Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 177

Title: FES:|SAE, ET | MAROCCHI REG:|NA AFRICAE | CELEBERR. | "describebat | Abrah. Ortelius. | 1595". [[Map] of Fez and the most famous kingdom of Africa, that of Morocco, designed by Abraham Ortelius | 1595.] (Middle bottom:) "Cum Imp. Reg. & Brabantiæ | priuilegio decennali". [With an imperial, royal and Brabant privilege for ten years.] (Inset: 130 x 158 mm) CONGI REGNI | CHRISTIANI, IN | AFRICA, NOVA | DESCRIPTIO. | "Auctore | Philippo Pigafetta". [A new representation of the Christian kingdom of Congo in Africa by Philippo Pigafetta.] ANZICANA, "cuius | populi anthropophagi". [Anzicana, whose inhabitants are cannibals.] (Lower left:) Canariæ insulæ septem sunt numero: | cum insululis verò, undecim. (The Canary islands are seven in number, but together with smaller islands there are in fact eleven].

Plate size: 394 x 508 mm.
Scale: 1 : 11,500,000.
Identification number: Ort 177 (Koeman/Meurer: 135, Karrow: 1/199, vdKrogtAN: 8615:31)

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1595L5Addblank (100 copies printed) (text and typesetting identical to 1595L, but without page number; last line first text page, full width: Huic subiecta est cella quædam,in qua oleum,lychni pensiles,storeæ,aliaq.id genus templo necessaria recondere solent. ; last line second text page, left aligned: pe cum lapidibus,plantis,auibus,a;iisque animalibus,),
1595L115 (500 copies printed) (text and typesetting identical with 1595L5Add, but here with page number 115; last line first text page: Huic subiecta est cella quædam,in qua oleum,lychni pensiles,storeæ,aliaq.id genus templo necessaria recondere solent.),
1597G5Addblank (75 copies printed) (identical to 1602G but here without page number; last line, left aligned, in very small Gothic script: tugaleser ankunfft in diß land: hatten die leut keinen besondern namen: sondern einerley/und gemein mit den steinen:bäromen:vögeln und andern thieren.),
1598F116 or 115 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: gion,les hommes n'auoyent point vn nom propre,mais commun,comme les autres animaux.),
1598/1610/1613D84 (100 copies printed) (last line first text page, in Gothic script like the entire text, right aligned: alle; one but last line: behoef vanden kerck dienende. Dat worden dan in desen tempel D.CCCC. Lampen aen brandt ghesteken ; last line second text page, centred like 4 lines above it: ende andere dieren.),
1601L115 (200 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: In hoc ; last line, second text page, left aligned: homines non habebant nomina: sed communia,nempe cum lapidibus,plantis,auibus,aliisq; animalibus.),
1602G118 (250 copies printed) (identical to 1597G5Add, but here with page number 118; last line, left aligned, in very small Gothic script like the entire text: tugaleser ankunfft in diß land: hatten die leut keinen besondern namen: sondern einerley/und gemein mit den steinen:bäromen:vögeln und andern thieren.),
1602S118 (250 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned, in small font: cilmente; last line second text page, left aligned: dras,plantas,aues,y mas de otros animales.),
1603L118 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: in hanc regionem aduentum,propria homines non habebant nomina:sed communia, nempe cum lapidibus,plantis,auibus,aliisque animalibus.),
1606E115 (300 copies printed) (last line, full width: Chappels they haue in this city to the number almost of 700.whereof 50. are very large and goodlie , most sumptuouslie built of free/stone ; second text page, left aligned, in cursive script like the entire Congo section: "mon names, such as also stones, trees, herbs, birds, and other creatures amongst them were called by."),
1608/1612I127 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in small font like the entire text: non hauean proprii nomi, ma communi com li fasai, & con le piante, & con li augelli, & altri animali.),
1609/1612L128 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in very small font: pidibus,plantis, auibus,aliisque animalibus.),
1609/1612/1641S128 (325 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: puertas ; last line second text page, left aligned: plantas,aues, y mas de otros animales.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 3525.

States: 177.1 as above.
177.2 in the 1641 Spanish edition the date of 1595 has been removed.

Cartographic sources: this map is Ortelius' own compilation, going back to the 1564 Africa map by Gastaldi, and maps from Livio Sanuto's Africa atlas, which appeared after his death in 1588. The inset map of the Congo is based on Pigafetta's map of the Congo made in 1591 (Meurer p. 37, 213). Brandmair states that Pigafetta based himself on Duarte Lopez. See Hessels nr. 200.

References: W. Bodenstein "Ortelius' Maps of Africa", p. 185-208 in: Van den Broecke, van der Krogt and Meurer (eds.) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", HES Publishers, 1998.

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