Friuli, by A. Ortelius. 1612
Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598)
The maker of the 'first atlas', the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570), was born on 4 April 1527 into an old Antwerp family. He learned Latin and studied Greek and mathematics.
Abraham and his sisters Anne and Elizabeth took up map colouring. He was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke as an "illuminator of maps." Besides colouring maps, Ortelius was a dealer in antiques, coins, maps, and books, with the book and map trade gradually becoming his primary occupation.
Business went well because his means permitted him to start an extensive collection of medals, coins, antiques, and a library of many volumes. In addition, he travelled a lot and visited Italy and France, made contacts everywhere with scholars and editors, and maintained extensive correspondence with them.
In 1564 he published his first map, a large and ambitious world wall map. The inspiration for this map may well have been Gastaldi's large world map. In 1565 he published a map of Egypt and a map of the Holy Land, a large map of Asia followed.
In 1568 the production of individual maps for his atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum was already in full swing. He completed the atlas in 1569, and in May of 1570, the Theatrum was available for sale. It was one of the most expensive books ever published.
This first edition contained seventy maps on fifty-three sheets. Franciscus Hogenberg engraved the maps.
Later editions included Additamenta (additions), resulting in Ortelius' historical atlas, the Parergon, mostly bound together with the atlas. The Parergon can be called a truly original work of Ortelius, who drew the maps based on his research.
The importance of the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum for geographical knowledge in the last quarter of the sixteenth century is difficult to overemphasize. Nothing was like it until Mercator's atlas appeared twenty-five years later. Demand for the Theatrum was remarkable. Some 24 editions appeared during Ortelius's lifetime and another ten after his death in 1598. Editions were published in Dutch, German, French, Spanish, English, and Italian. The number of map sheets grew from 53 in 1570 to 167 in 1612 in the last edition.
In 1577, engraver Philip Galle and poet-translator Pieter Heyns published the first pocket-sized edition of the Theatrum, the Epitome. The work was trendy. Over thirty editions of this Epitome were published in different languages.
Fori Iulii Accurata Descriptio
Item Number: 23125 Authenticity Guarantee
Category: Antique maps > Europe > Italy
Antique map of Friuli by A. Ortelius
Date of the first edition: 1573
Date of this map: 1612
Copper engraving
Size: 35.5 x 48cm (13.9 x 18.6 inches)
Verso text: Latin
Condition: Uncoloured, excellent.
Condition Rating: A+
References: Van der Krogt 3, 7171:31B; van den Broecke, 119.
From: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Abrahami Ortelii Antverp. Antwerpen, Plantin Press (J. & B. Moretus), 1612. (Van der Krogt 3, 1:055)
Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598)
The maker of the 'first atlas', the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570), was born on 4 April 1527 into an old Antwerp family. He learned Latin and studied Greek and mathematics.
Abraham and his sisters Anne and Elizabeth took up map colouring. He was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke as an "illuminator of maps." Besides colouring maps, Ortelius was a dealer in antiques, coins, maps, and books, with the book and map trade gradually becoming his primary occupation.
Business went well because his means permitted him to start an extensive collection of medals, coins, antiques, and a library of many volumes. In addition, he travelled a lot and visited Italy and France, made contacts everywhere with scholars and editors, and maintained extensive correspondence with them.
In 1564 he published his first map, a large and ambitious world wall map. The inspiration for this map may well have been Gastaldi's large world map. In 1565 he published a map of Egypt and a map of the Holy Land, a large map of Asia followed.
In 1568 the production of individual maps for his atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum was already in full swing. He completed the atlas in 1569, and in May of 1570, the Theatrum was available for sale. It was one of the most expensive books ever published.
This first edition contained seventy maps on fifty-three sheets. Franciscus Hogenberg engraved the maps.
Later editions included Additamenta (additions), resulting in Ortelius' historical atlas, the Parergon, mostly bound together with the atlas. The Parergon can be called a truly original work of Ortelius, who drew the maps based on his research.
The importance of the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum for geographical knowledge in the last quarter of the sixteenth century is difficult to overemphasize. Nothing was like it until Mercator's atlas appeared twenty-five years later. Demand for the Theatrum was remarkable. Some 24 editions appeared during Ortelius's lifetime and another ten after his death in 1598. Editions were published in Dutch, German, French, Spanish, English, and Italian. The number of map sheets grew from 53 in 1570 to 167 in 1612 in the last edition.
In 1577, engraver Philip Galle and poet-translator Pieter Heyns published the first pocket-sized edition of the Theatrum, the Epitome. The work was trendy. Over thirty editions of this Epitome were published in different languages.
Related items
Bononiense Territorium [on sheet with] Territori Vicentini. 1612
Bologna and Vicenza by Ortelius A.
[Item number: 1034]
Senensis Ditionis - Corsica - Marcha Anconae olim Picenum. 1572. 1581
Siena - Corsica - Ancona, by Ortelius A.
[Item number: 6252]
Regni Neapolitani Verissima Secundum Antiquorum et Recentiorum Traditionem Descriptio, Pyrrho Ligorio Auct. 1601
Napoli, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 8072]
Carinthiae Ducatus - Histriae Tabula - Zarae et Sebenici Descriptio 1601
Kärnten and Istria, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 8083]
Latium. 1601
Lazio by Abraham Ortelius
[Item number: 12421]
Thusciae 1601
Tuscany (Toscana), by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 13148]
Ischia, quae olim Aenaria 1601
Ischia, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 13169]
Bresciano Brixiani Agri Typus. Brixia, Cygnea supposita in specula. 1612
Brescia by Ortelius Abraham
[Item number: 20474]
Pedemontanae Vicinorumquae Regionum. 1601
Piemonte, by Abraham Ortelius.
[Item number: 21259]
Italiae Novissima Descriptio Auctore Iacobo Castaldo Pedemontano 1612
Italy, by Abraham Ortelius.
[Item number: 22962]
Aprutii Ulterioris Descriptio 1612
Abruzzi, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 23016]
Patavini Territorii Corographia [on sheet with:] Tarvisini Agri Typus. 1612
Padova and Tarviso, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 23017]
Larii Lacus vulgo Comensis descriptio - Territorii Romani descrip. - Fori Iulii, vulgo Friuli Typus. 1612
Como - Rome - Friuli by Abraham Ortelius
[Item number: 23029]
new
Bononiense Territorium [on sheet with] Territori Vicentini. 1612
Bologna and Vicenza, by Abraham Ortelius.
[Item number: 23114]
Forum Iulium, Karstia, Carniola, et Windorum, Marchia. 1641
Friuli, Krain and Istria, by Henricus Hondius.
[Item number: 26277]
Patria del Friuli olim Forum Iulii. 1640
Friuli, by Joan Blaeu
[Item number: 27224]
Le Frioul Dressé sur la carte recemment rectifiée par les ordres de Messieurs les sept deputés de la ville d'Udine Capital de la ditte Province par les Sieurs Majeroni et Capellaris. 1776-79
Friuli, by Paolo Santini.
[Item number: 27720]
Larii Lacus vulgo Comensis descriptio - Territorii Romani descrip. - Fori Iulii, vulgo Friuli Typus. 1601
Como - Rome - Friuli by Abraham Ortelius
[Item number: 28930]