Sumatra ein grosse Insel, so von den alten Geographen Taprobana, ist genennt worden. - extremely rare original antique hand-coloured woodcut engraved map of TAPROBANA / CEYLON / SRI LANKA island, published by Sebastian Münster in the German edition of Cosmographia, Basel, 1578. A double-page sheet from Münster’s Cosmographia (Cosmographey oder beschreibung aller Länder), one of the earliest map of Ceylon, based on Ptolemy description. Due to contemporary geographical confusion Ceylon / Taprobana identified also as Sumatra. On the left from the map is an exquisitely detailed image of an elephant. On the verso is an elaborately decorative allegorical cartouche with German text, also hand-coloured, as shown. The map is in exceptionally good and clean condition, with particularly attractive original hand-colouring throughout. The colours remain rich, bright, and highly appealing, more vivid in reality than shown in the photographs, particularly the reds, blues, and greens, with beautiful tonal gradation. It measures approximately 15 1/2 x 13 inches (39.5 x 33 cm) and will be dispatched rolled in a postal tube. A superb example of this extremely rare map of Taprobana / Ceylon from Sebastian Münster's Cosmographia, for collectors.

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