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Abraham Ortelius is perhaps the best known and most frequently collected of all sixteenth-century mapmakers. Ortelius started his career as a map colorist. In 1547 he entered the Antwerp guild of St Luke as afsetter van Karten. His early career was as a business man, and most of his journeys before 1560, were for commercial purposes. In 1560, while traveling with Gerard Mercator to Trier, Lorraine, and Poitiers, he seems to have been attracted, largely by Mercator’s influence, towards a career as a scientific geographer. From that point forward, he devoted himself to the compilation of his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), which would become the first modern atlas.

In 1564 he completed his “mappemonde", an eight-sheet map of the world. The only extant copy of this great map is in the library of the University of Basel. Ortelius also published a map of Egypt in 1565, a plan of Brittenburg Castle on the coast of the Netherlands, and a map of Asia, prior to 1570.

On May 20, 1570, Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum first appeared in an edition of 70 maps. By the time of his death in 1598, a total of 25 editions were published including editions in Latin, Italian, German, French, and Dutch. Later editions would also be issued in Spanish and English by Ortelius’ successors, Vrients and Plantin, the former adding a number of maps to the atlas, the final edition of which was issued in 1612. Most of the maps in Ortelius' Theatrum were drawn from the works of a number of other mapmakers from around the world; a list of 87 authors is given by Ortelius himself

In 1573, Ortelius published seventeen supplementary maps under the title of Additamentum Theatri Orbis Terrarum. In 1575 he was appointed geographer to the king of Spain, Philip II, on the recommendation of Arias Montanus, who vouched for his orthodoxy (his family, as early as 1535, had fallen under suspicion of Protestantism). In 1578 he laid the basis of a critical treatment of ancient geography with his Synonymia geographica (issued by the Plantin press at Antwerp and republished as Thesaurus geographicus in 1596). In 1584 he issued his Nomenclator Ptolemaicus, a Parergon (a series of maps illustrating ancient history, sacred and secular). Late in life, he also aided Welser in his edition of the Peutinger Table (1598).

Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1602
Size:
18.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84152
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84462
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
17.5 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
58472
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
97948
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1591
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
89196mp2
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
95838
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
75075
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
91154
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
47896
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
87921
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1606
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
71000
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
20 x 30 inches (if joined)
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99053
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1588
Size:
19 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
99075
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99074
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1588
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
99054
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1617 - 1641 circa
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81996
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1624
Size:
18.4 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
65059
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1575
Size:
17 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
99076
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1588
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
99072
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1606
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
53542
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 31.25 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99252
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99866
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
90189
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1587
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75388
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601
Size:
19.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
91711
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
18 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75586
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1618 - 1630 circa
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
80521
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1573
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
91649
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
82093
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1581
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
57422mp2
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1624
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
86394
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1606
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
101659
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84013
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1608 circa
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
82512

Archived

Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0699
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570 (1612)
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
1628
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570 (1608)
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4948
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5914s
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
5906
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5916
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
20 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
5918s
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5919
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
18.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5919s
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5920
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5922s
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5923s
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
5934
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5937
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1592
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0023BJ
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1575
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5960
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1592
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
6016
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5928
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
5935
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5951
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5959
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5972
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
17.5 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5989
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
6023
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1592
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
8924
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1592
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
8925
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1573
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
9021
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9050
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9085
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1592
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9095
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
19.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9063
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5936
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
6891
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9054
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9055
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
18.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9056
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
19.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9057
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9058
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9059
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
19.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9060
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9061
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1579
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
9113