Americae Sive Novi Orbis Nova Descriptio.

1587 / 1589 Ortelius Map of America (English Colonies in North America)

Verlag: Erscheinungsdatum: 1587

Very good. Reinforced areas of oxidation with virtually no impact to image; full original color with a warm patina. Size 14 x 19 Inches. This is Abraham Ortelius' map of the Americas in an attractive, early example of the 1587 third plate, printed in 1589. It represents the state-of-the-art mapping of the Western Hemisphere during the initial period of European Colonization. It is significant as the first printed map to illustrate the Chesapeake Bay, predating John White's 1590 map of Virginia. The First Mapping of the Virginia Colony Nestled between Nova Francia in the north and La Florida in the south are new details revealing this as the first printed map to show the Chesapeake Bay, predating the 1590 White / De Bry America nunc pars, nunc Virginia . This iteration of Ortelius' map included an inlet in the vicinity of the Chesapeake, which did not appear on the earlier versions of this map or any other. Although the bay is not named, it appears within the region named Wingandekoa , which was the Native American word for the territory around the Chesapeake Bay, as reported by Sir Walter Raleigh's 1584 expedition. This knowledge almost certainly reached Ortelius from Jacob Cole, his nephew, who corresponded with his uncle while living in London. The surviving correspondence referred specifically to Wingandekoa, a placename that appeared on no map before this one. Trimming Patagonia The most obvious update over the two earlier plates is a correction of the 'Potato-shaped' bulge in the Chilean coast of South America, derived from Mercator's 1569 world map. The resulting, much more recognizable coastline may have been inspired by the report of new Pacific islands off the South American coast, necessitating a reassessment of the coastline. Absent from earlier versions, this third plate includes the islands of St. Nabor (Ambor) and S. Felix, sighted by Juan Férnandez in 1574 (here misdated 1572). It was likely the report of these islands that alerted Ortelius to errors in earlier mappings. The west coast of North America also has been updated. The placename 'California' is a new addition. B. de los Primeros appears, and, in northern Mexico, Culiacan is newly named. In central Mexico, an entirely new river system appears. Many islands in the Pacific west of California also have been added. In the South Pacific, Ortelius has added the Solomon Islands. The overall outline of the American continent is otherwise retained. The American Northeast is dominated by Nova Francia and the St. Lawrence, with new data from Cartier's voyages. The Strait of Magellan is shown, though Tierra del Fuego appears not as an island but as part of the speculative southern continent 'Terre Australis' extending all the way to New Guinea. The Pacific Ocean is optimistically narrower than is correct, with New Guinea appearing south of Quivira and the strait of Anian. In Mexico and the Southwest, Coronado's placenames of Cevola (Cibola), Tiguex, and Quivira, all supposed kingdoms of gold, appear. Ortelius' Sources The number of place names appearing in Spanish suggests the bulk of Ortelius' finer details were derived from Spanish sources - itself a remarkable accomplishment, as the Spanish and Portuguese were famously reticent to publish their discoveries, particularly in the New World. These sources, naturally, are nameless - but the sharp detail of the parts of the Americas within the Spanish sphere gives the game away. The Pacific coast, Mexico, the Caribbean and the Gulf, and South America all reveal details from a source familiar with the Spanish journeys. Zeno's Mark on the North As was the case with Ortelius' world map and map of Scandinavia, this work includes the long-lived yet spurious cartography of the Venetian Nicolo Zeno the Younger. This can be seen in the upper-right-hand extreme of the map, in the imaginary islands of Frisland, Icaria, and Deogeo. Importantly, Zeno's placename 'Estotiland' appears on the Labrador coast. That name had been appl. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers America-ortelius-1587-2

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Americae Sive Novi Orbis Nova Descriptio.
Erscheinungsdatum: 1587
Einband: Softcover