Old, antique map of ancient Southern Italy by A. Ortelius. 1601
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.
Itala nam tellus Graecia Maior
Item Number: 12428 Authenticity Guarantee
Category: Antique maps > Europe > Italy
Old, antique map of ancient Southern Italy by A. Ortelius.
Very decorative map with four cartouches, one with an inset of the Diomedeae islands.
Date of the first edition: 1595
Date of this map: 1601
Copper engraving
Size: 34.5 x 48cm (13.5 x 18.7 inches)
Verso text: Latin
Condition: Contemporary old coloured, excellent.
Condition Rating: A
References: Van der Krogt 3, 7400H:31; Van den Broecke, 210.
From: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Abrahami Ortelii Antverp. Geographi Regii. Antwerpen, Plantin Press, 1601. (Van der Krogt 3, 1:052)
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
Regni Neapolitani Verissima Secundum Antiquorum et Recentiorum Traditionem Descriptio, Pyrrho Ligorio Auct. 1601
Napoli, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 8072]
Latium. 1601
Lazio by Abraham Ortelius
[Item number: 12421]
Thusciae 1601
Tuscany (Toscana), by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 13148]
Agri Cremonensis Typus. 1612
Cremona, by Ortelius A.
[Item number: 20470]
Pedemontanae Vicinorumquae Regionum. 1601
Piemonte, by Abraham Ortelius.
[Item number: 21259]
Latium. 1601
Lazio, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 22666]
Italiae Novissima Descriptio Auctore Iacobo Castaldo Pedemontano 1612
Italy, by Abraham Ortelius.
[Item number: 22962]
Senensis Ditionis - Corsica - Marcha Anconae olim Picenum. 1572. 1612
Siena - Corsica - Ancona, by Ortelius A.
[Item number: 22975]
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]
Pedemontanae Vicinorumquae Regionum 1612
Piemonte, by Abraham Ortelius.
[Item number: 23019]
Patavini Territorii Corographia [on sheet with:] Tarvisini Agri Typus. 1612
Padova and Tarviso, by Abraham Ortelius.
[Item number: 23123]
Fori Iulii Accurata Descriptio 1612
Friuli, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 23125]
Veronae Urbis Territorium 1612
Verona, by A. Ortelius.
[Item number: 23126]
Patavini Territorii Corographia - Apuliae quae olim Iapygia, Nova Corographia 1579
Padova and Apulia by Abraham Ortelius..
[Item number: 23490]
Regno di Napoli. 1638
Southern Italy, by M. Merian.
[Item number: 25925]
Terra di Otranto olim Salentina et Iapigia. 1650
Otranto by Joan Blaeu.
[Item number: 28528]
Regno di Napoli. 1645
Kingdom of Napoli, by Joan Blaeu.
[Item number: 28781]