MAPAMUNDI – Der Katalanische Weltatlas vom Jahre 1375

Limited facsimile edition of the legendary Catalan Atlas | Urs Graf Verlag, Zurich, 1977

An exceptional bibliophilic and collectible work representing one of the most important cartographic artifacts of the Middle Ages – the famous Catalan Atlas of 1375, created in the workshop of the Majorcan cartographer Abraham Cresques. This atlas is considered one of the most iconic map works of European civilization and represents the pinnacle of medieval geographical imagination, navigation, and knowledge of the world.

The publication “Mapamundi. Der katalanische Weltatlas vom Jahre 1375”, edited and annotated by Georges Grosjean, was published by Urs Graf Verlag (Dietikon – Zurich) in 1977 as a luxurious facsimile edition of the original preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. It is a monumental folio of highly representative craftsmanship, issued in a strictly limited edition of only 830 numbered copies, which significantly enhances its collector’s value.

The work contains richly reproduced colored and gilt map sheets mounted on 6 loosely inserted double-page plates, depicting the known world of the time from the Atlantic Ocean to China. Despite its title, this is not an atlas in the modern sense, but rather a monumental medieval world map – a mappamundi – combining geography, astronomy, trade routes, political power, and the symbolic understanding of the world. The edition also includes an expert commentary and historical apparatus of approximately 95 pages.

This particular example is especially attractive for its physical presentation: large-format dimensions of approximately 68.5 × 28.5 × 4.5 cm, a weight of around 4–5 kg, and the original distinguished binding make it a true cabinet piece suitable for an important library, a collector’s study, or an investment collection. Included are also 6 separate large-format prints intended for framing (approx. 68.5 × 57 cm), which have never been used.

This is an exceptionally representative specimen for connoisseurs of antique maps, the history of cartography, medieval culture, and luxurious bibliophile editions — an object that transcends the concept of a book and becomes a true cultural artifact.

A rare collector’s piece with outstanding historical, aesthetic, and investment value.