Catalog Archive
Auction 158, Lot 342

Ortelius' Map of Russia with a Vignette of Ivan the Terrible

"Russiae, Moscoviae et Tartariae Descriptio. Auctore Antonio Ienkensono Anglo...", Ortelius, Abraham

Subject: Russia, Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Period: 1579 (published)

Publication: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum

Color: Hand Color

Size:
17.2 x 13.6 inches
43.7 x 34.5 cm
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Fascinating map of Russia and the former Soviet republics from the surveys of the English merchant and adventurer, Anthony Jenkinson, in 1562. Jenkinson was leader of the Muscovy Company's first expedition to Russia and the first European to travel widely throughout the region. Ortelius' map replicates much of the detail and decoration found on the original Jenkinson map complete with extensive notations, illustrations of Cossacks, camels, encampments, armies, and a curious burial scene where the dead are hung from trees. A vignette of Ivan the Terrible appears at top left. Latin text on verso.

References: Van den Broecke #162.

Condition: B+

Full original color on watermarked paper with light toning, minor professional repairs along the centerfold, and marginal soiling. Although the pigment has begun to oxidize, the paper is still quite supple.

Estimate: $2,000 - $2,400

Sold for: $1,500

Closed on 6/22/2016

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