Name of map : Valentiae Regni
Cartographer : Ortelius (1527-1598)
Stock number : 5598
Map number : Ort 29; (Koeman Atlantes Neerlandici III): unrecorded
State number of plate: 1
Copy from edition: 1584 Latin; Page signature: 18
Estimated number of copies printed: only very few known
Area displayed : Valencia and surroundings;
Plate size : 350 x 503 mm;
Paper size : 414 x 532 mm;
Margins, left : 17 mm, right: 17 mm;
upper : 28 mm, lower: 39 mm;
Paper thickness and quality: heavy and strong;
Paper color : white and fresh;
Age of map color: uncolored;
Imperfections
margins : none;
plate area : none;
verso : none;
Overall quality : PERFECT/excellent/very good/good/fair/mediocre/poor
Price: € Euro 1300
Additional remarks: this plate has not been recorded elsewhere, and offprints only occur in the 1584 third Additamentum, rarely in later atlases, in spite of the date 1584 on the plate. The text is similar to texts on the later Valentiae plate occurring in the 1595 and 1612 Latin editions.
Close inspection of the engraving, as was performed with the well-known Dutch typographer and engraving expert Gerrit Noordzij revealed that:
- the general quality of craftmanship of engraving is poor, as exemplified in clumsy curls, little variation, strong helping lines in e.g. the text portion of the cartouche, awkward lettering etc.
- guiding lines and try out lines have been engraved on the plate very lightly, which show up under close inspection and strong magnification. Normally, drawings are carbon-papered unto the plate to be engraved, providing the full engraving plan. In this specific instance, various try out lines have been engraved instead, prior to the definitive engraving lines, for which often slightly different locations have ultimately been chosen.
Thus, it seems fair to assume that this copperplate has been used only rarely, since its quality was considered to be below the standard of other Theatrum plates. Probably a different engraver has been commissioned to engrave a new plate instead, which became the subsequent Ort 30 Valentiae.