Portret van Sebastiaan Münster 1599

Hendrick Hondius I created this engraving of Sebastian Münster sometime between 1573 and 1650, the year of his death, likely for distribution as a print. The image provides insights into the cultural and intellectual circles of the 16th century. Münster was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and Hebrew scholar. His most famous work, the Cosmographia, was an incredibly influential description of the world. Hondius's portrait participates in the early modern culture of fame and celebrity. Note the way Münster is dressed – his garments indicate his status as a scholar and a man of the church. The Latin inscription below the image reinforces this impression, praising Münster for his piety and virtue. To truly understand this image, we might turn to sources such as Münster's own writings, contemporary accounts of his life, and studies of the printing and publishing industries of the period. The meaning of this artwork, like any other, is always contingent on its historical and institutional context.