Abraham Ortelius

Nice early exampleof Ortelius’ map of SE Asia, Japan, and the Philippines, etc., including a small section of the West Coast of California.

The map includes Beach and other information drawn from Marco Polo. The map also includes a portion of the West Coast of North America, including several mythical names in California. The map is based upon Mercator’s world map of 1569. The difficulty of mapping this archipelago was such, that for centuries to come maps of this area remain faulty. Sumatra and Java are heavily oversized, and the Philippines are incomplete and without the Northern island of Luzon. The mermaids who are beautifying themselves rather than heeding the whales’ attack on nearby ships, are based on those occurring on Diego Gutierrez map of America.

From the rare 1571 French edition of Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern Atlas.

Abraham Ortelius