Russiae, Moscoviae et Tartariae Descriptio. Auctore Antonio Ienkensono Anglo, Edita...

Fascinating copper engraved map of Russia by A. Ortelius in stunning original colors. Showing the region from the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and the Black Sea to the Sur River, Tashkent, the Kossack Regions and Colmack. Based on the map of the English merchant and adventurer, Anthony Jenkinson from the year 1562. With comprehensive descriptions, illustrations of Cossacks, camels, camps, armies and a strange grave scene where dead people hanging in trees. In the upper left corner Ivan the Terrible perched in front of his tent. From the 1584 Latin edition of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Latin text on verso.

One tiny tear in white margin backed. Lower centrefold backed. An excellent copy with beautiful old colouring.

Abraham Ortelius was born 1527 in Antwerp. He studied mathematics, Greek and Latin and travelled a lot across Europe. He established a business in dealing with books and drawing maps. His first remarkable map was a 8 sheet world map in the year 1564, but only three copies have survived. In 1570 he issued the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern Atlas with uniformly sized maps in a systematic collection. The term Atlas was not used until Mercator introduced it 20 years later. Most of the maps in Theatrum have been engraved by Frans Hogenberg. At the time of publication, the atlas was the most expensive book ever printed. Nevertheless it was a big success and around 7000 copies have been printed until 1612 in many editions and six different languages. Beside the Theatrum, Ortelius compiled a series of historical maps and published it in the Parergon Theatri which was bound with the Theatrum from 1579 onwards or published separately.