The first printed map of Asia

An important early map, not only because it is the first printed map of Asia, but also because of the depiction of the Pacific North West of America, 'Terra incognita', also appearing on a printed map for the first time. It was published in 'Polyhistor Rerum totu Orbe', a 3rd century text by Solinus edited by Sebastian Münster, prompting speculation that Münster also provided this map. However the cartography differs considerably from the map in his 'Geographia' of two years later, for example retaining the curving 'dragon's tail' in the Far East seen on the Münster-Grenaeus world map of 1532 and omitting Marco Polo's depiction of Japan ('Zipangri'). The bottom of the sheet is filled with an elaborate vignette, showing two ships under attack, one by a triton, the other by a dog-faced sea-monster. This example is from the first edition of the map, with the signature 't4' lower right; the only other state, 1543, has no signature.