Abraham Ortelius — Magnificent Renaissance Map of Spain and Portugal, circa 1573–1612
REGNI HISPANIAE POST OMNIUM EDITIONES LOCUPLETISSIMA DESCRIPTIO
A beautiful original hand-colored map of Spain and Portugal by Abraham Ortelius, the celebrated Renaissance cartographer responsible for producing the world’s first modern atlas.
Published in Antwerp for Ortelius’s landmark Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, this impressive copperplate engraving presents the entire Iberian Peninsula in extraordinary sixteenth-century detail. Spain and Portugal dominate the composition, accompanied by the Balearic Islands and a narrow portion of the North African coast.
Thousands of finely engraved details identify the peninsula’s cities, villages, rivers, mountain ranges and historic kingdoms. The former political divisions of Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre, Galicia, Valencia, Granada and Portugal remain clearly visible, offering a remarkable geographic portrait of Iberia during the height of the Spanish Empire.
The map is especially prized for its decorative imagery. Two sailing vessels appear in the surrounding seas, while fanciful sea creatures inhabit the Atlantic and Mediterranean. A pair of dividers rises above the mileage scale at lower left. At lower right is an elaborate Renaissance strapwork title cartouche, supported by a muscular figure and adorned with masks, scrollwork and geometric ornamentation.
Ortelius first included this map in the inaugural 1570 edition of the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, generally recognized as the first true modern atlas. Its geography was closely associated with information supplied by the important Flemish botanist and traveler Carolus Clusius, who toured Spain and Portugal during the 1560s. The map remained an authoritative representation of the Iberian Peninsula for decades.
An original copperplate engraving on laid paper with attractive old hand coloring. The impression remains strong and detailed. Expected central fold, general age toning, scattered discoloration, minor marginal wear and creasing near the lower center fold. Overall, a handsome and highly displayable example more than four centuries old.
Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598)
Regni Hispaniae Post Omnium Editiones Locupletissima Descriptio
Antwerp, circa 1573–1612
Original copperplate engraving on laid paper
Old hand coloring
From Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
Reference: Van den Broecke 25
REGNI HISPANIAE POST OMNIUM EDITIONES LOCUPLETISSIMA DESCRIPTIO
A beautiful original hand-colored map of Spain and Portugal by Abraham Ortelius, the celebrated Renaissance cartographer responsible for producing the world’s first modern atlas.
Published in Antwerp for Ortelius’s landmark Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, this impressive copperplate engraving presents the entire Iberian Peninsula in extraordinary sixteenth-century detail. Spain and Portugal dominate the composition, accompanied by the Balearic Islands and a narrow portion of the North African coast.
Thousands of finely engraved details identify the peninsula’s cities, villages, rivers, mountain ranges and historic kingdoms. The former political divisions of Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre, Galicia, Valencia, Granada and Portugal remain clearly visible, offering a remarkable geographic portrait of Iberia during the height of the Spanish Empire.
The map is especially prized for its decorative imagery. Two sailing vessels appear in the surrounding seas, while fanciful sea creatures inhabit the Atlantic and Mediterranean. A pair of dividers rises above the mileage scale at lower left. At lower right is an elaborate Renaissance strapwork title cartouche, supported by a muscular figure and adorned with masks, scrollwork and geometric ornamentation.
Ortelius first included this map in the inaugural 1570 edition of the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, generally recognized as the first true modern atlas. Its geography was closely associated with information supplied by the important Flemish botanist and traveler Carolus Clusius, who toured Spain and Portugal during the 1560s. The map remained an authoritative representation of the Iberian Peninsula for decades.
An original copperplate engraving on laid paper with attractive old hand coloring. The impression remains strong and detailed. Expected central fold, general age toning, scattered discoloration, minor marginal wear and creasing near the lower center fold. Overall, a handsome and highly displayable example more than four centuries old.
Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598)
Regni Hispaniae Post Omnium Editiones Locupletissima Descriptio
Antwerp, circa 1573–1612
Original copperplate engraving on laid paper
Old hand coloring
From Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
Reference: Van den Broecke 25
