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Description

Old color example of the rare first edition of Gerard De Jode's map of the Netherlands from the 1578 edition of De Jode's Speculum Orbis Terrarum.

De Jode was a contemporary of Ortelius and Mercator. The firs edition of his Speculum Orbis Terrarum was published in 1578, although it is believed that the work was ready for publication earlier, but the privilege for publication was delayed through the political connections of Abraham Ortelius and his publisher.

The first edition of De Jode's atlas is a great rarity, especially in old color. A second edition was issued by his son Cornelis in 1593, with additional maps and some new maps. However, neither edition was a commercial success, although in many respects that maps are technically more accurate and were engraved by Johannes van Doetecum and Lucas Van Doetecum, two of the best engravers of the period.

Condition Description
Old Color. Abrasion at lower centerfold and some soiling and dampstaining at the left center.
Gerard de Jode Biography

Gerard De Jode (1509-1591) was a pre-eminent mapmaker in the late seventeenth century, a time when the Dutch dominated the map trade. He was known for his many maps, some of which featured in Speculum Orbis Terrae (first edition Antwerp: 1578). Although never as successful as Ortelius’ Theatrum, the Speculum did get republished in a second edition in 1593, two years after De Jode’s death, by Arnold Coninx, and included this map. After his death, Gerard’s son, Cornelis (1568-1600), and his wife, Paschina, ran the shop. Unfortunately, Cornelis died young in 1600, aged only 32, and the stock and plates were sold to the publisher Joan Baptista Vrients.