This illustration features a dense, antique-style map depicting a chaotic scene of mythical marine life and terrestrial animals. The image is divided into two distinct horizontal registers: a narrow strip across the top showing a terrestrial landscape with various woodland creatures and a hunter, and a much larger lower section representing a turbulent sea teeming with fantastic, monstrous sea creatures and sailing vessels.
The sea is depicted with rhythmic, wavy lines representing water, providing a backdrop for numerous strange beings. A massive, lizard-like sea monster with a jagged spine and tail spans the bottom foreground. Other creatures include giant red lobsters, spiny armored fish, swimming lions, and whale-like forms. Several sailing ships navigate these dangerous waters, some being attacked or entangled by the creatures. Small alphabetical letters are scattered throughout the image, likely serving as a key for an accompanying historical map or document.
The artwork uses a muted color palette characteristic of early woodblock prints or copper engravings, with applied washes of earthy greens, reds, browns, and ochre. The style is highly detailed and fanciful, leaning into the cartographic traditions of the 16th century, where unknown waters were populated with imaginative beasts. The composition is packed, leaving little empty space and creating a sense of wonder and impending danger throughout the oceanic expanse.