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C1574
( )
Asiae Nova Descriptio.
Mapmaker:
The rare first state of Abraham Ortelius’s important and influential map Asia which was the model used by other mapmakers for over forty years. This first state was issued from 1570-1574 and then in the course of 1574, Ortelius published … Read Full Description
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Details
Full Title:
Asiae Nova Descriptio.
Date:
C1574
( )
Mapmaker:
Condition:
In good condition, centre fold as issued.
Technique:
Hand coloured copper engraving.
Image Size:
480mm
x 370mm
Paper Size:
578mm
x 443mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
Description:
The rare first state of Abraham Ortelius’s important and influential map Asia which was the model used by other mapmakers for over forty years.
This first state was issued from 1570-1574 and then in the course of 1574, Ortelius published a second state of the same map, Therefore, this plate is much less common than its successor. (Van de Broecke)
This first state is identified by the following;
1. Cum priuilegio engraved in the lower left corner (removed in 2nd state)
2. The name of a small island at top right; La Farfarna (changed to farfarna in the 2nd state)
3. The town of Ara to the left of Aden (removed in 2nd state)
4. Latin text on verso, with large page number 3, (11 mm), the last line of text is centred like the 2 lines above it:nem in maiori Tabula ante tres annos edidimus.
From, Abraham Ortelius’s, Theatrum orbus terrarum.
References:
Van Den Broecke, M. P. R. Ortelius Atlas Maps.1996 Netherlands :: : 6.
Clancy, R. The Mapping of Terra Australia. Sydney 1995 :: : p.25, ill.1.12.
Moreland, C. & Bannister, D. Antique Maps. London 1995 :: : pp.98-99.
Quirino, C. Philippine Cartography (1320-1899) Amsterdam 2010 Manila :: : p.96.
Clancy, R. & Richardson, A. So They Came South. Sydney 1988: : p.201, ill.p.202, 212-213.
Suarez, T. Early Mapping of Southeast Asia. Singapore 1999 :: : pp.164-167, ill. Fig. 85.
Sweet, M. Mapping the Continent of Asia. Singapore 1994 :: : 5.
Walter, L. Japan a Cartographic Vision. New York 1994 :: : 1C.
Kroght, P. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici. Amsterdam 1997. Nine volumes :: : AN: 8000:31A.
Tibbetts, G. Arabia in Early Maps. Cambridge 1978 :: : map 34, p. 48.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 3417528 (incorrectly dated 1570 but 2nd state, French text issued 1581, 1587, 1598)
State Library New South Wales: Record Identifier 74VMjRzjq2DA ( dated 1572? but not 1st state, is 2nd state 1598, French text page no. 3 (last line, left aligned: descouuerte )si c'est vne Isle ou terre ferme auec la Magellanique.),
Van Den Broecke, M. P. R. Ortelius Atlas Maps.1996 Netherlands :: : 6.
Clancy, R. The Mapping of Terra Australia. Sydney 1995 :: : p.25, ill.1.12.
Moreland, C. & Bannister, D. Antique Maps. London 1995 :: : pp.98-99.
Quirino, C. Philippine Cartography (1320-1899) Amsterdam 2010 Manila :: : p.96.
Clancy, R. & Richardson, A. So They Came South. Sydney 1988: : p.201, ill.p.202, 212-213.
Suarez, T. Early Mapping of Southeast Asia. Singapore 1999 :: : pp.164-167, ill. Fig. 85.
Sweet, M. Mapping the Continent of Asia. Singapore 1994 :: : 5.
Walter, L. Japan a Cartographic Vision. New York 1994 :: : 1C.
Kroght, P. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici. Amsterdam 1997. Nine volumes :: : AN: 8000:31A.
Tibbetts, G. Arabia in Early Maps. Cambridge 1978 :: : map 34, p. 48.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 3417528 (incorrectly dated 1570 but 2nd state, French text issued 1581, 1587, 1598)
State Library New South Wales: Record Identifier 74VMjRzjq2DA ( dated 1572? but not 1st state, is 2nd state 1598, French text page no. 3 (last line, left aligned: descouuerte )si c'est vne Isle ou terre ferme auec la Magellanique.),
Abraham Ortelius (1527 - 1598)
Flemish cartographer, geographer, and publisher, born in Antwerp on 14 April 1527. He is celebrated as the creator of the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), first published in 1570, widely regarded as the first modern atlas and one of the most influential cartographic works of the sixteenth century.
Trained as a map colourist and illuminator, Ortelius joined the Antwerp Guild of St Luke as a map illuminator in 1547, initially working in partnership with his sister, Anne. He began his career as a map and print dealer, trading in geographical materials and decorative prints across Europe. His extensive travels—to France, Germany, Italy, and notably to London where he met the English cartographer John Dee and the great mapmaker Gerardus Mercator—broadened his intellectual and professional network. Mercator’s work and ideas profoundly influenced Ortelius’s approach to geography and cosmography.
Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum was first issued in Antwerp in 1570 by the printer Gilles Coppens de Diest. Comprising seventy engraved maps with accompanying text, it presented a consistent format and unified design, with maps engraved chiefly by Frans Hogenberg. Each map was carefully attributed to its original source, a practice that reflected Ortelius’s scholarly integrity and established an early model for bibliographic citation in cartography. The Theatrum was an unprecedented success, appearing in more than forty editions and seven languages over the next four decades.
In 1573 Ortelius issued the Additamentum, the first supplement to the atlas, introducing new maps and expanding its global scope. Among his other important works were the Synonymia Geographica (1578), a geographical dictionary of ancient and modern place names, and Thesaurus Geographicus (1596), both significant contributions to Renaissance geographical scholarship.
Ortelius was also among the first to propose, in marginal notes to his maps, that the continents might once have been joined before drifting apart—an early precursor to modern theories of continental drift. His combination of scientific precision, humanist learning, and aesthetic refinement made him a central figure in the golden age of Netherlandish cartography.
He maintained close associations with leading scholars and artists of his time, including Justus Lipsius, Christopher Plantin, and the cartographers Gerard de Jode and Petrus Plancius. His friendship with Mercator remained of great importance throughout his life, and Mercator dedicated several works to him.
Ortelius was appointed Royal Geographer to King Philip II of Spain in 1575, in recognition of his contributions to geography and the prestige his atlas brought to the Spanish Netherlands. He continued to reside in Antwerp, where he also acted as a patron to younger scholars and artists.
Abraham Ortelius died in Antwerp on 28 June 1598 and was buried in the Church of St Michael’s Abbey. His epitaph reads Quietis cultor sine lite, uxore, prole—“A worshipper of tranquillity, without dispute, wife, or children.” His maps and atlases remain milestones in the history of cartography, bridging medieval cosmography and the emerging scientific geography of the early modern world.