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.
To learn more about the history of these pieces and how we craft them in our family workshop, feel free to read our full guide to antique map prints.
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.
If you are curious about the history behind this piece, we put together a short background on this map for you to read.
Craft & finish
Every replica we make is individually hand-processed in our family workshop. We finish the paper with a traditional beeswax seal to give it a warm, heavy texture. Our team also adds subtle gold paint details by hand to help the artwork truly shine. To complete the look, we hand-burn the edges to give each piece the feel of a true historical artifact.
While our smaller sizes are perfect for gallery walls, our 43x61 cm Large replica is a museum-scale centerpiece. Because of the size, the hand-processing and beeswax application take much longer. This extra time and care ensures that every centimeter of the historic illustration is preserved with a rich, authentic glow.
Find more prints like this in our Antique Maps collection.
Typus Orbis A Ptol. Descriptus (Sebastian Münster, 1542.) - Antique World Map
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At Artifex Historical Replicas, we bridge the gap between museum archives and your home. Each piece is a handcrafted historical art print recreated from authentic primary sources, including antique city views and botanical illustrations.
Hand-Processed Paper: We use specialized paper with burned edges and a beeswax finish to replicate the weight and feel of genuine old parchment.
Gilded Details: Our workshop adds subtle real gold accents, bringing the same glow to your walls found in 16th-century illuminated manuscripts.
Custom Sizes & Worldwide Shipping: We offer bespoke sizing for custom frames and ship our historical replicas globally from our family workshop.
Explore our full guide on how we create, display, and restore parchment-style replicas.
