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Bidding has ended on this item. Item:1624 ORTELIUS Map CARTHAGE Tunisia Libya Ancient Africa  |
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Report itemAfricae Propriae Tabula 48.5 x 33.5 cm copperplate engraving, 59.5 x 46.5 cm sheet size, modern hand colour, Antwerp, engraved 1590, printed 1624 We are pleased to offer this scarce original map of ancient North Africa and the realm of the Carthage from the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum of Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598), the first true atlas in the modern sense. This example of "historical cartography" was presented in the Parergon section of the Theatrum, where Ortelius notes that his historical maps "are published separately from the Theatrum, where places are shown as they are in the present day" and that he "includes them as a supplement at the instigation of friends." No matter the self-effacing introduction, it is evident that Ortelius put far more personal effort into the maps of the Parergon than the "present day" maps of the Theatrum which in most cases were entirely composed by other cartographers. Here Ortelius draws upon the writings of Pliny, Virgil, Herodotus and other classical authors for placenames and locations - in his text commentary on verso Ortelius clearly envisioned this map as an essential aid to the study of Carthage and its history - a city that at its pinnacle he describes "as second only to Rome and which only Alexandria could rival." The beautifully engraved map presents lovely decorative elements, a detailed inset map of Carthage, and is a quintessential example of the unique synthesis of profound historical scholarship and wonderfully decorative cartography that the Parergon maps present. This exceptionally well preserved example is from the 1624 printing issued by Balthasar Moretus (1574-1641), publishing just the Parergon maps as a separate work.
Many of the ornate cartouches used by Ortelius' engravers were in fact taken from a series of ornament prints designed by the brilliant painter, architect and graphic artist Hans Vredeman de Vries. This large and flamboyant title cartouche presents the "map of Africa Proper, in which you see the Punic Kingdom of Tyrios and the city of Agenor." The dedication is to Christoffel d'Assonleville (1528-1607), the jurist, knight and royal council for Philip II. Note Malta at left, described as a Carthaginian colony now famous for the shipwreck of St. Paul:
Inset map for Carthage and environs presented as "a depiction of the Gulf and City of Carthage along with other places in the vicinity" - note meticulous pictorial representation of buildings and aquedeuct, named outposts, tiny ships - all within a diameter of just 75 mm!
An ornate strapwork cartouche houses Ortelius' exhaustive listing of places in the region he found mentioned in the writings of classical authors and historians but that he could not pinpoint as to location so in the interests of accuracy he omitted them from the map itself, indicative of his deep scholarship and committment to accuracy:  The map shows a community of Lotus Eaters inhabiting the region near the location Pliny cites for the Gardens of the Hesperides - note pictorial topography and tiny "trees":
To get a sense of map detail consider that the distance between Carthage and Tunis as seen in the photo below measures just 1 cm actual size:
Tripoli and environs, with the more traditional island home of the Lotus Eaters on the island of Djerba:
Ortelius'
Latin text on verso on Carthage is a fascinating document in and of
itself, and includes images of coins related to Carthage from Ortelius'
collection - he was one of the leading numismatists of his
day. The printer Moretus added a fourth coin for this 1624
edition depicting Venus on horseback, a goddess worshipped by
the Carthiginians and mentioned by Ortelius in the text. We
are pleased to provide representative excerpts based on the text
from the English translation used in the 1606 London edition of the
Theatrum below:
 ...despite
the valour and great strength of Carthage, always eminent and famous in
foreign wars abroad, it was so often shaken and outmastered many times
at home. At length having flourished in great power for some
737 years (as most authors agree) the Romans came to envy it as a
threat to their empire and thus assaulted, battered, took, sacked,
utterly spoiled and at last consumed it in dust and ashes...
...Venus Coelestis, who loved Carthage above all else in the world and where she stored her weapons and chariot, is expressed on a certain ancient coin I have...showing the lion on which she rode, her weapon the thunderbolt as the engines of the gods and goddesses are expressed on these coins... ...the Carthiginians were said to be such drunkards, so deceitful, fraudulent, covetous, treacherous, disloyal, lewd, lecherous and unchaste as to be unworthy of the name African...  Condition - Please note carefully: Map is in overall very good condition as can be ascertained from photos, image area essentially pristine, strong impression with distinct platemark, fine laid paper with watermark. Part of original binding strip (~ 1 cm wide along centrefold) is present on verso; its outline and some associated minor soft creasing is faintly visible along centrefold on recto as is usual. The creasing along centrefold becomes somewhat more pronounced along the bottom third of centrefold and in lower margin. There is a diagonal printed line near map centre that appears to be an "as issued" artifact of the printing process, most likely a hairline crack in the plate. The map exhibits additional minor creases and trivial soiling in margins, all outside image area. The hand colouring on this example of the map is of the very finest calibre and the map will make an elegant presentation if matted and framed. Inquiries welcome and we encourage you to visit our other auctions on eBay. Note: Final auction price includes insured shipment within continental United States. All other customers to pay actual shipping costs via traceable means including full insurance. International buyers are wholly responsible for any applicable customs fees, duties or taxes upon receipt; these charges are NOT included in shipping charges or unit price. International buyers should verify what charges would apply to any resultant transaction with customs officials in their countries prior to bidding. Such charges are typically collected by the courier, e.g. FedEx, and are NOT additional shipping or handling fees. Terms and Conditions - Please read carefully: Payment accepted via PayPal. This secure eBay-owned service allow buyers around the world to use existing credit cards to make purchases and will result in immediate shipment. Please note that we do not bill credit cards directly - payment must be processed through PayPal. If you are unable or unwilling to utilise this convenient means of electronic payment, please contact us prior to placing any bids to see if alternate payment arrangements can be made. Bank wire transfers are acceptable on auctions over $500.00 or in countries where PayPal is not available; on auctions over $2000.00 bank wire transfer is preferred. Personal cheques will not be accepted. Successful bidders are expected to adhere to eBay policies in establishing contact within three days of auction closing time and completing transactions in a timely manner. We reserve the right to declare this auction void if there is a disruption to eBay operations during the two hour period prior to auction close. In such event, all bidders will be notified and the item will be relisted. - Bidders are cautioned that the problem of fraudulent "second chance offer" emails sent to unsuccessful bidders on eBay auctions has reached epidemic proportions. Please be advised that we NEVER participate in the "second chance offer" program on eBay and that any such email is illegitimate and intended to defraud. Please forward any such emails received regarding any of our auctions with full headers to the Transaction Interception department of eBay's SafeHarbor office. In addition, both successful and unsuccessful bidders are cautioned to be exceptionally vigilant regarding "spoofed" emails, fraudulent PayPal invoices and other common scams. In response to frequent inquiries, please be advised that the terms engraving, lithograph, woodcut etc. as used in our auction descriptions denote a PRINT, i.e. an image printed on a sheet of paper, and that all such items are unconditionally guaranteed to be original and authentic - we never offer reproductions. Please see our glossary for definitions of terminology used in our auction descriptions. We conduct our business in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America and are committed to complete customer satisfaction with every purchase. We encourage you to evaluate our eBay customer feedback as a convenient means of gauging our performance and reputation. "Some to beautify their halls, parlours and chambers... liketh, loveth, getteth, and useth maps, charts, and geographical globes" - John Dee (1527-1608)"...Maps begin as dreams, pass through a finite life in the world, and resume as dreams again..," - Thomas Pynchon
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