Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 166

Title: INDIAE | ORIENTALIS, | INSVLARVMQVE | ADIACENTI:|VM TY:|PVS. [A map of the East Indies and surrounding islands]. (Bottom right:) "Cum Priuilegio." [With privilege]. [On banner near Moluccas:] "Insulæ Moluccæ ob maximam | aromatum copiam, quam per | totum terrarû orbem trans|ferunt, 5.sunt, iuxta Gilolo | nempe, Tarenate, Tidore, | Motir, Machia et Bachia." [Of the famous Moluccas islands there are next to Gilolo five, exporting all over the world a great abundance of fragrant spices, namely Tarenate, Tidore, Motir, Machia and Bachia.] (Bottom right:) "NOVA GVINEA | quam Andreas Corsalis Ter:|ram Piccinaculi appellare vi:|detur. An insula sit, an pars | continentis Australis incer:|tum est". [New Guinea, which seems to be called Piccinaculusland by Andreas Corsalis. Whether this is an island or part of the South Land is uncertain.] (Text top left, around coat of arms:) "PERSIAE | siue So:phorum Im:|perij li:mites ad In:|dum flu:uium vsque | pertin:gunt". [The borders of Persia, or the empire of the Sophies, extend all the way to the river Indus].

Plate size: 347 x 496 mm
Scale: 1 : 22,000,000
Identification number: Ort 166 (Koeman/Meurer: 48, Karrow: 1/68, vdKrogtAN: 8400:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1570L(AC)48 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 4 lines above it: peritus Indicarum Historiarum libros 3.),
1570L(B)48 (100 copies printed) (last line, centred like one line above it: Macer Iurisperitus Indicarum Historiarum libros III.),
1571L48 (275 copies printed) (last line, centred like 6 lines above it: storiarum libros.III.),
1571D/1573D48 (350 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it: selfde Zee Mar del Zur ghenoemt hebben.),
1572G48Koler (pasted over p.48 of a 1570L edition; few copies printed) (last line, left aligned, mostly in Gothic script: in welcher du vil gutes dings von der Insula Iapan finden wirst. Es hat auch Iohannes Macer ein Jurist 3. Bücher von Indischen Historien geschrieben.),
1572/1573G48 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it: Meer "Mar del Zur" gehaissen haben.),
1572/1574F48 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 7 lines above it: mée,Mar del Zur.),
1573L(A)63 (40 copies printed) (in cursive script like the entire text, centred like the line above it: "Castagnedo harum Indiarum historias etiam Hispanica lingua edidit".
1573L(B)63 (40 copies printed) (last line, centred like one line above it, in cursive script like the entire text: "Indiarum historias etiam Hispanica lingua edidit."),
1574L63 (175 copies printed) (large page number, 11 mm; last line, italic like the entire text, and centred like 2 lines above it: "do harum Indiarum historias etiam Hispanica lingua edidit".),
1575L63 (100 copies printed) (small page number, 7 mm; last line, italic like the entire text, and centred like 2 lines above it: "Hispanica lingua edidit".),
1579L(A)84 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script as is the entire text: "ctor Castagnedo,harum Indiarum historias etiam Hispanica lingua edidit". ; page number 84 positioned below "quidam" in penultimate text line.),
1579L(B)84 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script as is the entire text: "ctor Castagnedo,harum Indiarum historias etiam Hispanica lingua edidit". ; page number 84 positioned below space in last line between "lingua" and "edidit".),
1580/1589G84 (350 copies printed) (last line, centred like 4 lines above it, in Gothic script: lassen außgehen.},
1581F84 (400 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ilz ont nommée,Mar del Zur.),
1584L94 (750 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script like the entire text: "lege lib. vigesimum tomi secundi Goncali Ferdinandi Ouetani, eadem lingua editum."),
1587F94 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ont nommée , Mar del Zur.),
1588S94 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: uiedo,estampado en la mesma lengua.),
1592L102 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script: "lingua editum".),
1595L108 (500 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: di Gonsali Ferdinandi Ouetani,eadem lingua editum.),
1598F109 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: stré, laquelle ilz ont nommée, Mar del Zur.),
1598/1610/1613D77 (100 copies printed) (last line, centred like five lines above it: noemt hebben.),
1601L108 (200 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Ferdinandi Ouetani , eadem lingua editum.),
1602G111 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred 4 lines above it, in Gothic script like the entire text: lassen außgehen.),
1602S111 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Ouiedo, estampado en la mesme lengua.),
1603L111 (300 copies printed) (text, but not typesetting and page number, identical to 1609/1612L; last line, in cursive script like the entire text, left aligned: "secundi Gonsali Ferdinandi Ouetani , eadem lingua editum".),
1606E108 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: of the second Tome of "Gonsaluo Ouetani", written in like maner in the Spanish tongue.),
1608/1612I120 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script like the entire text: "Giaua scritte in loro linguaggio, & poscia in Latino & in Italico traslate."),
1609/1612L121 (300 copies printed) (text, but not typesetting and page number, identical to 1603L; last line, left aligned: mi secundi Gonsali Ferdinandi Ouetani,eadem lingua editum.),
1609/1612/1641S121 (325 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: do en la mesma lengua.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 8175.

States: 166.1 as described.
166.2: 1579L(B) has degrees along top edge 150-160-170 changed to 150-100-170. Maybe the tail of the 6 in 160 just faded away in which case it is no new state, but an unintentional change.
166.3: 1584L oblique hachuring in top left cartouche with towers replaced by small random dots.
166.4: 1587F regular vertical dot pattern in the seas replaced by a random dot pattern. Wide hachuring added to all islands and coastlines.
166.5: in 1609/1612L degrees along the top corrected to their first state again: 150-160-170.

Remarks: The difficulty of mapping this archipelago was such that for centuries to come maps of this area remain faulty. Sumatra and Java are heavily oversized, and the Philippines are incomplete and without the Northern island of Luzon.
The mermaids who are beautifying themselves rather than heeding the whales' attack on nearby ships, are based on those occurring on Diego Gutiérrez map of America (1562), engraved by Cock.

Cartographic sources: close copy of Mercator's 1569 World map (Karrow p. 8, Meurer p.38).

References: T. Suarez (1999) "Early Mapping of South-East Asia", Periplus, p. 164-170, Figure 86.

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