Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 190

Title: BRI:|TANNICA:|RVM INSVLA:|RVM VETVS | DESCRIP:|TIO. [An ancient depiction of the British Isles]. (Cartouche top right:) NATALIBVS INGENIO ET | DOCTRINA ILLVSTRI REVEREN:|DOQVE DOMINO D. GEORGIO AB AVS:|TRIA, PRĘPOSITIO HARLEBECENSI, | AC SERENISSIMO PRINCIPI CARDI:|NALI ARCHIDVCI A CVBICVLIS, | "Abrahamus Ortelius Regię Mtis. Geographus Lub. | mer. dedicab". [Abraham Ortelius, pleased to be geographer to his majesty the king, dedicates this map for instruction and learning for the people, to the illustrious lord Georgius of Austria, servant to most serene ruler, cardinal and archduke of Harlebeck]. (Cartouche lower right:) "Ex conatibus Geo:|graphicis Abrah. Ortelij | 1590". [From the geographical efforts of Abraham Ortelius]. (Centre top:) ORCADES | INSVLAE | "Triginta plus mi:|nus numero". [The Orkney isles, about thirty in number]. (Upper left:) "CALEDONIUS OCEANVS, Valerio Flacco. | DEVCALEDO:|NIVS Ptolemęo". [Caledonian ocean according to Valerius Flaccus, Deucaledonis according to Ptolemęus]. EBVDAE, "sive" HEBVDES "Insulę. quas Beda" MEVANIAS, "et | Aethicus" BETORICAS "nominat". [The Ebuda or Hebuda islands, which Beda calls Mevaniae, and which Aethicus calls Betoricae].

Plate size: 361 x 493 mm.
Scale: 1 : 1,700,000.
Identification number: Ort 190 (Koeman/Meurer: 15P, Karrow: 1/174, vdKrogtAN: 5000H:1:31A).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1590L4Add blank (100 copies printed) (text and typesetting identical with 1592L, but here without page number; last line, first text page, right aligned: Strabo; last line second text page, left aligned: ex Suetonio clarum. Atque hęc de his duabis,quę proprię Britannicę dicuntur.nunc aggrediamur eas quas circum has positas nouimus.),
1591G4Addblank (75 copies printed) (last line first text page, in Gothic script, full width: von welchen etliche Jungfrawen erzogen werden.Also Cęsar. Es hatt auch Eusebius 6.Pręp. verzeichnet/das ihrer viele sichmit einem Eheweib genue:),
1592L2 (525 copies printed) (text and typesetting identical with 1590L4Add, but with page number 2 added; last line, first text page, right aligned: Strabo; last line second text page, left aligned: ex Suetonio clarum. Atque hęc de his duabis,quę proprię Britannicę dicuntur.nunc aggrediamur eas quas circum has positas nouimus.), see also above.
very few 1602G9 (10 copies printed) (last line first text page, in Gothic script like the entire text, full width: vnd anzeigung dero Reichthumb sein/ gleich andere Barbarische Völcker das Golt achten. Es lehret auch Cęsar , das sie von Fellen vnd heutten sich beklei- ; last line second text page: fenbein fast änlich:Dann die vornehme Pracht vnd Ehr dero Männer/stehet in empsiger Rüstung dero Wapen.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 710.

States: 190.1 only

Cartographic sources: made by Ortelius on the basis of modern information from Mercator's 1564 map of the British Isles, improved by a new outline from Saxton's 1579 map (Meurer p. 197, Karrow 56/16, p. 387-388) and ancient knowledge from Diodorus Siculus, Plinius, Appianus, Tacitus, Cęsar and Strabo.

References: R.W. Shirley (1991) "Early Printed Maps of the British Isles" 1477-1650, Antique Atlas Pub. East Grinstead, map 160, plate 64, pp. 70-71.

Remarks: This plate, together with Ort 191, was replaced by the single plate Ort 192 in 1595L. Yet, left-over prints of this early plate were used as late as 1602G. Engraving probably by Jan Wierix.
Note the battle scene top left, the most elaborate one of any Ortelius map.
The text of this map discusses the region of Ort191 and vice versa.

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