<p>Title: Abraham Ortelius: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum ...


Title: Abraham Ortelius: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1579

The volume is bound in original calf leather covers, with new spine displaying the title of the atlas. The inner binding has been restored, and it has two modern fly leaves after the front cover and before the back cover. It is a well preserved book,  in very good condition, and very large and heavy, since it contains 482 pages. All maps are uncoloured. Most maps have a soiled lower right corner. All maps have deep plate marks. The paper has fairly wide margins and is of very heavy quality. The book opens widely, allowing a good view on the centre of the map page.

For a book of more than 400 years old, it is in very good condition.

It contains all the 93 maps of the 1579 Latin edition, followed by the Nomenclator Ptolemaicus and De Mona Druidum. The text shows that this is the early A version with 120 names in the Catalogus Auctorum (Van der Krogt Koeman’s Atlanted Neerlandici 31:021) rather than the fully reset later B version which has 127 names in its Catalogus Auctorum.

The atlas contains the rather rare second Americas map (Ort 10) which was only used in the 1579-1584 editions.

Contents (defects indicated):

Two modern protective blank fly-leaves

Title page: THEATRVM ORBIS TERRARVM (a line in an old hand in bottom margin and date 1642)

Epigram by Daniel Rogers

Dedication to King Philip of Spain

Adolph Mekerchi’s allegorical explanation of title page in Latin, 3 pages (staining on right edge 2nd page)

Address to the Reader  dated Antwerp, 1570, 3 pages (staining on right edge 2nd page).

Catalogus Auctorum, 4 pages, (some staining right edge 2nd page)

Index, 3 pages

Letter of recommendation by Gerard Mercator, dated 22 November 1570.

Other laudatory recommendations, 2 pages

Ortelius’portrait, engraved by Galle, first appearance in Ortelius’ atlas (light ink spot).

(1) Ort1.4 World

(2) Ort4.2 Europae

(3) Ort7.1 Asiae (stains along edges)

(4) Ort8.2 Africae (stain in right margin)

(5) Ort10.1 Americae

(6) Ort13.1 Hispaniae Novae (light staining along left and right edges)

(7) Ort14ab.1 Culicaniae-Hispaniolae (light staining along left and right edges)

(8) Ort16.2 Angliae, Scotiae et Hiberniae (light staining along left and right edges)

(9) Ort18.1 Scotiae

(10) Ort19.1 Angliae

(11) Ort20.1 Cambriae

(12) Ort21.2 Hiberniae (minor damage at bottom centerfold)

(13) Ort25.2 Hispaniae

(14) Ort26.2 Portugalliae

(15) Ort28.1 Hispalensis Conventus

(16) Ort34.1 Galliae Regni (minor centerfold damage; some foxing of upper margin)

(17) Ort38.1 Poictou (some browning at bottom centerfold)

(18) Ort39.1 Biturigum-Limaniae

(19) Ort40.1 Anjou

(20) Ort44.1 Caletensium-Veromanduorum

(21) Ort46.1 Picardiae (some light brown spots on map)

(22) Ort48.1 Galliae Narbonensis-Sabaudiae

(23) Ort51.1 Burgundiae Comitatus

(24) Ort56.2 Germania

(25) Ort58.1 Germaniae Inferioris

(26) Ort60.1 Lutzenburgensis (minor damage at bottom centrefold)

(27) Ort61.1 Gelriae

(28) Ort65.1 Brabantiae

(29) Ort68.1 Namurcum

(30) Ort70.1 Hannoniae (note that maps 27-30 have been wrongly bound after map 22)

(31) Ort72.1 Artois

(32) Ort76.1 Flandriae

(33) Ort78.3 Zelandicarum

(34) Ort79.1 Hollandiae (light staining along edges of page)

(35) Ort80.1 Utriusque Frisorum

(36) Ort81.1 Frisia Occidentalis

(37) Ort82.1 Frisiae Orientalis (light brown stain upper left)

(38) Ort84.1 Daniae

(39) Ort88.1 Thietmarsiae-Prussiae

(40) Ort91.1 Westphaliae

(41) Ort93.1 Saxoniae, Misniae, Thuringiae

(42) Ort94.1 Mansfeldiae

(43) Ort92.1 Hassiae-Holsatiae

(44) Ort96.1 Turingiae-Misniae et Lusatiae

(45) Ort98.1 Buchaviae-Waldeccensis

(46) Ort100.2 Franciae-Monasteriensis

(47) Ort101.1 Bohemia

(48) Ort102.1 Silesiae

(49) Ort104.1 Moraviae (brown spot upper right)

(50) Ort105.2 Austriae

(51) Ort107.1 Salisburgensis (brown spot upper left and at top centrefold)

(52) Ort110.1 Bavariae

(53) Ort111.1 Palatinus Bavariae-Wirtenbergensis (browning along top edge)

(54) Ort113.2 Wirtenberg (browning at top centrefold)

(55) Ort114.1 Basiliensis-Sveviae

(56) Ort115.1 Helvetiae

(57) Ort116.1 Rhetiae-Goritiae

(58) Ort117.1 Italiae (two light brown spots near centrefold)

(59) Ort119.1 Fori Iulii

(60) Ort120.1 Veronae

(61) Ort125.1 Ducatus Mediolanensis

(62) Ort127.1 Agri Cremonensis

(63) Ort128.1 Pedemontanae

(64) Ort121.1 Patavini-Apuliae (split at bottom centrefold)

(65) Ort129.2 Larii Lacus-Terretorii Romani-Fori Iulii (browning at bottom centrefold)

(66) Ort130.1 Thusciae (split at bottom centrefold; browning along lower left and right edge)

(67) Ort137.1 Senensis-Corsica-Marcha Anconae

(68) Ort139.1 Regni Neapolitani

(69) Ort141.1 Insularum Aliquot

(70) Ort148.1 Cyprus-Creta

(71) Ort149.1 Cyprus

(72) Ort146.1 Graeciae (split at bottom centrefold)

(73) Ort144.1 Illyricum

(74) Ort145.1 Schlavoniae

(75) Ort143.1 Carinthiae-Histriae-Zarae

(76) Ort150.4 Hungariae

(77) Ort151.1 Ungariae

(78) Ort153.1 Transilvania

(79) Ort154.1 Poloniae

(80) Ort158.1 Pomeraniae-Livoniae-Ducatus Oswieczensis

(81) Ort160.2 Septentrionalium (small hole in lower right margin)

(82) Ort162.1 Russiae (some browning at bottom centrefold)

(83) Ort163.1 Tartariae

(84) Ort166.2 Indiae Orientalis

(85) Ort167.1 Persici

(86) Ort169.1 Turcici (light brown spot middle left, small tears in lower corners)

(87) Ort171.1 Palestinae

(88) Ort174.1 Natoliae-Aegypti-Carthaginis

(89) Ort175.1 Presbiterii Iohannis

(90) Ort176.1 Barbariae

Parergon

(91) Ort181.1 Peregrinationis Divi Pauli

(92) Ort187.1 Romani Imperii Imago

(93) Ort215.1 Graecia Sophiani

Nomenclator Ptolemaicus  (77 pages)

De Mona Druidum (7 pages)

Privileges

Colophon, Antwerp 1579

Two modern protective fly-leaves

Original back cover

Price: Euro 62500.


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