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1598 ORTELIUS, A. - An extremely rare Dutch edition of Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, illustrated with 92 maps, 91 maps numbered 1-91, in beautiful contemporary colors.
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.
| Maker: | ORTELIUS, A. | |
| Date: | (Amsterdam, Corn. Claesz.) ?, 1598 | |
| Colored: | In attractive original colors. | |
| Size: | 450 x 300 mm / 17.7 x 11.8 inches | |
| Condition: | Folio. (4) lvs., including engraved title and full-page engraved portrait by Ph. Galle and 92 double-page maps, 91 in contemporary hand coloring, the last one added uncolored and (2) lvs. Contemporary vellum binding. Binding used, soiled, torn and cracked, partly disbound. A few maps with tears at lower part center fold. | |
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Description
A Dutch edition of Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum "Ghedruckt voor A. Ortelius" (by Corn. Claesz.?), 1598. Illustrated with 92 maps, 91 maps numbered 1-91, in beautiful contemporary colors; the last one, "Alexandri Magni… expeditio," added, is uncolored with blank verso. Two lists of maps (one alphabetical) are handwritten in French on both endpapers.
The title page is highlighted in gold, with 91 maps in beautiful, strong, original colors and the last map uncolored.
The outer margins of the maps have been cut to form a register with tabs.
The very rare 1598 edition with Dutch text, probably published by Cornelis Claesz. in Amsterdam.Â
Very few copies of this edition were printed.
"The Plantin archives contain no record of a Dutch edition of 1598. The first mention of this edition was in 1612 when Jan and Balthasar Moretus bought the text sheets of the Dutch edition from the heirs of the Amsterdam publisher Cornelis Claesz. The typeface and initials of this edition are not found in any other edition from the Plantin Press, but do correspond with those used by Claesz. We may, therefore, assume that the text for this 1598 Dutch edition was printed in Amsterdam by Cornelis Claesz. The absence of an ecclesiastical approbation (visitavit) also indicates that the book was not printed in Antwerp.
In several cases, the text was printed after the maps (Amsterdam UB, Tilburg TF, both 1613 editions); usually, the text was printed first. Thus, it seems that Claesz. bought the printed maps with blank verso from Ortelius." (Koeman/van der Krogt, 31 : 121).
The world map, from a Latin text edition, is loosely inserted.
The map of Vrieslandt is dated 1568.
Abraham Ortelius (1527-1898)
Abraham Ortel, better known as Ortelius, was born in Antwerp and, after studying Greek, Latin, and mathematics, started his career as a cartographer. Later, together with his sister, he became a seller of books, prints and maps.Abraham Ortel, better known as Abraham Ortelius, was born in Antwerp and, after studying Greek, Latin, and mathematics, started his career as a cartographer. Later, together with his sister, he became a seller of books, prints and maps.
Traveling widely, especially to the great book fairs, his business prospered and he established contacts with the literati in many lands. On one such visit to England, possibly seeking temporary refuge from religious persecution, he met William Camden, whom he is said to have encouraged to produce the Britannia.
A turning point in his career was reached in 1564 with the publication of a World Map in eight sheets of which only one example is known: other individual maps followed and then - at the suggestion of a friend - he gathered together a collection of maps from contacts among European cartographers and had them engraved in uniform size and issued in 1570 as the Atlas of the Whole World.
Although Lafreri and others in Italy had published collections of 'modern' maps in book form earlier, the Theatrum was the first uniformly sized, systematic collection of maps and can be called the first atlas, although that term itself was not used until twenty years later by Mercator.
Abraham Ortelius became the Royal Cartographer to Philip II, King of Spain. Philip sent him a gold necklace worth one thousand ducats. He died on 28 June 1598 at age 71.
Map coloring
At age 19, Abraham Ortels' name appeared in the register of the guild of St Luke as "afsetter," or colorist of maps and prints. He appears to have reached a very advanced level of skill in this craft, as some customers kept insisting on buying atlases he colored himself, even after he established himself as a publisher and cartographer/merchant.
Ortelius was never married and lived with his sister Anna, a situation that remained unchanged throughout his life.
Real prosperity came with the publication of his atlas in 1570, and his sister Anne took over coloring and remained a competent colorist for the rest of her life. Incidentally, children did most map coloring at this time.
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