Typus orbis terrarum

Acquired From: Leen Helmink

Colouring: Uncoloured

Condition: Fair

Confirmed: No

Date Acquired: 13/3/2021

Description: This engraving first appeared in the cosmographical opening section of CaertThresoor, the compact, Dutch atlas published in 1598 under the imprint of Barent Langenes and distributed through the Amsterdam publisher Cornelis Claesz. Designed as an affordable, portable alternative to large-format atlases, Caert-Thresoor brought together terrestrial, maritime, and cosmographical material for both scholarly and general audiences.nMost plates were engraved by Pieter van den Keere (View Record (#285), View Record (#383)), with additional contributions by Jodocus Hondius (including the present plate, #295, View Record (#296)). The authorship of some maps, such as the East Indies plate (View Record (#388)), remains uncertain and may involve either engraver.nServing as the opening map of the atlas, it appears as the first leaf of Section A, marked by the printers signature A at lower right. It closely follows the world map engraved by Philip Galle for the 1584 Epitome of Abraham Orteliuss Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (View Record (#252)). Decorative strapwork frames the hemispheres, accompanied by the biblical inscription Domini est terra et plenitudo eius (The earth is the Lords, and the fullness thereof), drawn from Psalm 24:1, underscoring the maps theological and cosmographical framing.nGeographically, the map incorporates updated toponymy in the Americas, California, Norrobega, Virginia, and Patagones, while retaining unresolved features such as Guinea Nova, which is not shown as an island. The Solomon Islands appear as Insulae Salomonis, reflecting the Latinised nomenclature.nAcross the southern hemisphere, Terra Australis nondum cognita forms a continuous, conjectural landmass, reflecting late sixteenth-century assumptions about a vast southern continent balancing the northern hemisphere.nThe maps prominent placement at the head of Section A reflects its role in establishing the cosmographical framework of the atlas. It later served as the basis for revised states issued in 1649 by Claes Jansz. Visscher in Tabularum geographicarum contractarum libri quatuor denuo recogniti, where it reappeared as Typus Orbis Terrarum (View Record (#292)).

Engraver: Hondius, Jodocus

First published: Caert-Thresoor, Middelburg: Barent Langenes, 1598

Image Size (cm): 12.5×8.5

Mapmaker: Langenes, Barent (fl. 1598-1609)

Notes: Date details

Other states: Dutch, French, Latin, and German editions between 1598 and 1650

Price: Purchased with entry #296

Primary Category: World

Purchase Reference: Email 13 March 2021

Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market

References: Peter van der Krogt, ed., Koemans Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 3 (t Goy-Houten: HES & De Graaf, 1997), 376381 (no. 341:01).nGünter Schilder, Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica, vol. 7 (Lochem: Canaletto, 2003), 457

Sheet size (cm): 17.2×11.7

Shirley ID #: 211 Mapping the World

Technique: Copper Engraving

This state: First