Archived Record - Auction Closed!! Auction #102, closed March, 2003

Lot Number: Title: Period: Cartographer: Subject: Size: Hammer Price: Description:

74 Americae Sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio 1573 Abraham Ortelius Western Hemisphere 19.7" x 14.3" $7,000.00 One of the most famous maps of America, and one that had enormous influence of the future cartography of the New World. Engraved by Frans Hogenberg, it is primarily based on Gerard Mercator's great multi-sheet world map of 1569. The most recognizable features of the map are the bulbous Chilean coastline and the exaggerated breadth of the North American continent. The strategically placed title cartouche hides the unknown South Pacific and therefore most of the conjectural great southern continent. This is the second state of the first plate, published in the Latin edition of 1573. This plate had a relatively short life and was published only between 1570 and 1574.