A Ptolemaic map of the British Isles in rare original colour

MUNSTER, Sebastian.

Tabula Europae I.
Basle: Henri Petri, c.1545, Latin text edition. Original colour. Woodcut, image size 270 x 345mm.

Munster's map of the British Isles according to Ptolemy, with the distinctive eastern slant ot Scotland, within a trapezoid border. No towns are marked, but the positions of the major tribes are marked, with two text boxes listing all the tribes of Britain and Ireland. Scotland is orientated to the east, with much of the interior filled with the Caledonian Forest. To the north are the '30 islands' of the Orkneys and the island of Thule. On verso is a small text in a decorative woodblock border.

SHIRLEY: British Isles 1477-1650, 37.
Stock ID : 19761