Hispaniae Veteris Descriptio
| Reference: | S46086 |
| Author | Abraham ORTELIUS |
| Year: | 1586 ca. |
| Zone: | Spain |
| Printed: | Antwerpen |
| Measures: | 495 x 380 mm |
€800.00
| Reference: | S46086 |
| Author | Abraham ORTELIUS |
| Year: | 1586 ca. |
| Zone: | Spain |
| Printed: | Antwerpen |
| Measures: | 495 x 380 mm |
€800.00
Description
Splendid historical map of Spain, published in Abraham Ortelius' Parergon.
Example from the rare Italian edition of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum printed in Antwerp by Jean Baptiste Vrients in 1608 and then in 1612.
A second state of the plate; from 1601 onwards: "Barbarium prom" was added south of the mouth of the river Tagus, and the lettering in the sea everywhere was filled in with stippling. The place name "Cinnaria" at the beginning of the 8th line of places of uncertain location, bottom right, was crossed out.
Title: HISPANIAE VE:|TERIS DESCRIPTIO. | "Ex conatibus Geographicis | Abrah. Ortelij. Cartouche bottom left: "Priuilegio Imp. Reg. et | Belgico, ad decennium. | 1586". | SVMMO THEOLOGO DNO D. BENE:|DICTO ARIÆ MONTANO; VIRO | LINGVARVM COGNITIONE, RERVM | PERITIA, ET VITAE INTEGRITATE | MAGNO; ABRAH. ORTELIVS AMICITI:|TIÆ ET OBSERVANTIÆ ERGO, DD. [With an imperial, royal and Belgian privilege for ten years. 1586. Dedicated to the excellent theologist lord Benedictus Arias Montanus, a man well versed in languages, knowledgeable in matters, and with great integrity in life by Abraham Ortelius in friendship and due reverence]. Cartouche bottom right: HISPANIÆ LOCA ALIQVOT INCOGNITÆ POSITIONIS. [Some places in Spain of unknown location followed by 17 lines with peoples, places, mountains, rivers and sources of unknown location]. Inset, 80 x 70 mm: GADES (Cadiz) and surroundings.
Made by Ortelius on the basis of modern information from Clusius' six-sheet map of Spain which appeared in 1571, (Meurer p. 127-129) and ancient knowledge from Strabo, Appianus, Livius, Valerius Maximus and Suetonius. In 1593 Barbosa asks Ortelius (Hessels 240, 258) to correct some place names. The second letter (1594) indicates that these corrections have been carried out. Bertius bought a number of sheets with this map and included the map in his historical 1619 atlas "Theatrum Geographiæ Veteris".
A close copy of this map was produced by Schottus in his work Hispaniæ Illustratæ seu rerum Urbinumque Hispaniæ, Lusatiæ, Æthiopiæ et Indiæ Scriptes Varii, 4 vols., Frankfurt 1603-1608.
The Parergon is the first historical atlas ever published. It was initially conceived by Ortelius as an appendix to his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum but given the considerable success of these historical maps it later became an independent work and remained the main source of all similar works throughout the seventeenth century.
Koeman wrote: “This atlas of ancient geography must be regarded as a personal work of Ortelius. For this work he did not, as in the Theatrum, copy other people's maps but drew the originals himself... He took many places and regions from the lands of classical civilization to illustrate and clarify their history, a subject very close to his heart... The maps and plates of the Parergon have to be evaluated as the most outstanding engravings depicting the wide-spread interest in classical geography in the 16th century."
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.
Example with magnificent contemporary coloring, paper slightly browned, otherwise in excellent condition.
Bibliografia
Cfr. L. Bagrow, A. Ortelli Catalogus Cartographorum; cfr. C. Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici; Peter H. Meurer, Fontes Cartographici Orteliani, n. 20p; M. Van den Broecke, Ortelius Atlas Maps, n. 193ab II/II; Van der Krogt, Koeman’s Atantes Neerlandici: 6000H:31; A. Hernando "The contribution of Ortelius' Theatrum to the Geographical Knowledge of Spain." p. 239-262 in Van den Broecke, van der Krogt & Meurer (eds.) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", 1998.
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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