Schulte Collection 2026_1_ens

no. 200

Tabula Moderna Prussie Livonie Norvegie et Gotie

1507

Lienhart Holle/Nicolaus Germanus/Claudius Ptolemy

 

Picture will be here soon.

 

This map of the northern regions is especially significant as the first copperplate map of Scandinavia. It is based on the earlier woodcut map from the Ulm editions of Ptolemy’s Geographia of 1482/86, but appears here in a slightly revised form.

The map comes from the rare 1507/08 Rome edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia, the final Rome edition, in which six “modern” maps were added. It was printed on two sheets, later joined, and survives in excellent condition for a work produced more than 500 years ago.

The map shows Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, the Baltic region, Ireland, northern Britain and northern Germany. It includes early references to the Arctic Sea as Mare Congelatum and the Arctic Circle as Circulus Articus, although the latter is placed too far south.

One of the map’s most striking features is the land bridge connecting Greenland, named Evgrovelant, with Lapland. Iceland appears in the upper left corner as an oval island surrounded by smaller islands. Unusually for such an early map, seven Icelandic place-names are included, among them Holesis, probably referring to Hólar, the episcopal see.

The map combines classical geography, medieval tradition and emerging Renaissance knowledge. Its mixture of accurate observations, inherited errors and imagined northern lands makes it an important witness to how Iceland and the North were understood in European cartography at the beginning of the 16th century.

 

no. 25

Islanda

1528

Benedetto Bordone (1460 – 1539)

 

The best-known work of the Venetian cartographer Benedetto Bordone (1460–1539) is a book on the islands of the world, first published in 1528. It marks a milestone in the cartographic history of Iceland, as it contains the first printed map devoted specifically to Iceland to appear in a book.

 

no. 184

Tab Nova Norbegia et Gottia

1535

Lorenz Fries (c 1490 – 1531)

 

Lorenz Fries’ map is one of the earliest printed maps to focus on northern Europe, including Iceland and Greenland. First published in Strasbourg in 1522, it was based on Martin Waldseemüller’s map of 1513, itself derived from the Ptolemaic tradition. This example comes from the 1535 Lyon edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia.

The map shows Scandinavia, the Baltic region, northern Germany, Scotland, parts of England, the Faroe Islands, Orkney, Shetland, Iceland and Greenland. Iceland, named Islandia, appears in the far upper left, incorrectly placed north of the Arctic Circle. It is drawn as a long, narrow island with a few unclear place-names.

Greenland, named Engronelant, is shown close to Scandinavia and partly connected to the European landmass. Between Iceland and Greenland lies the frozen sea, Mare Congelatum. The map reflects a mixture of inherited classical geography, medieval ideas and emerging Renaissance knowledge of the North.

 

no. 186

Schonlandia XIII Nova Tabula

1540

Sebastian Münster (1488 – 1552)

 

This is one of the earliest obtainable printed maps of Scandinavia, published only in Sebastian Münster’s Geographia of 1540 and 1542. It is therefore extremely rare. In 1545 it was replaced by a new map based on Olaus Magnus’ Carta Marina.

The map is based on Jacob Ziegler’s 1532 map, but extends farther north to include the Arctic Ocean. It mainly shows Scandinavia, with parts of Russia, the Baltic region, northern Germany, eastern England and Scotland, as well as Orkney, Shetland and the Faroe Islands. The map also includes illustrations of northern peoples, animals, tents and natural features.

Of particular interest are Greenland and Iceland. Greenland is connected by a land bridge to Lapland, while Iceland appears in a north–south orientation and is named both Thyle and ISland. Only four Icelandic place-names are shown. The bishoprics of Skálholt and Hólar are marked with church symbols, but Hekla is absent.

 

no. 187

Septentrionales Regiones

1542

Sebastian Münster (1488 – 1552)

 

 

no. 70

Septentrionales Regiones

1548

Sebastian Münster (1488 – 1552)

Giacomo Gastaldi (1500-1566) is considered the foremost Italian cartographer of the sixteenth century. He was one of the leading scholars of the Venetian Republic and an important source of information for other cartographers.

Gastaldi published the first pocket-sized collection of maps and the first atlas to include maps of America, which was then "newly discovered." He revolutionized mapmaking by using copper plates instead of wood, which made the maps more delicate and allowed for more details to be included.

Notice that there is a land bridge between Greenland and Scandinavia, just like the one on the Zeno map.

 

no. 155

Untitiled

1554

Johannes Magnus (1488 – 1544) & Olaus Magnus (1490 – 1557) 

 

 

 

This very rare map first appeared in Johannes Magnus’ Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus, published posthumously in 1554 by his brother Olaus Magnus. The work, richly illustrated with woodcuts, was the source of the map.

Only a few printed maps of Scandinavia predate it, including those by Waldseemüller, Fries, Ziegler and Gastaldi. In 1555, Olaus Magnus republished the work under the title Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus and issued a revised version of the map. Later editions introduced further changes.

The map shows Scandinavia, the Baltic region and neighbouring lands, including parts of England and Scotland. It is decorated with a compass rose, sea monsters, rowing boats and sailing vessels. Iceland is placed too close to Norway and shown with an incorrect orientation.

The information on Iceland is limited. The island is named Isladia, a spelling later corrected in Olaus Magnus’ editions. Only a few buildings, probably representing the bishoprics of Skálholt and Hólar and other settlements, are shown, together with four volcanoes.

 

 

no. 150

1558

Carta Da Navegar De Nicolo et Antonio Zeni Furono In Tramontana Lano MCCCLXXX

Nicolo Zeno (1326 – 1402) and Antonio Zeno (d.c. 1403)

 

Nicolo Zeno (1326-1402) and his brother Antonio (1330-1405) were explorers from Venice, belonging to a prominent family that held exclusive rights to sea transportation to the Holy Land during the Crusades. Nicolo Zeno the Younger (1515-1565), a chronicler of Venice, wrote a book about the brothers' exploratory journeys to northern regions, reaching America before Columbus.

Their journey was quite extraordinary. The expedition led them to the shores of Frislandia, reportedly off the coast of the British Isles, where Prince Zichmni rescued them. For 14 years, the brothers wandered with the prince, engaging in battles with his enemies, which took them through various islands in the North Atlantic, all the way to Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland.

The book about the adventures of the Zeno brothers included a map that influenced cartography of Iceland for decades. Doubts about the reliability of the narrative grew over time, with many considering it pure fiction. However, it wasn't until 1898 that a book by Frederick W. Lucas was published in Britain, arguing that the story and map were outright forgeries.

The depiction of Iceland is most likely based on Olaus Magnus's 1539 map. The map also features mysterious islands, including Frisland, which appear on later maps.

 

 

Picture will be here soon 

 

This woodcut page comes from the 1560 German edition of Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia, published by Heinrich Petri in Basel. The map appears in the upper part of the page, accompanied below by decorative elements and a German description of the regions shown.

 

The map shows Scandinavia, the Baltic region, eastern Scotland, Shetland, the Faroe Islands and part of Iceland. Compared with other versions, the image area is smaller and less detailed, with only major cities marked. The landscape is characterized by rope-like mountains and broad rivers.

 

Iceland, named Ißland, is only partly shown, with its western section omitted. No Icelandic place-names or symbols are included. The reverse side contains a German description of the northern lands, illustrated with figures of a fisherman and a woman in festive dress.

 

no. 75

1561

Septentrionalium Partium Nova Tabula

Ruscelli 1561

 

The map above is by Girolamo Ruscelli (1504-1566). What makes this map unique is that it consists of two different maps engraved on the same plate. Typically, the maps are cut apart after printing and bound separately in the atlas.

Ruscelli's map is based on Zeno's map with some modifications. Can you spot the differences?

 

no. 178

1562

Schonladia Nuova

Girolamo Ruscelli (1504 – 1566)

 

This scarce first state of Ruscelli’s map is one of the earliest obtainable printed maps of Scandinavia. It was based on Gastaldi’s much rarer miniature map of 1548 and published in Ptolemy’s Geography.

The map shows Scandinavia, the Baltic region, western Russia, Poland, northern Germany, Ireland, Scotland, northern England, Iceland and Greenland. The frozen northern sea is marked as Mare Congelatum. Norway and Greenland are separated by a narrow strait but appear almost connected by a land bridge.

Iceland is shown in a highly distorted form and named Thyle, referring to the legendary island of Thule. Only two Icelandic place-names are included: Skalholten and Holen, representing the bishoprics of Skálholt and Hólar. Ruscelli corrected some errors from Gastaldi’s map, but the name Islandia is missing entirely.

 

 72 hér

 

 

 

28. Poracchi & Porro 1572

Tomaso Poracchi (1530-1576) was a geographer and historian from Venice, like Girolamo Porro (c.1529-c.1604), who was a master engraver in both copper and wood. The map was published in their book "Islands of the World," which included diverse information about the islands and their inhabitants.

 

27. Camocio  1575

Giovanni Francesco Camocio (1501-1575) was both a publisher and master engraver from Venice. Typically, he published his maps individually, however customers could order specific maps to be bound together into an atlas. This extremely rare map is likely from a volume of island maps published without a title between 1566 and 1574.

 

29. Henricpetri 1576

 Sebastian Henricpetri was a Swiss publisher who notably released works by the Roman geographer Pomponius Mela (unknown - 45 AD). One such work, Description of the World, published in the year 43, was an important reference for geographical knowledge until the Age of Discovery.

At the time this map was created, Iceland was unknown. The name Thule likely originated from the works of the geographer Pytheas (359-289 BC) from Marseille.

 

3. Ortelius 1572

The Flemish-Dutch Abraham Ortelius, considered the godfather of the Dutch Golden Age of cartography, is he the author of this map?

In the bottom right corner, there is a dedication to Frederick II, King of Denmark and Iceland, and the Danish historian Andreas Velleius, who likely provided the map to Ortelius. However, much evidence suggests that an Icelander was involved in creating the map, most likely Guðbrandur Þorláksson, Bishop of Hólar and scholar (1541-1627).

Several clues support this hypothesis. The outline of Iceland is relatively accurate despite some distortions, and the number of placenames and their precise locations indicate local knowledge, especially in the highlands, which are not found on older or newer maps.

“This map was somewhat expensive for a newlywed couple, but we had to have it and negotiated with the seller to pay for it in six installments.”

 

77. Quad  1592

Matthias Quad von Kinckelbach (1567-1613) was a German engraver and author of historical and geographical works. In two of these works, there is a map of Iceland, which is a reduced version of Ortelius's map from 1585.

Typically, in the cartouche there is an image or dedication to the person who commissioned or sponsored the work. On a similar map, No. 62, which is in the map collection, there is an image of Christian IV, King of Denmark. Why, then, is the decorative cartouche empty on this map? Was this piece used to sell the work to the king, with the intention of adding his image later, or that of another purchaser? Or has the king's image been removed from the map?

In either case, the absence of the king makes this map extremely rare.

 

56. Ortelius 1570

Abraham Ortelius is considered the father of the Dutch Golden Age of cartography. This map was the standard map of the North Atlantic for a long time and was printed from the same copperplate until 1641. It shows Scandinavia in detail and clearly summarizes the knowledge of 16th-century geographers: Jakob Ziegler (1470-1549), Nicolo Zeno (1515-1565), Olaus Magnus (1490-1557), and Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594). The outline of Iceland is derived from Olaus Magnus, and the country is referred to as both Islant and Thule.

Notice which glacier is included on the map.

 

72. & 68. Olaus Magnus 1565 / 1567

 

 Olaus Magnus (1490-1557) was a Swedish geographer, cartographer, and Catholic priest. One of his priestly duties was selling indulgences, which took him around the Nordic countries, though not to Iceland. During the Reformation, Magnus fled to Rome with his brother, who was an archbishop. There, they utilized their local knowledge to create a geography book and maps of the Nordic regions, published in Venice in 1539. Their most famous map, Carta Marina, is unusually large, measuring 170 x 125 cm and consisting of 9 parts.

In 1555, Olaus Magnus, then Archbishop of Uppsala residing in Rome, published his work "Description of the Northern Peoples," intended as a commentary book for the "Carta Marina." It describes the nature and life of people in the Nordic countries, dark winters, violent currents, and sea monsters. The book garnered significant interest throughout Europe and became a foundational work for later cartographers. It was translated into German (1567), English (1658), and Dutch (1665), but not into Swedish until 1909.

Olaus Magnus never returned to Sweden and is buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

107. Klockhoff 1779

Little is known about Hendrik Klockhoff, who was nevertheless very prolific and worked for numerous Dutch cartography companies. His works are significant in the history of maps; for example, he created one of the first maps to show the newly established United States and their flag in 1785.

 

137. Münster 1550

Sebastian Münster (1488–1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and professor of Hebrew. He published his first map in 1525, which was of Germany. His book Cosmographia (1544) was the most popular book of its time and contained 24 maps.

 The map is carved in wood and features sea monsters, ships, and mythical islands, which are described in detail in the text. Notice the medieval towns and the robed man, which reflect Münster's society rather than Iceland's.

 

151. Ortelius 1598

 

One of the most famous cartographers in history is the Flemish/Dutch Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) is often considered the father of the Dutch golden age of cartography.

In 1570, Ortelius published Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), a milestone in cartography being the first atlas. It contained 53 maps based on the best available knowledge at the time.

This achievement did not go unnoticed by the most powerful monarch of the time, King Philip II of Spain, who appointed Ortelius as his cartographer.

This map is from the Italian edition of Ortelius's small atlas Epitome Theatri Orteliani, first published in 1585 as a "pocket edition" of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.