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. He was the son of a carpenter, who in 1434 became a monk in St. Peter in Salzburg. He left the monastery in 1442. Little is known about him except that in 1448/9 ^[1] he created his map in Konstanz.

1 The map
2 Ownership
3 References
4 Literatur
5 External links

[edit] The map

The map of Andreas Walsperger is a Christian Mappa Mundi in typical style of medieval cartography. Along with the "Mappa mundi Ciziensis" from Zeitz it is the only remaining one of its kind in Germany.

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

[edit] Ownership

Possible owners of the map were in the 16th century the Fugger family. 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).

[edit] References

^ 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]

[edit] Literatur

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