The Flanders 'Egg' map

ORTELIUS, Abraham.

Flandria.
Antwerp, 1574, Latin text edition. Coloured, with gold highlights. 390 x 505mm.

Page number added in old ink mss. on verso: the ink has burned through the paper, leaving small holes, which have been filled.

The so-called 'Egg' map, because of its oval strapwork borders. This example has the pagination of the 1574 edition of the Theatrum erased and the number of the 1579 edition added in old ink mss: the publishers were obviously using up the remainder of an old edition. Normally the 1579 edition would have the map from the second plate, which has the woman holding the shield in contemporary dress rather than classical.

VAN DEN BROECKE: 75.
Stock ID : 12924