Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Finest Map of the Holy Land, 1572

by Stephen J. Gertz

ORTELIUS, Abraham. Palestinae sive totius terra epromissionis.
[Antwerp, 1572]
Copper-engraved map, fully hand-colored.
348 x 465 mm.
Latin text on verso.
Laor 540.



A beautiful hand-colored copy of Ortelius' map of Palestine (Israel) from the 1572 Latin edition of Theatrum orbis terrarum (Antwerp: In Officina Plantiniana, Auctoris aere et cura),  considered to be the sum and  summit of sixteenth century cartography, will be auctioned at Bonhams-NY on Thursday, December 9, 2010.

Lower cartouche.

Upper cartouche.

The Theatrum orbis terrarum (Theater of the World), the first true atlas, went through twenty-five revised and expanded editions before Ortelius' death in 1598. From the original seventy maps in the 1570 first edition, it  had grown to include 167 maps within its thirty-fifth edition issued in 1612.

World map from Theatrum orbis terrarum.

The world has never looked so attractive, nor Israel so tranquil.
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Images of map of Palestine courtesy of Bonhams.
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