globe. Secondly, it represented the human heart and human emotions as distinct from the physical world. The present map is the fourth state of five, with place names added to the oceans and 'Terra Incognita' added to North America. This and the final fifth state, do not have text on the verso, and were most likely issued by de Jode separately.

De Jode’s Cordiform Map of the World in Colour

De Jode’s Cordiform Map of the World

This wonderfully illustrated, richly coloured work is the earliest European printed sea atlas. It was created by Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer who brought together for the first time detailed information from manuscripts, rutters, and ships’ logs, which he systematised and illustrated with informative and beautifully engraved charts. Waghenaer standardised and updated the pictorial silhouettes traditionally used by pilots, drew compass roses and lines of navigational direction, and included soundings to help navigators. 

Subsequent charts of the European coastline were based on Waghenaer’s work for at least a century. They were called after him ‘waghenaers’ or ‘waggoners’ in English and ‘chartiers’ in French. The demand for Waghenaer’s charts required translations for foreign pilots, of which this Latin version was the first.

First Latin Edition of Waghenaer's Seacharts

’s ‘Cosmographia’ illustrates a geocentric model of the universe and demonstrates the general reluctance to accept Nicolaus Copernicus’ revolutionary heliocentric model of the Solar System. Following the classical template offered by Claudius Ptolemy, the Earth sits at the centre of the Universe and is composed of four concentric circles representing the four elements. Beyond this the planetary orbits (including the sun) radiate outward and terminate in the firmament of the stars. The woodcut is embellished with delightful border scenes of sowing and reaping at the top; below is a caravel with a mariner on its deck using an astrolabe, while the lower right shows two woodsmen resting from their labours to eat and drink.

Münster’s Geocentric Model of the Universe

One of the most recognisable and famous sixteenth-century maps, this oval world map was created by the hugely influential cartographer 

 who drew on a wide range of sources, including the wall map of 

 and the writings of Marco Polo.

Below the map is a quote from the legendary Roman statesman Cicero: 'To whom can anything great be seen in human affairs, to whom all eternity and the greatness of the whole world is known?'

This particular copy was issued in the first Spanish language edition of Ortelius’ atlas. It was published in 1588, which is the same year that the Spanish armada was launched by King Philip II against Protestant England. Spanish text can be found on the verso of this map, and the radiant colouring is original.

Ortelius’ World Map

This rare broadsheet map was produced by the master engraver Jodocus Hondius between 1589 and 1595. It celebrates the voyages of 

, the first Englishmen (and only the second and fourth men) to circumnavigate the globe. These voyages were very significant because they directly challenged Spain's supremacy over the New World. 

The decorative elements surrounding this world map are exquisitely rendered and minutely detailed. They include birds, fruit, putti, Drake's 'Golden Hind' and Cavendish's ships, and the English royal coat of arms.

Hondius' 'Drake Map'

's 1593 world atlas has been luxuriously coloured by a master colourist and heightened in gold and silver, a style known as 'Fuerstenkolorit'. It is the second, enlarged edition of this work, which was prepared by de Jode but completed by his son Cornelius de Jode. The first edition had been intended as a direct challenge to 

' own atlas. 

Cornelius de Jode was responsible for ten of the newly added maps, including the first world map, two maps of North America, a new map of China, and a map of Australia and New Guinea. All of the maps in this atlas have been etched with great skill and contain charming embellishments and decorative elements.

De Jode's Atlas in 'Furstenkolorit'

This map is one of two spectacular new world maps produced in 1593 by Cornelis de Jode in advance of the new and enlarged edition of his atlas, the 'Speculum Orbis Terrae'. It is one of only a few double-hemisphere maps drawn on a polar projection. Even the windheads are depicted from above. The map has been beautifully engraved and features bright, contemporary colour.

This map appeared in the last edition of the 'Speculum Orbis Terrae'. It was designed to compete with 

' now dominant atlas. Due most likely to Ortelius' efforts to suppress his rival, de Jode's work, it sold in relatively small numbers. However, it was nonetheless greatly admired.

De Jode’s New World Map on a Polar Projection

This highly decorative map was a sensation when it was released in 1594. It was the first time that a Dutch map had featured such elaborate illustrations. 

' extraordinary aesthetics were hugely popular and set the standard for most of the maps that followed from the Dutch Golden Age of 

.

The pictures surrounding this world map were inspired by images from Theodore de Bry, a German publisher. His popular ‘Big Voyages’ and ‘Small Voyages’ were accounts of European exploration in both the East and the West.

Shown here in beautiful original colour are allegorical figures of the landmasses known to Plancius. Europe, Africa, and Asia are depicted at the top of the map, and the New World is depicted at the bottom. The detailed illustrations feature flora, fauna, and people from each landmass. Between the two hemispheres of the map are finely rendered diagrams of the northern and southern constellations.

Plancius's World Map

Lambert Andreas (fl. 1590–1598) created this small map in minute detail. The engraving is incredibly fine, with myriad geographical features and a huge sea monster rampaging in the oceans. The map is derived from various earlier sources, particularly 

.

Andreas was a well-known publisher who helped to make Cologne one of the great map centres of Europe. The small size of atlases, lowering the cost, and increasing ease of publication enabled a significant increase among those members of the public able to acquire maps. 

Andreas Lambert's World Map

This exquisite portolan atlas was commissioned by the da Mosto family of Venice, descendants of the great explorer Alvise da Cadamosto (c. 1428–1483). Cadamosto was a Venetian trader who ‘discovered’ the Cape Verde Islands and described the Canary Islands as well as the Senegal- Gambia-Geba region. The artist of this atlas, Johannes Maria Vicus, was hitherto unknown; he has signed and dated the first chart. The volume comprises fourteen vellum leaves, containing seven portolan charts executed in colour and heightened with silver and gold. The maps have been mounted on nineteenth-century paper, and the binding is from the same period. 



 atlases are some of the rarest and most sought-after of all early cartographic works of art. Often produced as singular documents in manuscript form, portolan charts are fundamental witnesses to early maritime exploration. This atlas is especially rare, depicting the entire world rather than the typical focus on the Mediterranean and Western Europe.

The Cadamosto Codex

An extraordinary work, the so-called ‘Christian Knight Map’ is at the same time a piece of royal propaganda, an exceptional advance in mapmaking, and an exquisite example of copperplate engraving by the master Jodocus Hondius. This is the first map on 

's projection to be printed after the death of the projection’s inventor. Thus, it is an extremely important piece of cartography.

A dominant aspect of the map is its philosophical allegories: the Christian Knight and the King (who is not identified) fighting the Rulers of Darkness: Vanity, Sin, Carnal Weakness, the Devil and Death. This fantastical scene was inspired by a broadside illustration called 'The Christian Soldier's Spiritual Struggle', which was engraved by Hieronymous Wierix and published by 

 in 1580. John Milton is known to have owned an example of this map, inspiring him in his writing of ‘Paradise Lost’.

The 'Christian Knight Map'

' masterwork, the 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum', was one of the most influential publications produced in the Renaissance. As the first true atlas of its kind, the work had no precedent. Its comprehensive coverage of the world, the uniform excellence of its maps, the standardised style and format, the extensive use of the vernacular for marketing, its scholarly citations, and its massive classical appendix made it an immediate best seller with numerous editions reissued in the following decades. 

This 1603 Latin edition was published by Jean Baptista Vrints is one of the most complete issues of the atlas, including both the supplemental 'Parergon' and 'Nomenclator'. Collectively, these materials played a pivotal role in bridging classical conceptions of the world with the new revelations from European exploration. The importance that Ortelius felt for this task reverberates in the quote from Cicero at the bottom of the atlas’s grand world map, which may be loosely translated: 'How can human affairs be taken seriously by one who contemplates the great world and all eternity?'

Ortelius' 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum'

’s world map was first published separately in 1606 as a reduced version of his large world map of 1605. Its clarity, detail, and striking classical ornamentation make it one of the most influential world maps of the early seventeenth century. Blaeu would go on to found a family dynasty of Dutch cartographers and is widely regarded as the finest mapmaker of the Golden Age of Dutch cartography.

The world map is shown on the newly devised Mercator projection with the most up-to-date geographic information. It is embellished with elaborate border vignettes showing terrestrial and celestial cycles, allegorical representations of the four elements and the four seasons, mythological characters, and the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.

Blaeu's World Map

 was a mathematician from Nuremberg who published the first map on a gnomonic projection. An ancient technology used by Greek mariners as early as the sixth century BCE, this projection displays all great circles as straight lines, resulting in any straight-line segment showing a geodesic, the shortest route between the segment's two endpoints. 

Ritter's plates for maps were intended to be used as sundials, hence very few have survived. Based on the precise unique gnomonic projection for each location of the sundial, lines of bearing could be drawn with an extended piece of string. The map is surrounded by ten diagrams that show how to measure and record the passage of time.

Ritter's World Map

A 'curiously elaborate' map, this work was published in conjunction with 

’s final cartographic work ‘Discorso’. It is roughly based on Rosaccio’s previous world map prepared in 1598–1599, which was in turn derived from 

’s double hemisphere world map of 1595. The only map to accompany the work, it conveyed a variety of concepts centred on a double hemisphere projection, eight diagrams, and four vignettes in addition to the decorative and dedicatory elements.

It is the rich decorative borders which make this map so unique. Dominating the centre of the map is the medallion portrait of Cosimo II de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and ruler of Florence. In about 1610, Cosimo adopted a fashionable moustache and beard, necessitating Rosaccio to amend the copperplate accordingly; the addition of the moustache distinguishes the First and Second 

Rosaccio’s World Map

This is a very unusual double portolan chart of the Mediterranean by the celebrated cartographer 

. Linking the medieval and modern, Oliva adapts an honoured but, by then, obsolete tool, the Medieval portolan, to the realities of early-modern navigation. His map shows the features of a traditional portolan, with ample space for medieval bestiary and typified representations of places, but also a chart which records the relative positions of land masses more accurately than the traditionally-calculated angles. 

Oliva's 'Doppia' Portolan Chart of the Mediterranean

These exceptionally rare globe gores were prepared by 

I, sometime shortly after the discovery of the Le Maire Strait in 1618. These gores correspond to an approximately fifteen-centimetre terrestrial globe, no completed examples of which are known to exist. Furthermore, there is only one other known example of the gores, located in a Parisian institution. 

The gores are also one of the few contemporary pieces to relate Captain John Smith's (1580–1631) first mapping of Virginia, with its alleged giant inland Salt Lake. Smith discussed his survey in a letter to the explorer Henry Hudson who in turn showed this material to Hondius and allowed him to make copies of Smith's manuscript maps for his own works including this set of globe gores.

Globe Gores by Jodocus Hondius

This is a superb example of the exceptionally rare edition of 

's world map because it was separately issued from his most famous 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum' ('Theatre of the World', first published in 1570). Along with Gemma Frisius and 

, Ortelius is generally considered as one of the founders of the Netherlandish School of 

 and an important geographer of Spain during the age of European exploration. This map is the second edition of Ortelius’s world map, which was amended to incorporate new information about the Solomon Islands and Jacob Le Maire’s Strait.

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