Abrahami Patriarchae Peregrinatio, Et Vita.
14 x 18 inches, Fine hand color; excellent condition. A superb example. "'The Wanderings of Abraham' is among the most elaborate of Ortelius's compositions. It demonstrates his combined skills as a cartographer and an artist, and his accomplishment as an historian" (Nebenzahl). Twenty-two fine medallions, each containing in miniature a key episode in the life of Abraham, surround the map. As van den Broecke points out, the vignettes were based on designs by Maarten de Vos, an Antwerp artist. The map itself attempts to be geographically faithful to the time of Abraham, having tribal names and territorial divisions as they were in his lifetime; for example, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are shown. In trompe l’oeil style, the engraving presents the map itself as a wall map complete with rollers and nails. Unlike most maps in Ortelius’ atlas, this and others depicting classical and ancient geography were composed by Ortelius himself, which is so indicated on this work. Classical and Biblical geography was a great personal interest of the great map compiler. Curiously, this second edition of the map appeared only two years after the first. Van den Broecke has argued that this second plate appeared so soon after the first because its "superior engraving" suggests dissatisfaction with the first plate. This example is apparently an unrecorded state, as its verso text does not match those identified by Van den Broecke. Nebenzahl, K. Maps of the Holy Land, no. 34; Laor, E. Maps of the Holy Land, no. 547; Van den Broecke, M. Ortelius Atlas Maps no. 183.
Sold