Universe Europae Maritime Eiusque Navigationis Descriptio. Generale Pascaerte van Europa . . .

This general chart of western Europe and the surrounding coastal waters is from the rare pilot-guide Spieghel der Zeevaerdt ,first printed by Christopher Plantin in Leyden from 1584 and later by Cornelis Claesz in Amsterdam from 1589.

SECOND PLATE: This second plate of 1592 is more boldly engraved (by Johannes van Doeticum) and aesthetically more pleasing than the first plate of 1583. It would even be more correct to state that the 1592 state is a new map altogether, since it displays much more cartographic information, including parts of Nova Zembla, Russia and the whole of Italy, and also the White, Baltic and Adriatic seas, by shifting to Ferro as the prime meridian. It also contains an improved outline of Iceland and more and better engraved coast-of-arms. Embellished with ships and overlaid with directional rhumbs radiating from decorative compass-roses, it finds its sources in portolan charts. The scalloped design of the shores is also characteristic of the portolans. The place names are written inland continuously around the coast from north to south, in order to facilitate the navigator's readings. A rare and splendid map.