Apian, Peter

Charta Cosmographica, cum ventorum propria natura et Operatione

      Peter Apian, Germany 1545 ONE OF THE FIRST MAPS TO REPRESENT AMERICA: PETER APIAN'S CHARTA COSMOGRAPHICA Wood-block engraving Paper size 8.5" x 12.5" During the sixteenth-century, the quest for geographical knowledge of the world was primarily spurred on by trade and, in turn, the great trading nations of Europe also became leaders in the printing of maps. Italy and Germany were at the forefront of both, the former through her various sea-ports and the latter because of her location connecting land routes to the east and south-east. Centers for Italian map-making developed in Venice and in Germany, Nuremberg, the Rhineland and Vienna were pre-eminent. Peter Apian, also known by his Latin name Petrus Apainus, was professor of mathematics in the latter of these German centers. He also held mathematic chairs at Ingolstadt and Innsbruck and was known as a great astronomer. These skills combined with his interest in geography led to the establishment of his own printing press in Landshut. Of great renown is Apian's textbook Cosmographicus Liber, which appeared for the first time in 1524. The fourth edition (1529) and later editions were edited by his pupil Gemma Frisius, who inserted his own world map in the 1545 publication. North America is depicted as a narrow stretch of land extending almost eastwards. Cuba and Hispaniola are shown as huge islands and the Mountains of the Moon considered the source of the River Nile. A 'truncated' cordiform projection is used which prevents the south polar regions being represented. The map is bordered by signs of the zodiac and the Ptolemaic climatic zones. Zeus and Mars, wearing the coats of arms of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, are shown atop the map while wind-heads at the south represent the traditional believed plague-bearing nature of those winds. The map is highly decorative but also an important milestone in the history of cartography as it is one of the earliest maps to show a representation of America, or the name itself.