Printed from the second copper plate of three, first published in 1570. 

’ world map, ‘plate 1’, appeared in all early editions of the ‘Theatrum’ from 1570 onwards. After 1575 the copperplate developed an increasingly serious crack and despite attempts to save the corner using reinforcing bolts, Ortelius was finally forced to produce a new plate in 1586, the so-called intermediate ‘plate 2’. When it was first used, this plate was dated ‘1586’, however, as it was re-issued the date was erased, and examples of the map, as here, were printed without the date. Later still the coastline of South America was revised, removing the characteristic ‘bulge’. In turn, the entire plate was replaced in 1587. Many of the different states of the world map coexisted as Ortelius and his printers seemed to use whichever maps were to hand. Because of its brief period of use, all examples of the world map printed from the second plate, as here, are very rare.

Marcel van den Broecke (1996) provides further publishing history of this plate. However, even here this example is an anomaly. Van den Broecke states that ‘mostly’ the 1588 Spanish edition of the atlas contained the world map with a cloud border but a corrected coastline of South America (plate 2, state 3). The current example bears Spanish text, the cloud border, but an uncorrected coastline of South America, a combination that van den Broecke only alludes to in his work.

’ World Map, the first to be included in an atlas of uniform maps, is derived principally from 

’s wall map of 1569. Notable features include the depiction of the North Pole as four separate islands, the inclusion of Northeast and Northwest Passages as well as the distinctive ‘bulging’ South America. To the south is the vast ‘Terra Australis Nondum Cognita’ (‘Unknown Great Southern Land’), which was an assimilation of sightings and legends of landmasses made during Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation. The legend: ‘Hanc continentem Australem, nonnulli Magellanicam regionem ab eius inuentore nuncupant’ explains that this Southern continent is also known as ‘Magellanica’, after its 'discoverer'. 

Ortelius also assimilated information from the writings of Marco Polo and more nebulous sources such as early Spanish and Portuguese reports of lands to the south which would have gone through multiple sources. Ortelius himself credits the geographical information of Asia and the Far East to ‘M.Pauli: Ven’ or Marco Polo of Venice, and ‘Lud. Vartomanni’, Ludovico di Varthema, the celebrated Italian adventurer and traveller. This credit can be seen on the lower right of the map which on the peninsula labelled ‘Beach’. However, Ortelius was wise enough to question his authorities too, questioning whether New Guinea is part of the Southern continent or an island.

 (1527–1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer. He is recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas in 1570, the ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ (‘Theatre of the World’). Along with Gemma Frisius and 

, Ortelius is generally considered one of the founders of the Netherlandish school of cartography and an important geographer of Spain during the age of European exploration. The publication of his atlas in 1570 is often considered as the official beginning of the Golden Age of Netherlandish cartography.

In 1564 Ortelius published his first map, ‘Typus Orbis Terrarum’, an eight-sheet wall map of the world, on which he identified the northward extension of Terra Australis, reaching as far as New Guinea. He also published a two-sheet map of Egypt in 1565, a plan of the Brittenburg castle on the coast of the Netherlands in 1568, an eight-sheet map of Asia in 1567, and a six-sheet map of Spain before the appearance of his atlas.

In England, Ortelius's contacts included William Camden, Richard Hakluyt, Thomas Penny, Puritan controversialist William Charke, and Humphrey Llwyd, who would contribute the map of England and Wales to Ortelius's 1573 edition of the ‘Theatrum’. In 1578, he laid the basis of a critical treatment of ancient geography by his ‘Synonymia Geographica’. In 1596, he received a presentation from Antwerp, similar to that afterwards bestowed on Peter Paul Rubens. His death on 28 June 1598 and his burial in the church of Saint Michael's Abbey, Antwerp, were marked by public mourning. 

One of the most recognisable and famous sixteenth-century maps, this oval world map was created by the hugely influential cartographer 

 who drew on a wide range of sources, including the wall map of Gerhard Mercator and the writings of Marco Polo.

Below the map is a quote from the legendary Roman statesman Cicero: "To whom can anything great be seen in human affairs, to whom all eternity and the greatness of the whole world is known?"

This particular copy was issued in the first Spanish language edition of Ortelius’ atlas. It was published in 1588, which is the same year that the Spanish armada was launched by King Philip II against Protestant England. Spanish text can be found on the verso of this map, and the radiant colouring is original.

’ world map was printed for publication in the first Spanish edition of his ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ by Christophe Plantin. It is no coincidence that it was issued in 1588, the year that Philip II of Spain furthered his ambitions for Spanish world domination by launching his Armada against England.



"The publication of this Spanish atlas appears to have been very important for Plantin. Following his return to Antwerp in 1585, he did everything he could to convince the Spanish of his loyalty, despite his stay in the Calvinist, anti-Spanish town of Leiden. One means of attaining this goal was to dedicate a Spanish version of the atlas to the future king, Philip III. By the start of 1587, Plantin had begun to write to individuals who were close to the Spanish court in order to determine whether this gesture would be well received...Plantin did not dare to start to print the text before he was certain that his dedication to the crown prince would be accepted" (Imhof 1998, 88).

’ landmark map of the world on an oval projection, printed from the second copperplate, with the “bulge” in the coastline of South America, all in superb contemporary hand-colour. The Spanish language edition, printed in the same year that saw the launch of the Spanish Armada.

Double-page copperplate engraved oval map of the world, Spanish text on verso, with contemporary hand-colour in full.

Ortelius’ World Map, published in Spanish in the Year of the Armada