"Abissinorum sive Pretiosi Ioannis Imperiu", Mercator/Hondius

The legendary kingdom of the Christian Prester John is the central focus of this impressive map of central Africa. It is cartographically similar to Ortelius' map, based on the travels of the Portuguese explorer, Francisco Alveres, who searched for the mythical kingdom in 1520. The kingdom itself is shown atop the Amara Mons in the region that Alveres encountered the Coptic Christian ruler David II. The large inset of the Congo region, also based on Ortelius, illustrates the travels of another Portuguese explorer, Duarte Lopez. The Nile is shown with its source in the Ptolemaic twin lakes of Zaire and Zaflan, at the foot of the Mountains of the Moon (Lunae Montes). The stunning sheet is graced with strapwork title and scale of miles cartouches and a bold moiré patterned sea. French text on verso.

References:

Condition: B+

Lovely original color and full, original margins with minor color offsetting and a hint of toning.