"Transilvania", Ortelius, Abraham

This map of the fabled area in present-day Romania shows mountain ranges, forests and the fertile river valleys. It is decorated with three strapwork cartouches including one that credits Sambucus's map of 1566 as the basis of this map, and is surrounded by a boldly engraved border. German text on verso. This is the second state with a crack in the plate visible near the center of the image. There were only 1650 copies printed of all editions of this plate before a new plate was engraved, likely due to the appearance of the crack.

References: Van den Broecke #152.2; The Map Collector #36, p.5

Condition: B+

A nice impression with full contemporary color on a sturdy, watermarked sheet with marginal soiling, dampstains in the top corners of the sheet, and archival repairs to centerfold separations at top and bottom.