"Secunda Etas Mundi", Schedel, Hartmann

This striking and important map of the world is the last map to appear before the dissemination of Columbus' discoveries in the New World. Printed a mere forty years after the invention of printing, it is one of the earliest world maps available to the collector. Noah's three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japhet, hold the map up to view and the wide border includes the twelve winds with their Latin and Greek names. The map is in the typical Ptolemaic form with the Indian Ocean completely enclosed by land and a huge Toprobana (Ceylon). The source of the map was apparently the frontispiece of Pomponius Mela's Cosmographia (1488). On verso is a panel of seven fantastic humanoid creatures reflecting the fertile imaginations of the Chronicle artists about the inhabitants of the remotest parts of the world. Some of these creatures are based on classical writings, while others were born of medieval traveler's tales, and include a dog-headed man, a hermaphrodite, Cyclops, and a man with his feet on backwards. This example has been trimmed at left, removing an additional panel of monstrosities, with professional restorations. Even without the panel, this is a nice example that would be a great addition to any map collection.

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Condition: B

The map has been expertly restored with paper replaced along the bottom centerfold (affecting only the map border), the left margin has been extended, and a 2.7" tear at lower right has been repaired.