Typus orbis terrarum

Acquired From: Gowrie Galleries

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Fair

Confirmed: 27/09/2024

Date Acquired: 26/6/2000

Dealers ID No.: M240 (STK 934.01)

Description: Abraham Ortelius, a pioneering mapmaker, published the first comprehensive collection of uniformly sized maps. Titled Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), this groundbreaking work first released in 1570, established the concept of the modern atlas. Ortelius personally drafted the maps, which were engraved by artisans such as Frans Hogenberg, whose contributions he acknowledged in the Atlass preface. Hogenberg likely collaborated with Ambrosius and Ferdinand Arsenius in engraving the plates.nThe Theatrum was initially published in Latin in May 1570 (#252 for the 1584 edition), followed later that year by Dutch and French editions, broadening its accessibility across Europe. Its immediate success led to numerous reprints in various languages, regularly updated with the latest geographical knowledge. The atlas included the world map Typus Orbis Terrarum, which underwent three major revisions, each requiring a separate engraved plate. nPlate 1: The original Latin state (1570-1584) was signed by Frans Hogenburg. Around 1575, a crack appeared in the lower left corner, leading to the addition of bolt impressions in the second state as a temporary fix. A third state, dating from 1579, featured a partial repair of the crack and reworked clouds. The fourth state, produced in 1584, added the date "1584" to Hogenberg's signature. The final, fifth state, dated 1585, completed the revisions to Plate 1.nPlate 2: The second plate had three states: the first dated 1586, the second undated, and the third with a revised coastline of South America to eliminate the western bulge.nPlate 3: The third plate also had two states: the first, dated 1587 but used from 1592, featured corner medallions and a new border. The second state, dated around 1628, added the Strait of Le Maire and removed the 1587 date.nThis copy is an example of the 1584 fourth state of the first plate, showing the repaired crack in the lower-left corner and Hogenbergs signature in the centre below Ciceros quote.nOrtelius's world map was a simplified reduction of Gerard Mercator's 1569 wall map of the world. Like Mercators, work, this map retained several inaccuracies, including a prominent bulge along South Americas western coastline. The southern hemisphere is dominated by Terra Australis Nondum Cognita (Unknown Southern Land), reflecting sixteenth-century speculation about a vast southern landmass. New Guinea appears as an island, although an accompanying note hints at its potential connection to this hypothesised landmass.nBelow Java, the map identifies three locations on the promontory of Terra Australis: Beach, Lucach, and Maletur. These names are derived from Marco Polo's travel accounts, but were were misinterpreted and misplaced by European mapmakers of the time.

Engraver: Hogenberg, Frans

First published: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Antwerp: Gielis Coppens van Diest, 1570

Image Size (cm): 49.5×33.5

Mapmaker: Ortelius, Abraham (1527-1598)

Price: A11,800 plus gst

Primary Category: World

Purchase Reference: Letter 26 June 2000 on green paper

Rarity: R3 Uncommon – dealers can usually obtain a copy

References: Dewez (2000), The Printed World III, pg 16, map 24 nMarcel van den Broecke (1998), The Plates of Ortelius Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, in Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas: Essays Commemorating the Quadricentennial of His Death, 15981998, ed. Marcel van den Broecke, Peter van der Krogt, and Peter H. Meurer (Utrecht: Hes & De Graaf, 1998), 38390.

Shirley ID #: 122 Mapping the World

Technique: Engraving

This state: 1584