Sea Horse three headed lizard Lobsters c.1552 Munster rare w/ early hand color Germany both easy to overlook

both easy to overlook

15 3/8" H x  20 3/4" W

Extracted from a rare late-17th century geography compendium which had this map (as well as a profusion of similarly appealing world-wide maps & views) prepared specifically for it

XVII Procinciae Belgii sive Germaniae Inferioris Priscis Temporib

Sea Horse three headed lizard Lobsters c.1552 Munster rare w/ early hand color Germany both easy to overlookLiber V deTerris Asiae Maioris (Cosmographia Universalis Asia Hippopotamus Sea Horse Donkey) Issued circa 1552 58, Basel, Switzerland by Sebastian Munster Latin text edition [4 diff. printings during the 1550's for the Latin text edition, but most certainly 1550's]. Quite remarkable and fascinating for what is certainly among the very earliest depictions of a hippopotamus to appear in Western culture. What is even further remarkable is how it's shown