[ANONYMOUS].

[Untitled world map from 'Mer des Hystoires'].

      Paris, [c.1491 but issued in 'Mer des Hystoires' 1517-1550] Circular woodcut map, strong impression. Dimensions: (Map) 300mm (12 inches) diameter; (sheet) 330 by 390mm. (13 by 15.25 inches). Scarce. A reduced version of the world map from 'Rudimentum Novitorum'; the monumental encyclopaedia of world history containing the first printed maps. The work was translated into French under the title 'Mer des Hystoires' and two separate blocks can be identified for these French translations; the first in Paris in 1488, and the second in Lyons in 1491. The version printed in Lyon is clearer and includes several corrections to the earlier works: 'Whereas the earlier 'La Mer des Hystoires' map of 1488 remained close to the 'Rudimentum Novitorum' prototype, this second (and reduced) derivation of 1491 betrays the work of a thinking individual' (Campbell). The map derives from Christianised medival traditions without any reference to Ptolemaic or Porolan sources. The map is orientated with East at the top and Jerusalem at its centre. The Pope is shown in the wall city of Rome. Asian and African countries are noted by hills surrounded by water. The extent of the known world reaches to Taprobana, Ethiopia, Tatary and the 'Sea of the Amazons'. The Pillar's of Hercules are shown at the bottom of the map. In lieu of Adam & Eve, two priestly figures are shown in a garden at the top of the map. The outline of Europe and the Mediterranean, along with the names of several countries, appears in a rough outline. Shirley 17; Campbell pp.148-149.