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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 / 1585
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
93877
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1587
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75388
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1588
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
99054
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1588
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
99072
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1588
Size:
19 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
99075
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1590
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
81942
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1590
Size:
18 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
84012
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1590 circa
Size:
4.5 x 3.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
82755
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1592 circa
Size:
20 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
89649
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595 circa
Size:
4.5 x 3 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
68621
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
82418
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
82555
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
90189
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
97948
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1595
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99074
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
61794
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
9 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
61993
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
62077
Place/Date:
Italy / 1598 circa
Size:
4 x 4.5 inches (Including text)
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
73790
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
78972
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84013
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
18 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84003
Place/Date:
Breschia / 1598 circa
Size:
4.5 x 5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
82542
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1598
Size:
20 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
91154
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601 circa
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
59449
Place/Date:
/ 1601
Size:
4 x 3 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
76123
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601
Size:
20 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83433
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83583
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1601
Size:
19.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
91711
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1602
Size:
18.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
84152

Archived

Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75333
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
19.5 x 14.75 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
78973
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
Condition:
Stock#:
76473
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
80561
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
83473
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
93399
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1570
Size:
12 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
87103
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
11297
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
11599
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
18 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20156
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20440
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
21453
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
25573
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
29771
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
50718
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
35529
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
38322
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
38776
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
43892mp2
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
50593
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
16.25 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
51673
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
53253
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
52312
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
61401
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
61548
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571 circa
Size:
19.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
69768
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
19.5 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
86370
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1571
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
92275
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0123
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
14363
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
16460
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20157
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
17 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
20529
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
0141ops
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
25077
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572 circa
Size:
19 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
32645
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
34976
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572 circa
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
37302
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
38002
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
43889
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
61515
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
18 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
61596
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
67556
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
19.25 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
64135
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572 circa
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
70609
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572 /73
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
70996
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
16 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
85792
Place/Date:
Antwerp / 1572
Size:
18.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
92293