Description: Heinrich Bunting, 1588 Sweden
Caption: This fanciful map of the Old World was drawn to represent the Trinity. The three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa are arranged in the form of a clover leaf with Jerusalem at the center. Three landmasses lie outside the trefoil: England and part of Scandinavia above, and in the lower left corner a portion of the New World (Die Newe Welt) appears. The woodblock map is beautifully engraved with waves in the oceans that are filled with a sailing ship and sea monsters. Heinrich Bunting was a theological commentator from Hanover and devised the curious shape of the map from the arms of his home town. The typesetting was inset separately into the wood blocks, resulting in variations between different editions. This example is from a rare Swedish edition published by Gutterwitz circa 1588, with Swedish text on verso. Ref: Shirley #142; Manasek #32; Laor p.129; Nebenzahl (HL) pp. 88-89; Tooley (MCC-1) #88; Hoppen #130. 14.3 x 10.4 inches