Typus Orbis Terrarum

Double hemisphere world map with large vignettes of allegorical figures of the continents on the corners.

Monath’s double hemisphere map bears geographical similarities to maps by both Homann and Seutter, the leading participants of the 18th century German School. Much of the geography is very outdated for the period, particularly the portrayal of the island of California, the shape of the enormous Kamchatka Peninsula in the north Pacific and the exaggerated western bulge of Africa. The resurgence of the mythical Great Southern Land, here named as “Terra Antarctica”, is also reminiscent of earlier maps.

Aesthetically, the map is a conscious attempt to hark back at the artistic endeavors of the Dutch Golden Age, with large vignettes of female figures allegorizing the four continents with landscape panoramas in the background. Original colour. [WLD4831]