Cyprus Insula

Antique woodcut map of Cyprus. Printed in Paris by Nicolas Chesneau, Michel Sonnius in 1575.

Reference 11313

Description

A very scarce early woodcut map of Cypus. The double-folio map a based on Camoccio's map of 1566 via the Ortelius version of 1570. Below and verso description of Cyprus. Ruled in brown ink.

The map comes from the French edition of the Cosmographia Universalis of Sebastian Münster. The famous work, titled La Cosmographie Universelle de tout le monde, was published 1575 in two volumes in Paris by Nicolas Chesneau and Michel Sonnius with French text by Francois de Belleforest. Most of woodcut maps and drawings of Münster's work were discarded and new woodblock were made, mostly based on Ortelius and Braun & Hogenberg.

Details

Cartographer	Francois de Belleforest
Title	Cyprus Insula
Publisher, Year	Nicolas Chesneau, Michel Sonnius, Paris, 1575
Plate Size	18.6 x 42.3 cm (7.3 x 16.7 inches)
Sheet Size	36.5 x 44.7 cm (14.4 x 17.6 inches)
Reference	Stylianou, A. & J.: The History of the Cartography of Cyprus, No. 76 (fig. 79, 79a); Zacharakis, C. G.: A Catalogue of Printed Maps of Greece 1477-1800, No. 267; Bank of Cyprus C-143; Skoutari (ed): Sweet Land of Cyprus, No. 33.

Condition

A very clean and well preserved copy. Very good condition.

Cartographer

François de Belleforest was a French writer, translator and poet during the Renaissance. In 1568 he became historian of King Henry III, but had to give up soon because of inaccuracies. He worked as a writer and translator and transferred the Cosmography of Sebastian Munster into French. La Cosmographie universelle de tout le monde was published 1575 in Paris and was created in collaboration with the two Parisian publishers Nicolas Chesneau and Michel Sonnius. He has not used Sebastian Munster as sole source, several maps and views are based on Ortelius and Braun / Hogenberg, but also own work and unknown sources are found in the important work.

The picture shows the bust of Belleforest in Samatan (Gers, France). Source: Wikipedia, BastienM.

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Francois de Belleforest: Cyprus Insula.

Antique woodcut map of Cyprus. Printed in Paris by Nicolas Chesneau, Michel Sonnius in 1575.

Cyprus - Belleforest, Francois de - Cyprus Insula