Andreas Walsperger

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Map of Andreas Walsperger, around 1448

Andreas Walsperger (born ca. 1415 in Radkersburg; time of death unknown) was a German cartographer of the 15th century. The son of a carpenter, he became a monk at St. Peter's in Salzburg in 1434. He left the monastery in 1442. Little is known about him except that in 1448/9 [1] he created his map in Konstanz.


The map

The map of Andreas Walsperger is a Christian Mappa Mundi typical of the medieval style of cartography. It and the "Mappa mundi Ciziensis" from Zeitz are the only remaining representatives of the genre in Germany.

The size of the Pergament is 57,7 x 75 cm.

Ownership

The Fugger family possibly owned the map in the 16th century. In 1622, Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, gave it to Pope Gregory XV. The map is now in the Vatican Library Palatina (Lat. 1362 B).

References

  1. The Benedictine Andreas Walsperger (1448) made a map of the world in the medieval style. A world map of the Camaldolese Fra Mauro (1457) is the most celebrated of all monuments of medieval cartography. It was already enriched by data furnished in Ptolemy's work. A map of Germany was designed by Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa (1401-64), a pupil of Toscanelli (1397-1482), and was printed in 1491. This prelate was the teacher of Peuerbach (1432-61), who in turn was the master of Regiomontanus (1436-67), the most illustrious astronomer since Ptolemy.[1]

Literature

  • Paul Gallez: Walsperger and His Knowledge of the Patagonian Giants, 1448. In: Imago Mundi. The international journal for the history of cartography. Thaylor & Francis, London 1981 (Jg. 33), S. 91-93
  • Karl-Heinz Meine: Zur Weltkarte des Andreas Walsperger, Konstanz 1448. In: Wolfgang Scharfe u.a. (Hrsg.): Kartenhistorisches Colloquium Bayreuth '82. Vorträge und Berichte. Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin, 1983, ISBN 3-496-00692-7

External links