Cartouche in a Mediterranean Map by Kircher

This engraving features a central oval frame containing Latin text, surrounded by elaborate baroque auricular-style scrollwork. Atop the frame sit two winged cherubs (putti), one of whom points toward the inscription. The text indicates that the map explains the currents and natural motions of the Mediterranean waters.

This cartouche appears in Athanasius Kircher’s 'Mundus Subterraneus' (1665), a landmark work of early modern natural philosophy that attempted to map the hidden geological and hydrological systems of the Earth. Kircher’s theories on ocean currents were part of a broader macrocosm-microcosm analogy, where he believed the Earth's water systems mirrored the circulatory system of a living body.