Europae Tabula - Sebastian Münster, 1540. (Antique Map In Color)
This map shows Europe turned “upside down.” South is at the top, so Italy, Spain and the Mediterranean sit along the upper edge, while the north is at the bottom of the map. The continent is drawn in strong black lines on warm parchment style paper, with place names scattered across the land. It has a very striking look and works well in a study or library next to books, dark wood and brass details.
 
About this map print
This print is based on Sebastian Münster’s famous Europe map, often known from its German title Europa das ein Drittheil der Erden, nach gelegenheit unsern zeiten. It first appeared around 1540. in his edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia, then in later editions of his Cosmographia, and is often described as one of the earliest overview maps of the European continent as a whole.
 
The map is a woodcut printed in Basel. Münster orients Europe with south at the top of the page, so Italy points upward and the Mediterranean runs across the upper part of the map. Northern Europe sits at the bottom, and Münster even explains in the text that the far north, especially Scandinavia, is not fully shown because its geography was still too uncertain.
 
You can see the main parts of 16th century Europe here in a compact way. The British Isles sit off to one side, the Holy Roman Empire fills much of the center, and the outline of the Balkans and eastern Europe bends around the lower edge. Borders and coastlines are not exact.
 
Later Europe maps, like Abraham Ortelius’s Europae or symbolic designs such as Europa Regina, show how this early continent view was reworked in different styles in the decades that followed. Seen next to those, Münster’s Europe keeps a bold, simple look that feels very different from later atlas engravings.
 
Craft & finish
This antique Europe map print is made on hand processed paper. We add subtle gold by hand and finish it with beeswax so it feels close to real parchment when you hold it. The surface catches the light softly, but colors can look a little different from screen to screen.
 
You can find more pieces like this in our Antique Maps collection.