Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) - Cosmographia Universalis - Il Mausoleo di Alicarnasso - 1550

This original sheet is a precious Renaissance page taken from the 1550 Latin edition of Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia universalis, printed in Basel by the publisher Heinrich Petri, focusing on famous places of the ancient world. The front of the page, numbered 1143, opens with an analysis of the natural and subterranean causes of the devastating earthquakes (Causes of the earthquakes) that historically struck the great cities of the region such as Laodicea and Philadelphia. Immediately afterward, the text introduces one of the most celebrated descriptions of antiquity: the construction of the monumental Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Artemisia sepulchrum...), commissioned by Queen Artemisia in memory of her deceased husband Mausolus and listed among the seven wonders of the ancient world. The narrative describes the extraordinary sorrow of the queen, the grandeur of the structures standing twenty-five cubits tall, and the origin of the term itself “mausoleum” to denote monumental tombs. The visual composition of the front is magnificently enriched by an woodcut showing the Renaissance architectural reconstruction of the Mausoleum, characterized by an imposing colonnade and a stepped pyramidal structure. The lower part houses the geographical chapters dedicated to Lycia (Lycia, Cap. IX), famous for the mythical Mount Chimera (Chimera ignis), to Pamphylia (Pamphylia, Cap. X) and introduces the region of Lycaonia (Lycaonia, Cap. XI). Turning the page, the back, numbered 1144 (under the header De terris Asiae minoris), continues the detailed treatment of Lycaonia, recalling its main cities (including Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe) and the biblical passages related to the travels of Saint Paul and Saint Timothy. The text then moves to a dense and dramatic medieval chronicle centered on the Crusades, recounting the difficult expeditions of Emperors Frederick and the King of France Louis VII through these rugged lands, describing the betrayals suffered, the ambushes of the Turks (Grecorum infidelitas, Francorum virtus), and the marching of armies toward Antioch and Jerusalem. The lower section of the page closes with the chapter dedicated to Cilicia (Cilicia, Cap. XII), a harsh, mountainous region dominated by the Taurus range, historically famous for the narrow passes known as the Gates of Cilicia (Portae Ciliciae) traversed by Alexander the Great during his march to the East, and for the wealthy city of Tarsus (Tarsus), homeland of Saint Paul and the site of the famous epitaph of the Assyrian king Sardanapallus (Sardanapali epitaphium).

Dimensions 30 x 20 cm
It will be shipped by courier.