ATLAS. — ORTELIUS (Abraham)

Lot 109
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6000 - 8000 EUR
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Result : 25 189EUR
ATLAS. — ORTELIUS (Abraham)
Theater of the universe, containing the maps of everyone. With a brief statement of icels. S.l. [at the end] : Antwerp, From Christofle Plantin's Printing House, 1581. In-folio, brown calf, double framing of two gilded fillets, gilded spandrels, gilded fleuron, central cartouche on a blue background with mention in the centre, small cartouche with an indication of belonging on the plates, decorated back (period binding). First major modern atlas, drawn up by the Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598). Third edition in French, illustrated with an architectural title, a very beautiful portrait of the author in a medallion in an ornamented winding frame, and 93 double-page cards with the text printed on the front. The publication in 1570 in Antwerp of the Theatrum orbis terrarum marked an important step in the history of cartography: It was the first uniformly sized, systematic collection of maps of the countries of the world based only on contemporary knowledge and in that sense may be called the first modern atlas (Tooley in Map and Map-Makers). The first French translation (1572) contained only 53 maps, and the second (1574) included 69. An exemplary pleasure in a superb binding decorated with the period. It belonged to an amateur (we think we read the name Jacques Sanson) whose name and motto, once printed in gold letters on the dishes, have been a little scratched. Two small, brownish and illegible stamps at the bottom of a cover page. Reinforced frontispiece on the back, with erased stamp. A few freckles and wet spots, a small gallery of worms touching the top of about fifteen cards. Restored binding (corners, caps and hinges).
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