Part of a Set of Ortelius' World and Four Continents in Exceedingly Fine Condition:     Americae sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio.. Cum Priuilegio decennali/ Ab. Ortelius et excudeb. 1587.

Original copperplate printed map
Fine handcolor
355 x 485 mm
Map # W-109(2)
$  Sold (as part of a matching set of 5 maps)

Click here for larger image

Geographically, Ortelius approached the preparation of this map of the Americas, like all of his maps, 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 twenty-one sheet world map of 1569.  

This map is part of a matching set of the world and the four continent maps from Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.   The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum was 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. 

To read about and view the other maps in the set,  click the hyperlink on each of the following names  -   The World,  Africa,   Asia,  Europe.

The set is from a later edition of the Theatrum with a possible date of 1592, 1595, 1601, 1603, or, less likely, 1609, or 1612, based on van den Broecke.  Text on verso is in Latin with a page no. "5".   

This map was produced and used well into the 17th century, replacing the widely distributed Americas map of Sebastian Munster.  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). 

(Burden, map # 39.  Goss, The Mapping of North America, # 11.  Van den Broecke, map # 11).

Very Fine Condition.  It will be extremely difficult to find a set of Ortelius world and continent maps in as fine a condition.   Wide margins.  Clean, bright map image.   All five maps of the set have similar minor professional patches in corner bottom margins.