ABYSSINIA. - Lot 248

ABYSSINIA. ORTELIUS (Abraham). Presbiteri Johannis sive Abissinorum imperri descripto. Antwerp, [1573-1575]. Engraved copper map (42 x 53 cm, including margins), hand-colored at the time (minor restorations). Beautiful map by Abraham Ortelius illustrating the kingdom of the legendary African king, Priest Jean. It represents a vast part of Africa, from Barbary, Nubia and Egypt in the north to Mozambique and Angola in the south, including Ethiopia and part of Arabia in the east. Highly decorative, it features two large cartouches, sea monsters and elephants on land. This map was published in Ortelius' "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum", in its Latin, French and German editions. The copy shown appears in one of the Latin editions published in 1573, 1574 or 1575. Van der Krogt, IIIB, [8720:31].