[Africa]. ORTELIUS (Abraham). Africae Tabula Nova. 1587. 1 c - Lot 172

[Africa]. ORTELIUS (Abraham). Africae Tabula Nova. 1587. 1 copper-engraved map (55.5 x 44.5 cm.), colored (a few stains). Beautiful map of Africa by Abraham Ortelius in period colors. Based on Giacomo Gastaldi's large 8-sheet wall map of Africa published in 1564 and Gerard Mercator's 1569 map of Africa, Ortelius' Africae Tabula Nova is the first map to include precise information from European expeditions to parts of the African interior. The map extends from the coast of Brazil to the Arabian Peninsula, and is centered on Africa. It features a fine cartouche, sea monsters and a battle between three ships in the lower right-hand corner. It was published in the 1587 edition of Abraham Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, of which only 250 copies were printed.