The typography of the verso text conforms to the 1598 French edition of the atlas. It remained, unchanged, in the Ortelius atlas through the rest of its run. Publication History and CensusThis map was engraved for inclusion in Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum in 1584 to replace and correct his 1570 map. Her fluttering tunic floated in the breeze. Fear filled her heart as, gazing back, she saw A scantily-clad Europa sits a chaste sidesaddle upon the back of the insatiable Zeus, in the guise of a bull galloping into the sea. With the plinth-styled cartouche, the classicist Ortelius alludes to Ovid's description of Zeus' seduction of Europa, the continent's namesake. A Tartar encampment threatens Moscovia's borders, and an attractive galleon sails the Atlantic. An Attractive EngravingOrtelius' map is an elegant composition, incorporating an understated compass rose in the upper right. This resulted in the apparent distortion visible here of the Iberian Peninsula, but avoided the drastic exaggeration in size of the northern regions on Mercator's map. In execution, the two differ most sharply in Ortelius' decision not to use Mercator's famous projection. But overall, his main source was the 1554 map of Europe produced by his friend and colleague, Gerard Mercator. Details of Russia come from the 1562 Jenkinson map. His treatment of Scandinavia drew on the 1539 Olaus Magnus map. The two are most easily distinguished by the calligraphic 'Africae Pars' labeling north Africa here (the first plate used Roman capitals instead.) SourcesOrtelius credited a broad array of sources for his data, including Apianus, Vopell, Waldseemüller and Zell among others. This is the second, 1584 plate of the map, notable for its superior engraving, and multiple corrections. This is a beautiful, original color example of Abraham Ortelius' general map of Europe.
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