Sebastian Munster. Map of Paris, c. 1550s.

Sebastian Münster (1488–1552)
Paris
From Cosmographia, Basel: c. 1550s
Woodcut on paper
[Sheet size: 12 1/2 x 15 3/4 in.]

This detailed woodcut view of Paris, published in the mid-16th century in Sebastian Münster’s seminal Cosmographia, presents one of the earliest printed urban panoramas of the French capital. Münster’s Cosmographia was among the first modern encyclopedias to blend scientific geography with rich illustration, and this depiction of Paris reflects both its rising importance in the European imagination and the era’s evolving urban consciousness. Rendered with a blend of artistic license and topographical intent, the view showcases prominent landmarks such as the Seine, Notre-Dame, and city fortifications, capturing the medieval city in a moment of transition toward Renaissance modernity.