Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) - Cosmographia Universalis - Mandorlo / Seltz, Landau e della Città di Spira - 1550

This original sheet is a precious Renaissance page taken from the 1550 Latin edition of Sebastian Münster's Cosmography Universalis, printed in Basel by the publisher Heinrich Petri, and focused on the lands of the Rhenish Germany. The front of the page, numbered 577 in Liber III, opens by describing the locality of Seltz (Saletio, common name Seltz, Cap. CLIII), recalling the foundation of its Benedictine abbey in 968 by Adelheid of Burgundy and alluding to the collection of gold along the course of the Rhine. The text continues with the chapter on Bergzabern (Taberna Montana, Cap. CLIIII), recounting its Roman origins and the feudal geopolitical disputes of the fifteenth century, before introducing the discussion of the rich and industrious city of Landau (Landoia, Cap. CLV), described as a center protected by mighty fortifications and towers, whose rise to imperial city, fertile agriculture of the surrounding area, and devastations suffered during the recent German wars of the sixteenth century are narrated. Turning the page, the reverse, numbered 578, is entirely dominated by the chapter dedicated to the monumental historic city of Spira (Nemetes common name Spira, Cap. CLVI). The historiographical text deepens the urban and toponymic evolution of the city from the Roman era, when it was known as Nemetum, describing the devotion of its ancient pagan temples to Mercury and Diana. The visual composition of the back is enriched by a woodcut illustrating the heraldic shield of the Diocese of Spira, bearing the Madonna with Child set within a solemn seal. The narrative continues by detailing the origins of the prestigious local episcopate (Episcopatus spirensis) and the majestic construction of the Cathedral of Spira, begun under the reign of Pepin the Short and completed by Emperor Conrad II the Salic, together with his successors of the Salian dynasty, and ending with the chronicles relating to the monastery of Sintzen and the feudal territories of the Palatinate.

Dimensions 30 x 20 cm
Will be shipped by courier.