| Abraham Ortelius | |
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Antwerp, (1587) 1602 Americae sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio.. Cum Priuilegio decennali/ Ab. Ortelius et excudeb. 1587. Original copperplate
printed map |
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A cornerstone map of America! This is the famous landmark map of North and South America by Abraham Ortelius. Burden calls this map "one of the most famous and recognized maps of America, and one that is both functional as well as decorative". This map "provides the best general picture of the settlement of the New World in the latter part of the sixteenth century: it is in effect, the Renaissance view of America" (Goss, p.34). This map now includes the Salomon Islands in the Pacific and C. Mendocino on the northern California coast. This is a wonderful map depicting the Americas just before the English and other European settlements on the Atlantic coast. This map is from Abraham Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first atlas that produced a uniform series of maps of the world. The publication of the Theatrum.Orbis Terrarum can be considered the starting point for over 100 years of Dutch supremacy in the production of beautiful maps and atlases. Geographically, Ortelius approached the preparation of this map in a thoroughly scientific manner. He derived the data for the map on the commentaries of numerous explorers of America but probably the most important source was Gerard Mercator, with whom Ortelius corresponded, and particularly Mercator's wall map of 1569. This map was produced and used well into the 17th century, replacing the widely distributed Americas map of Sebastian Munster of 1540. There were three different copperplates of this map: one in 1570 (with a strapwork border of 7mm, and the largest ship is sailing westward), one in 1579, and one in 1587 (Burden). This map is from the 3rd plate of 1587 (the bulge to the southwest coast of South America, which was present in the first two plates has been removed for this plate, and a new small cartouche has been added to North America). This map is also from the only copperplate of the Americas that was signed by Ortelius signifying his responsibility for the preparation of this map: Cum Priuilegio decennali/ Ab. Ortelius et excudeb. 1587. This particular map is from the Spanish edition of 1588, based on information provided to us. The map has Spanish text on the verso describing the New World, El Orbe Nuevo. References: Burden, map # 39. Goss, The Mapping of North America, # 11. Van Der Krogt, Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 3 (Ortelius). 't Goy-Houten: HES Publishers, 2003, p. 885. Fine Condition overall. Attractive, rich color. Complete, untrimmed margins,
with a few wormholes and some spotting in the margins only
(image above does not show all of the margin).
Manuscript number "5" in upper right margin. |
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