"Illyricum", Ortelius, Abraham

Handsome map of the coastal region of Slovenia and Croatia based on the cartography of Johann Sambucus (1572) and Hirschvogel (1565). It is filled with mountains, forests and hundreds of tiny villages and decorated with a strapwork title cartouche. This is the first state, with German text on verso, published in 1580 or 1589. A short crack in the plate is visible in the border at left.

References: Van den Broecke #144.

Condition: B+

Full contemporary color on a sheet with a small coat of arms watermark, marginal soiling, light toning along the centerfold, and printer's creases along the sides of the sheet. There are archival repairs to some small tears adjacent to the centerfold.