"Terra Sancta, a Petro Laicstain Perlustrata, et ab eius ore et Schedis a Christiano Schrot in Tabulam Redacta", Ortelius, Abraham

This striking map is considered the most 'modern' of Ortelius' maps of the Holy Land. It is a very detailed map, centered on Samaria, with north oriented to the left. The map was drawn by Christian Schrot with cartography based on Peter Laicksteen's wall map describing his 1566 visit to the Holy Land. The elaborate title cartouche incorporates vignettes of the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The map is further adorned with a bold distance scale featuring the head of Medusa and a dramatic scene depicting Jonah falling from a ship into the waiting jaws of the whale. Latin text on verso.

References: Laor #543; Nebenzahl (HL) plt. 31; Van den Broecke #173.

Condition: B+

A nice example on paper with Ortelius' common crossed arrows watermark. There are professional repairs along the centerfold to a pair of worm tracks, several short tears, and a 1/2" hole adjacent to Gergesa, with a minor amount of image replaced in facsimile. A tear that extends 3" into map at bottom has been archivally repaired with old paper on verso.