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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 / 1570
Size:
16.25 x 11.25 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
94771
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1617 - 1641 circa
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81996
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1618 - 1630 circa
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
80521
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1609
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100508
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1606
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
71000
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1585
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
93877
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1608
Size:
22.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75016
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
90189
Place/Date:
Venice / 1667
Size:
4 x 5.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
85316
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1609
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100533
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1608 circa
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
82512
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 31.25 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99252
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574
Size:
19.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
86119
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1624
Size:
18.4 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
65059
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1609
Size:
19.5 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100529
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
20 x 30 inches (if joined)
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99053
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
20 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
95724
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1606
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
101659
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1573 circa
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
82510
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
89503
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1609
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100527
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1610
Size:
19 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
51692
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
87924
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1608
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
69023
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
88613
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
95838
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84003
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
63733
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1624
Size:
18.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
76022
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84013
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
97948
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99866

Archived

Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
80561
Place/Date:
London / 1606
Size:
12.75 x 19 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
65547
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
Condition:
Stock#:
1570AOrtelius
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1608
Size:
18.8 x 12.1 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
55006
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
61253
Place/Date:
Amsterdam & Antwerp / 1598
Size:
17 x 11 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
68136
Place/Date:
Amsterdam & Antwerp / 1598
Size:
11 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
71141
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1575
Size:
17.5 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
89566
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
64282
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1579
Size:
17.5 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
49333
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
12 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
87103
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1574 (with 1584 Addiamentum)
Size:
17.5 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
55263
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
16.25 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
51673
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1579
Size:
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
65590
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches each
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
63250
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
73479
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
81204
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1609 -1612
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
81319
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83950
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595 circa
Size:
19.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
89197
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
30371
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
73796
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1612
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
73039
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1606
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
16535
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
36799dr
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1587
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
19972ll
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
73607
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
18782
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1606
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
0044
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1587
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
19105
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1608
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
71336
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
83473
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1603
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
28423
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
29609
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1587
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
39003
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1584
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
18580
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
11291
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
17314
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1609
Size:
22.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
22842
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
24839