Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 161

© Marcel van den Broecke © Title: ISLANDIA. [Iceland] (upper left:) Priuilegio Imp. et Belgico decennali/A. Ortel. excud. 1585. [Depicted by Abraham Ortelius with an imperial and Belgian privilege for ten years, 1585] (cartouche bottom right corner:) ILLVSTRISS. AC POTENTISS./REGI FREDERICO II DANIÆ,/NORVEGIÆ, SLAVORVM, GO:/THORVMQVE REGI, ETC. PRIN:/CIPI SVO CLEMENTISSIMO, ANDREAS VELLEIVS/DESCRIBEB. ET DEDICABAT. [Drawn up and dedicated by Andreas Velleius to the Illustrious and powerful Frederick the Second, King of the Danes, Norwegians, Slavs, Goths etc., his most merciful Majesty]. Centre top: Hola, altera sedes/episcopalis, cum/schola. [Hola, the other episcopal seat, with a school.] Centre top: Sud eodem tecto/homines, canes,/sues, et oues. [Under the same roof humans, their dogs and birds find protection.] Centre: Fons cereuisialis, qui ali:/quando ob domini sui/auariti:am sedem mutauit. [A beer-like fountain, which at one time because of the avarice of its lord moved.] Hiatus terræ/fœtentes [Here are terrible crevices in the earth.] Centre: Skalholt sedes/episcopalis, cui/adiuncta est schola. [Skalholt, an episcopal seat, to which a school is connected.] Centre right: Equorum/tanta hic/velocitas, vt/continuo cur:/su 20. milli:/aria con:/ficiant. [The speed of the horses here is such, that in their gallop they can cover 20 miles per hour.] Centre right: Hekla perpetuis/damnata æstib. et ni:/uib. horrendo boatu/lapides evomit [The Hekla, perpetually condemned to storms and snow, vomits stones under terrible noise.] Lower centre: Fontes ferui:/dißini [Boiling hot springs.] Fons commutans la:/nas nigras in/albas. [A spring which turns black wool into white wool.] Fons commutans/lanas albas in/nigras [A spring which turns white wool into black wool.] Centre right: His notis distinguitur limes inter vtramque diocesim. [By this line the border between the two dioceses is indicated.] Fodinæ sulphuræ/præstantißimæ. [Excellent sulphur mines.] Vaccæ marinæ [Sea cows.] Corui, et falcones albi. [White crows and falcons.] In hoc lacu est anguis/insolitæ magnitudinis, no:/xius incolis. apparet cum/memorabiles ingruunt mutationes. [In this lake there is a snake of unusual size, harmful to the inhabitants, appearing in memorable different shapes.] Lower right: Astuta vulpe:/cularum vena:/tio, in nidis volu:/crum inuestigandis/atque diripiendis. [Here is clever hunting by foxes, that inspect birds nests and destroy them.]

Plate size: 341 x 497 mm
Scale: 1 : 1,700,000
Identification number: Ort 161 (Koeman/Meurer: 121, Karrow: 1/172, van der Krogt AN: 1250:31)

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
some 1587F103 (100 copies printed) (no text features known),
1590L4Addblank (100 copies printed) (identical in text and typesetting to 1592L but here without page number; last line, right aligned, in cursive script: "moles"; penultimate line, italic: "torum cymbas construunt. Pro his contra exportant Islandicum pannum, (vulgò VVatman) ingentes sulphuris effosi; last line second text page: terra: KLOSTER, claustrum, monasterium: AUST, Oriens: WEST, Occidens: NORD, Septemtrio: SUYD, Meridies.), ,
1591G4Addblank (75 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Gothic script: dessen stucken ubersteigen offtmals die lenge viertzig ellen/darauf dieweysse beeren/umb fisch;ue fangen sich setzen/etc.),
1592L98 (525 copies printed) (identical in text and typesetting to 1590L4Add but here with page number 98; last line, right aligned, in cursive script: "moles"; penultimate line, italic: "torum cymbas construunt. Pro his contra exportant Islandicum pannum, (vulgò VVatman) ingentes sulphuris effosi; last line second text page: terra: KLOSTER, claustrum, monasterium: AUST, Oriens: WEST, Occidens: NORD, Septemtrio: SUYD, Meridies.),
1595L103 (500 copies printed) (last line, right aligned: his; penultinate line: team,cultros,calceos,mulierum vittas & pepla,pilcos,&ligna ex quibus ædes&piscatorum cymbas construunt. Pro ; last line second text page, [normal script:]terra: [Gothic script:] kloster/[normal script:]claustrum: [Gothic script:] Aust/[normal script:] Oriens: [Gothic script:] West/ [normal script:] Occidens: [Gothic script:] Nord/[normal script] Septentrio: [Gothc script:]Suyd/ [normal script:] Meridies.),
1598/1610/1613D72 (100 copies printed) (last line, first text page, in Gothic script, centered like 6 lines above it: zijn belieuen; last line second page, centered: Leckt Hecla 'tfirmament met haer peijnlikhe vlammen.),
1598F103 or 104 (525 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: quefois; one but last line, full width: vne montaigne appellee Hacla,soubs laquelle est vn feu qui brusle tousiours,mais la flamme ne se monstre sinon quel-),
1601L103 (200 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: his ; one but last line: genteam,cultros,calceos,mulierum vittas & pepla,pilcos,& ligna ex quibus ædes & piscatorum cymbas construunt. Pro last line second text page, [Gothic script:] ster/[normal script:]claustrum: [Gothic script:] Aust/[normal script:] Oriens: [Gothic script:] West/ [normal script:] Occidens: [Gothic script:] Nord/[normal script] Septentrio: [Gothc script:]Suyd/ [normal script:] Meridies: [Gothic script:] Fior/[normal script:] quator significat.),
1602G106 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Gothic script like the entire text: weisse Beeren/vmb fisch zu fangen sich setzen/&c.),
1602S106 (250 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: de las; last line second text page, Gothic script in front of slash: Suyd/Meridie: Fior/quiere dezir Quatro.),
1603L106 (300 copies printed) (text, but not page number and typesetting, identical to 1609/1612L; last line, right aligned, first text page: Islandi-; last line, left aligned, second text page: "Fior", quator significat.),
1606E103 (300 copies printed) (last line, first text page, full width: Out of the East and North part of the iland, where there is great plenty of grasse,they transport into other countries,Mutton and Beefe,butter and/sometime),
1608/1612I115 (300 copies printed) (last line frist text page, right aligned: melata, ; last line second text page, left aligned: "Suyd", Mezo di: "Fior", significa quattro.),
1609/1612/1641S116 (325 copies printed) (last line second text page, centered: ra, monesterio: "aust", Orient: "VVest", Occidente: "Nord", Septentrion: "Suyd", Meridie: "Fior", quiere dezir quatro.),
1609L/1612L116 (300 copies printed) (text, but not page number and typesetting, identical to 1603L; last line, right aligned, first text page: Islandi-; last line, left aligned, second text page: "Fior", quator significat.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 4150.

States: 161.0 pre-print version without key letters for monster, of dubious existence, see below under remarks.
161.1: with key letters for monsters.

Cartographic sources: bishop Gudbrandur Thorlaksson (1542-1627) provided cartographic data to Anders Sörensen Vedel (1542-1616), sent to Ortelius, possibly via Heinrich von Ranzau (Meurer p. 260-261). Brandmair states that Vedel based himself directly on the Icelandic bishop Gudbrand.

Remarks: J. Boisseau in his Théâtre Géographique (1648) produced a close copy of this map, with a description rather than a dedication in the lower right. Christie's London reports in its catalogue (11 Nov. 1992) an early state without key letters for the sea monsters, and a description rather than a dedication at the lower right which may or may not refer to this map.

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