World--[Schedel, Hartmann.

Shirley, Mapping of the World 19

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This attractive woodcut map is one of the last great pre-Columbian views of the world.

The Liber cronicarum, colloquially referred to as the Nuremberg Chronicle, was one of the most ambitious books published before 1501, the "incunable period", and is renowned for the large number of images it contains, many worked on by a young Albrecht Dürer, one of the greatest of the early print- and map makers and engravers.

This is a traditional Ptolemaic map of the world - the world as known to the Alexandrian scholar Claudius Ptolemaeus circa 150 AD - but set apart from others of the type by the accompanying illustrations, including portraits of the three sons of Noah supporting the world, which they were to divide among themselves, and which their progeny were to re-populate, after the devastation of the Flood. To the side, and continued on the reverse, are vignette drawings of all manner of fantastic and fabulous creatures taken from classical and medieval texts and travellers' accounts, and born from the superstition of those times.

Visually, this is one of the most striking world maps of the period, but perhaps its real importance lies in the date it was published - while Christopher Columbus was at sea. If any map captures the period, this extraordinary map epitomises the final and definitive view of the medieval and early modern world as it was understood before Columbus' voyage, and marks the end of one period of human history, and the opening of new one, after which the European view of the world would never be the same again.