| Method | Copper engraved with hand colour |
| Artist | Ortelius, Abraham |
| Published | Cum privilegio. [Antwerp, 1580] |
| Dimensions | 345 x 495 mm |
| Notes |
A superb map of the Persian Empire, roughly corresponding to modern day Iran, as well as the adjoining parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iraq, from the 1580 German edition of Ortelius' famous Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. The map features beautiful full hand colour, with the extent of Persian territory washed in yellow. Principal cities and towns are picked out in red, and mountain ranges, lakes, and rivers are shown pictorially. The Caspian Sea features a lengthy explanatory note in Latin, as does the scale in the bottom left corner of the sheet, which, interestingly, is measured in Farsangs rather than miles, preserving the ancient 'parsang' measurement used by the Persians during the classical era. The neighbouring territory of the Turkish Ottoman empire, which at the time of publication included Bagdad, is labelled clearly in red. The map is further embellished by a large strapwork title cartouche, surmounted by a pair of birds hunting snakes. Abraham Ortelius (1527 -1598) was a Flemish cartographer, cosmographer, geographer and publisher and a contemporary of Gerard Mercator, with whom he travelled through Italy and France. Although it is Mercator who first used the word "Atlas" as a name for a collection of maps, it is Ortelius who is remembered as the creator of the first modern atlas. 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum' was the first systematically collated set of maps by different map makers in a uniform format. Three Latin editions as well as a Dutch, French and German edition of 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum' were published by 1572 and a further 25 editions printed before Ortelius' death in 1598. Several more were subsequently printed until around 1612. Ortelius is said to have been the first person to pose the question of the continents once being a single land mass before separating into their current positions. Condition: Central vertical fold, as issued. Minor time toning to edges of sheet. Printer's crease to bottom margin, not affecting map. German blackletter letterpress text on verso. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £700.00 |
| Stock ID | 53131 |