1573 Ortelius Map: First to Name California, Spanning Tartary to North America

Antique map titled 'Indiae Orientalis Insularumque Adiacientium Typus'. Ortelius includes early European depictions of both Japan and China and is the first to name Formosa (Taiwan). The Philippines and East Indies or Spice Islands are shown based upon Portuguese and Spanish sources, and before their penetration by the Dutch. Japan is shown in kite form, as a large oval island...

Antique map titled 'Barbariae et Biledulgerid nova descriptio'. Old map of coastal North Africa and the Mediterranean. The map extends from Morocco and the Sahara to Libya and sh...

Antique map titled 'Barbariae et Biledulgerid Nova Descriptio'. Original antique map of North Africa. The map covers the regions of Barbaria and Biledulgerid, essentially the territo...

Antique map titled 'Insularum Britannicarum Acurata Delineatio'. Original antique map of the ancient British Isles. England and Wales are labelled as B...

1612 Abraham Ortelius, entitled "Lorraine, Lotharingiae, Nova Desciptio," Hand Colored Description: Artists and Engravers: Ortelius is the best known for producing the atla...

This is a framed 16th century hand-colored copperplate map of northern Italy entitled "Veronae Urbis Territorium a Bernardo Bragnolo Descriptium" by Abraham Ortelius from his atlas "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum", which was the first modern atlas of the world, with the first volume published in 1570. This map was part of a subsequent volume, published in Antwerp in 1584. It was based on an earlier map by Bernardo Brognoli. This beautiful map of northern Italy is focussed on Verona and its environs, including Mantua. Lake Garda and the South Tyrol mountains are prominently depicted. There is a very large striking cartouche in the upper left and a decorative distance scale in the lower right. This striking hand-colored map of northern Italy is presented in a gold-colored wood frame and an olive green-colored mat. It is glazed with UV conservation glass. All mounting materials used are archival. The frame measures 21.5" high by 28" wide by 0.75" deep. There is a central vertical fold, as issued, with slight separation of the lower portion of the fold. There are faint spots in the upper and right margins, but the map is otherwise in very good condition. Abraham Ortelius (also known as Ortels, Orthellius, and Wortels) (1527-1598) was a Dutch cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer. He began his career as a map colorist. In 1547 he entered the Antwerp guild of St Luke as an "illuminator of maps". He had an affinity for business from an early age and most of his journeys before 1560, were for business. He was a dealer in antiques, coins, maps, and books. 
His business income allowed him to acquire an extensive collection of medals, coins, and antiques, as well as a large library of books...

A 17th century hand-colored map of North & South America entitled "Americae Descriptio" by the cartographer Johannes Jansson, published in Jansson's Atlas Minor in Amsterdam in 1628....

This original attractive 17th century hand-colored map of North Africa entitled "Nova Barbariae Descriptio" by Johannes Janssonius was published in Paris in 1635. It includes the Med...