Bilder Sebastian Münster – Map of La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime – Woodcut from Cosmographia – 1578 Edition

Beskrivning

This original 16th-century woodcut offers a stylized panoramic view of La Rochelle, a historic port city on the Atlantic coast of France in the Charente-Maritime department. Depicted with medieval walls, fortified towers, ships in harbor, and dense rooftops clustered within the city's ramparts, the view emphasizes La Rochelle’s maritime importance and strategic role during the Renaissance. The layout reflects Münster’s distinctive bird’s-eye perspective, combining artistic imagination with geographic orientation.

Published in the 1578 edition of Cosmographia, Sebastian Münster’s landmark geographic encyclopedia, this view was part of a broader European effort to document cities, regions, and peoples during the age of exploration and Reformation. Münster’s Cosmographia remained one of the most popular and widely circulated books of the 16th century.

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a German cartographer, theologian, and humanist scholar whose combination of maps, city views, and descriptive text helped shape Renaissance Europe’s understanding of its own geography. His city woodcuts are among the earliest printed images of many towns and remain highly valued historical documents.

Artist or Maker: Sebastian Münster

Dimensions: Approx. 30 × 40 cm

Medium: Woodcut on Laid Paper

Date: 1578 (from Cosmographia)

Condition Report:
This work is in good condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections or fox or mottled marks to be expected with age. Please review the images carefully for condition details, and feel free to contact us with any questions or for a comprehensive condition report.