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1588 Sebastian Munster Map of Sumatra and Malay (Malaysia)
TabrobanaSumatraMalay-munster-1588
Title
1588 (undated) 13 x 15 in (33.02 x 38.1 cm) 1 : 6000000
Description
This map is an update of an early map by Munster issued in 1550. There was a great deal of confusion in 16th century Europe with regard to the island of Tapobrana. While Tapobrana is most commonly associated with Ceylon (Sri Lanka), from the 15th century onward it was also identified with Sumatra. The earliest editions of Munster's Cosmographia featured a similar map that resembled Ceylon in form, but was positioned relative to the Malay Peninsula and the Equator where Sumatra actually rests. He updated the map in this, its second edition, to more accurately portray Sumatra both inform and content.
This map was drawn by Sebastian Henric Petri, Munster's step-grandson. It seems that Sumatra was surprisingly well known at the time with numerous locations correctly identified. Malay is far more vauge, though the cartograph does successfully name Queda (Kedah), Pera (Perak), Malacca, Muhar (Muar), Paam (Pahang), and Calanton (Kelantan).
An elephant and mahout appears in the lower left quadrant. The upper right quadrant includes a quotation from Pliny. Issued in the 1588 edition of Sebastian Munster's Cosmographia.
Cartographer
Sebastian Münster (January 20, 1488 - May 26 1552), was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and a Hebrew scholar. Münster was born at Ingelheim near Mainz, the son of Andreas Munster. He completed his studies at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in 1518, after which he was appointed to the University of Basel in 1527. As Professor of Hebrew, he edited the Hebrew Bible, accompanied by a Latin translation. His principal work, the Cosmographia, first issued in 1544, was the earliest German description of the world. The book proved popular and was reissued in numerous editions and languages including Latin, French, Italian, English, and Czech. The last German edition was published in 1628, long after his death. The Cosmographia was one of the most successful and popular books of the 16th century. It passed through 24 editions in 100 years. This success was due to the fascinating woodcuts (some by Hans Holbein the Younger, Urs Graf, Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch, and David Kandel). Munster's work was highly influential in reviving classical geography in 16th century Europe. In 1540 he published a Latin edition of Ptolemy's Geographia, also with illustrations. The 1550 edition contains cities, portraits, and costumes. These editions, printed in Germany, are the most valued of the Cosmographia. Münster also wrote the Dictionarium trilingue in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and composed a large format map of Europe in 1536. In 1537 he published a Hebrew Gospel of Matthew which he had obtained from Spanish Jews he had converted. Most of Munster's work was published by his son-in-Law, Heinrich Petri (Henricus Petrus), and his son Sebastian Henric Petri. He died at Basel of the plague in 1552.