Americae Sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio
| Reference: | ms5315 |
| Author | Abraham ORTELIUS |
| Year: | 1570 ca. |
| Zone: | The Americas |
| Printed: | Amsterdam |
| Measures: | 510 x 370 mm |
| Reference: | ms5315 |
| Author | Abraham ORTELIUS |
| Year: | 1570 ca. |
| Zone: | The Americas |
| Printed: | Amsterdam |
| Measures: | 510 x 370 mm |
Description
The second state of one of the most beautiful and important of all sixteenth century maps of America.
This celebrated map was included in the first edition of the Theatrum, and all subsequent editions to 1587. The Theatrum is one of the true landmarks in the history of cartography. The map’s geography was adapted from the corresponding portion of Mercator’s wall map of the world (1569), and is distinguished by a large bulge on the west coast of South America, which was removed from the map’s second state. It is beautifully embellished with a large strapwork title cartouche and lovely surrounding floral motifs.
Map taken from the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, which is considered the first true modern "Atlas". The work was published in 7 languages and 36 editions, for which - in 1570 - Ortelius obtained the privilege, a kind of copyright that prevented other cartographers from publishing his works. The Theatrum represented the most advanced work of cartographic description. Ortelius collected in it the geographical and cartographic knowledge of his time, proposing in 147 spectacular engraved plates the most faithful image of the world then known and, in some extraordinary "historical maps", regions and routes taken from literature, mythology, tradition. Ortelius was also the first to cite sources, mentioning the names of cartographers in the "catalogus auctorum". From 1598 to 1612 the posthumous editions of the Theatrum were made by his collaborator Johannes Baptiste Vrients.
“One of the most famous and easily recognised maps of America, and one that is both functional as well as decorative. As with Sebastian Münster's NOVAE INSVLAE thirty years earlier, this was widely sold throughout Europe and had a great influence on the future cartography of the New World.
The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Abraham Ortelius, was the first atlas produced that uniformly covered the world with similarly sized and styled maps. It contained none of the ancient maps derived from Ptolemy which were still being used extensively. All of the copperplates were cut by Frans Hogenberg. Published on 20 May 1570 it was an instant success running to four issues in the first year alone. It was expanded and improved constantly over the next forty-two years. Prior to 1570 Ortelius travelled extensively, and built up numerous contacts. It was these sources that he used to provide accurate information for his maps.
Ortelius depicts the discoveries of a number of people on this map, but the general shape of the continent is derived from Gerard Mercator's great twenty-one sheet world map of the previous year. The two of them had a close relationship and shared their knowledge openly with each other. It is recorded that they travelled together through France in 1560. One of the main noticeable features of the map is the bulbous Chilean coastline; this was not corrected until his third plate. A strategically placed cartouche hides a complete lack of knowledge of the southern waters of the Pacific. Once through the Strait of Magellan the voyager's sea route took him on an almost direct course for the East Indies. No sight had been made of a large continent but conventional wisdom had it that there had to be as much land in the southern hemisphere as in the northern. This was not fully dispelled until the second voyage of the remarkable Captain James Cook in 1772-75. The west coast of North America is shown too far west, as was common at the time. There is no new nomenclature shown.
Ortelius had three copper plates cut over the life of the atlas for the American continent. The first had developed two cracks to the top left of the plate, and upon correction for the 1575 edition immediately developed another. The second plate is very similar to this one, and was itself followed by a third one. However, the most noticeable differences are as follows:
1570 plate: The strapwork border is 7 mm. thick and of interwoven circle and diamond design. The largest ship in the Pacific is sailing westwards, and the Equator is shown with no graduations between the longitudinal marks
1579 plate: The strapwork border is 4 mm. thick and of a triangular design. The largest ship in the Pacific is shown sailing eastwards, and there now appear graduations along the equatorial line
1587 plate: Easily distinguished by the removal of the bulge to the south-western coast of South America
There are also three states of this map; an unrecorded earlier state might exist as the first has two noticeable erasures. The largest is off the South American coastline in the Atlantic, the second is to the right of the large ship in the Pacific. These were corrections by the engraver before atlas production; it is possible that proofs, or early separately sold examples, might have been in this state. They were cleared in the third state.” (Burden " The Mapping of North America II", p. 50).
Copper engraving, contemporary coloring, in good condition.
Bibliografia:
Burden "The Mapping of North America II", pp. 50-52, n. 39; Van den Broecke 9.
Abraham ORTELIUS (1528 - 1598)
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Abraham Ortel, better known as Ortelius, was born in Antwerp and after studying Greek, Latin and mathematics set up his business there with his sister, as a book dealer and 'painter of maps'. Travelling widely, especially to the great book fairs, his business prospered and he established contacts with many sultured men in many lands. On one such visit to England, possibly seeking temporary refuge from religious persecution, he met William Camden whom he is said to have encouraged in the production of the Britannia.
A turning-point in his career was reached in 1564 with the publication of a World Map in eight sheets of which only one copy is known: other individual maps followed and then - at the suggestion of a friend - he gathered together a collection of maps from contacts among European cartographers and had them engraved in uniform size and issued in 1570 as the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Atlas of the Whole World). Although Lafreri and others in Italy had published collections of 'modern' maps in book form in earlier years, the Theatrum was the first uniformly sized, systematic collection of maps and hence can be called the first atlas, although that term itself was not used until twenty years later by Mercator.
The Theatrum, with most of its maps elegantly engraved by Frans Hogenberg, was an instant success and appeared in numerous editions in different languages including addenda issued from time to time incorporating the latest contemporary knowledge and discoveries. The final edition appeared in 1612. Unlike many of his contemporaries Ortelius noted his sources of information and in the first edition acknowledgement was made to eighty-seven different cartographers.
Apart from the modern maps in his major atlas, Ortelius himself compiled a series of historical maps known as the Parergon Theatri which appeared from 1579 onwards, sometimes as a separate publication and sometimes incorporated in the Theatrum.
1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1570-1612 Between these years the Theatrum was re-issued in 42 editions with 5 supplements with text in Latin, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and English. The English edition was published in 1606 by John Norton, the maps being printed in Antwerp and the text added in London. Three years later Ortelius died in 1598, his heirs transferred publication rights to Jan Baptiste Vrients who produced the posthumous editions until he died in 1612
1577-85 Spiegel der Werelt (8vo) Maps from the Theatrum, reduced in size, engraved by Philip Galle: text by Pieter Heyns. 6 editions with Dutch, French and Latin text. 1588-i 603 Epitome theatri orbis terrarum (12mo/8v0) 11 further editions of the smaller maps with an increasing number of maps with text also in Italian and English (1603). i6oi-i 2 7 further editions with improved engravings by Arsenius Brothers: text by Michel Coignet in Latin, French, German, Italian and English (1603). 1598-1724 Theatro del Mondo (4t0/12mo/24mo) 8 editions with Italian text; plates engraved in Italy.
1579-1606 Parergon Theatri The number of maps included in the Parergon increased from 4 in 1579 to 43 in 1606 with text in Latin, French, Italian, German and English (1606) 1624 Re-issued in Antwerp as a separate publication by Balthasar Moretus. This edition included a reproduction of the Peutinger table.
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Abraham ORTELIUS (1528 - 1598)
|
Abraham Ortel, better known as Ortelius, was born in Antwerp and after studying Greek, Latin and mathematics set up his business there with his sister, as a book dealer and 'painter of maps'. Travelling widely, especially to the great book fairs, his business prospered and he established contacts with many sultured men in many lands. On one such visit to England, possibly seeking temporary refuge from religious persecution, he met William Camden whom he is said to have encouraged in the production of the Britannia.
A turning-point in his career was reached in 1564 with the publication of a World Map in eight sheets of which only one copy is known: other individual maps followed and then - at the suggestion of a friend - he gathered together a collection of maps from contacts among European cartographers and had them engraved in uniform size and issued in 1570 as the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Atlas of the Whole World). Although Lafreri and others in Italy had published collections of 'modern' maps in book form in earlier years, the Theatrum was the first uniformly sized, systematic collection of maps and hence can be called the first atlas, although that term itself was not used until twenty years later by Mercator.
The Theatrum, with most of its maps elegantly engraved by Frans Hogenberg, was an instant success and appeared in numerous editions in different languages including addenda issued from time to time incorporating the latest contemporary knowledge and discoveries. The final edition appeared in 1612. Unlike many of his contemporaries Ortelius noted his sources of information and in the first edition acknowledgement was made to eighty-seven different cartographers.
Apart from the modern maps in his major atlas, Ortelius himself compiled a series of historical maps known as the Parergon Theatri which appeared from 1579 onwards, sometimes as a separate publication and sometimes incorporated in the Theatrum.
1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1570-1612 Between these years the Theatrum was re-issued in 42 editions with 5 supplements with text in Latin, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and English. The English edition was published in 1606 by John Norton, the maps being printed in Antwerp and the text added in London. Three years later Ortelius died in 1598, his heirs transferred publication rights to Jan Baptiste Vrients who produced the posthumous editions until he died in 1612
1577-85 Spiegel der Werelt (8vo) Maps from the Theatrum, reduced in size, engraved by Philip Galle: text by Pieter Heyns. 6 editions with Dutch, French and Latin text. 1588-i 603 Epitome theatri orbis terrarum (12mo/8v0) 11 further editions of the smaller maps with an increasing number of maps with text also in Italian and English (1603). i6oi-i 2 7 further editions with improved engravings by Arsenius Brothers: text by Michel Coignet in Latin, French, German, Italian and English (1603). 1598-1724 Theatro del Mondo (4t0/12mo/24mo) 8 editions with Italian text; plates engraved in Italy.
1579-1606 Parergon Theatri The number of maps included in the Parergon increased from 4 in 1579 to 43 in 1606 with text in Latin, French, Italian, German and English (1606) 1624 Re-issued in Antwerp as a separate publication by Balthasar Moretus. This edition included a reproduction of the Peutinger table.
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