Clover Leaf Map – Heinrich Bünting – 16/17 Century – Hand-Colored Engraving

Clover Leaf Map – Heinrich Bünting – 16/17 Century – Hand-Colored Engraving
Die ganze Welt in einem Kleberblat, Welches ist der Stadt Hannover meines lieben Vaterlandes Wapen [The Whole World in a Clover Leaf, which is the Coat Of Arms of my Beloved Hometown of Hannover], hand-colored engraving. [Germany, late 16th century or 17th century].
A figurative map depicting the world in the form of a clover leaf. The three parts of the clover leaf represent the three continents of the Old World – Asia, Europe and Africa; a part of the New World – America – is seen in the bottom corner of the map. At the center of the trefoil, and therefore in the center of the world, is Jerusalem.
The map was first published in the book "Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae" (Travel Book through Holy Scripture; 1581) by German cartographer Heinrich Bünting, and soon became one of the most recognized and beloved images of Jerusalem. America, whose discovery led to a transformation in cartographic representations of the world, is depicted in this map in the bottom corner, as a minor addition to the Old World.
The clover leaf design is a tribute to Bunting's hometown Hanover, the arms of which show a trefoil, as indicated in the title of the map.
In Jerusalem itself, the map became most popular when the new city started growing, partly due to the Universitas bookshop, which sold color reproductions of the map as souvenirs. In 2009, a large model of the map by artist Arman Darian was placed at the entrance to the City Hall of Jerusalem.
Engraved map: approx. 25.5X35.5 cm, in an approx. 58.5X69 cm double sided frame (showing both sides of the map). Good condition. Minor blemishes. Unexamined out of frame.