Typus Orbis A Ptol. Descriptus - Sebastian Münster, 1542. (World Map Wall Art)
This map gives you a 16th century view of the world the way the ancient geographer Ptolemy described it. Europe, Asia and North Africa sit in a curved shape in the middle, surrounded by a ring of clouds and small wind heads, all printed on warm parchment style paper. It has a calm, old-world look that fits well with bookshelves, dark wood and brass in a study or library.
About this map print
Typus Orbis A Ptol. Descriptus is Sebastian Münster’s Ptolemaic world map, printed in Basel for his Geographia Universalis and later reused in other editions during the 1540s. It is based on the 2nd century geography of Claudius Ptolemy and shows only the “Old World”: Europe, Asia and Africa. There is no America, and the far side of the globe is left off the page.
The Indian Ocean is drawn as a closed sea, a large island called Taprobana sits off the coast of India, and several lakes feed the headwaters of the Nile. All of these details are classic features of Ptolemaic world maps and also turn up in other early teaching maps from this tradition, like Gregor Reisch’s early 1500s world map and Münster’s later Ptolemaic World Map. A border of clouds with named wind heads runs around the map and keeps the focus on the “inhabited world” in the center, just as early printed atlases liked to show the ancient world.
Craft & finish
This antique world map print is made on hand processed paper, with subtle gold added by hand and a beeswax finish 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.
Find more prints like this in our Antique Maps collection.
Typus Orbis A Ptol. Descriptus (Sebastian Münster, 1542.) - Antique World Map
In case your print creases during the travel, as it usually does travel for some time, you can safely warm it up with a hair-dryer, and the wax will melt back right into it. You can also use a lighter, which is a much faster method, but be careful to keep the flame either above the paper or parallel to it (which means holding the paper vertically) so it doesn't smudge or even catch fire. The chance of the print actually creasing is very small, as they are rolled in bubble-wrap and shipped in a cardboard box. Also, be sure to keep the print out of the direct sunlight, as it can melt or fade.
Visit the link below to see more about how our replicas are made, how to display them, and repair the damage:
ttps://www.artifex-replicas.com/post/about-our-parchment-replicas
