Americae Sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio. . .

This is the second copperplate of Ortelius' map showing the western hemisphere, showing the largest ships in the Pacific sailing eastward and the prominent bulge in the South American coastline. The strapwork border is 4 mm thick and of triangular design. Graduations are now appear along the equatorial line.
The copperplate on which this particular map was engraved was used only from 1579 till 1587 and is therefore the rarest of all. An important map because of it's influence on the European perceptions of America.
When the map was first published by Abraham Ortelius at Antwerp in 1570, it was the best map of the Americas available. It was in fact the first of it's kind to achieve wide circulation through an atlas. Lower California is correctly shown as a peninsula and America is separated from Asia in the northwest.

This particular map is taken from a "ruled" atlas ; in the 16th century it was fashionable adding a brown-ink line around the text block or a map. This was done for each page in the book, a very time consuming work and it was only done for deluxe copies.


Reference: Burden, America 39./ Broecke, Ortelius 10.