Antique Map of Africa 1570 — Ortelius, Africae Tabula Nova

An antique hand-colored map of Africa from Ortelius’s atlas, Antwerp 1570

This map of Africa, Africae tabula nova, appeared in 1570 in Abraham Ortelius’s Theatrum orbis terrarum, published in Antwerp “apud Aegid. Coppenium Diesth”, that is, Gielis Coppens van Diest. The Boston Public Library’s Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center describes its copy as hand colored, 37 × 49 cm; the back carries the title “Africa” and the page number 4. The record does not say who applied the color or when.

What to look for on the sheet

• The line “Africam Graeci Libyam app.” at the head of the title, as the record transcribes it.
• The privilege notice “Cum priuilegio”.
• Colored illustrations of fish and ships.
• Relief shown pictorially.

Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598) was born and died in Antwerp. Britannica describes him as trained as an engraver and setting up a book and antiquary business about 1554; the History of Cartography records that he started out as an “afsetter van carten”, an illuminator of maps. About 1560, under the influence of Gerardus Mercator, he became interested in mapmaking.

The Leventhal Center calls the Theatrum orbis terrarum “the first modern world atlas”. Stanford Libraries’ catalog of another 1570 copy explains what was new: it was “the first undertaking of its kind to reduce the best available maps to a uniform format”, and Ortelius named the mapmakers whose work he used. Stanford’s copy has 53 maps; its catalog credits nearly all the plates to the engraver Frans Hogenberg and his assistants.

The atlas outlived its author: Stanford’s catalog, citing Van der Krogt, lists 37 editions in Latin, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, English and Italian, the last in 1641. Britannica notes that in 1575 Ortelius was appointed geographer to Philip II of Spain.

Your file

How to print

• At 300 dpi the map prints to 37 cm. Pick the archive whose proportions match your frame; ask for matte fine-art paper in sRGB with auto-enhancement off.
• Where to print it: print shops near you and checked prices at online labs.

Source and rights

The file is made from the digitized image published by the Boston Public Library, Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center (the record notes that the atlas was scanned by Internet Archive), with the statement “No known copyright restrictions. No known restrictions on use.” The record dates the sheet 1570. It describes the sheet as hand colored but does not name the printing technique. There is no TIFF master in the package. Catalogue record: Leventhal Map & Education Center →