Ortelius' First Map of Ireland from First Edition Containing this Map

"Eryn. Hiberniae, Britannicae Insulae, Nova Descriptio. Irlandt", Ortelius, Abraham

This exceptional map was based on Mercator's 1564 wall map of the British Isles and is presented with west oriented to the top. This is the first map of Ireland to include any geographic details; its predecessors being crudely drawn Italian maps. It is divided into counties and shows towns, rivers, lakes, forests, coastal islands and a host of other details. There are several Latin annotations throughout the map. The map is typical of Ortelius' refined, yet ebullient style with bold strapwork title and scale cartouches and a pair of ships in the stormy sea off the northern coastline. This is the rare second state, with Latin text on verso, published in the first edition in which this map appeared.

References: Law, pp. 6-9; Van den Broecke #22.2.

Condition: B+

A sharp, early impression on a sheet with the crossed arrows watermark commonly found on Ortelius maps. There are two small holes in the image at top, light toning along the centerfold, and scattered foxing in the blank margins. The top margin has been extended with old paper that was pasted on recto and shows glue stains.