Ortelius designed the map according to previous world maps from other cartographers, but he also added new information based on his own guesses and estimates. Perhaps one of the most iconic maps ever made, it covers the entire world from pole to pole, revealing the shape and size of continents based on the knowledge of the time. 50 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)Īlthough the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum atlas didn’t contain many of Ortelius’ maps, it did feature his most famous- Typus Orbis Terrarum (1570). It is part of Ortelius's Atlas “Teatrum Orbis Terarum,” Antwerp, 1570, map no. The very first maps Ortelius produced were large wall maps of the world, Egypt, the Holy Land, Asia, Spain, and the Roman Empire-and from then on, his was hooked!Īn engraved map and coloured by hand. Ortelius began his career as a map colorist for Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1547, and then became a map designer at the Plantin company in 1587. During one trip to Poitiers, France, Ortelius met cartographer Gerard Mercator, who inspired him to start producing maps himself. Ortelius was fascinated by new discoveries and travel, so he began collecting books, prints, paintings, wall maps, and coins from all over Europe. The 16th century was a time of exploration, revolutionary inventions, and a new view of the world.

During this time, there was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, history, Greek, and philosophy across Western Europe. Ortelius was born in Antwerp, Belgium on April 4, 1527, during the height of the humanist era. He is known as the inventor of the atlas-a book comprising multiple maps in one format and style. The engraving is now on show for everyone to enjoy at the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp.Portrait of Abraham Ortelius in his study by Constant Aimé Marie Cap (Photo: Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)Ībraham Ortelius is a key figure in the history of cartography. He quickly became one of the most frequently seen visitors to the Plantin-Moretus printing house, which printed most of his atlases. It was to become the starting point for the development of Modernism.Īfter beginning his career as a colourist, Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598) became a map maker and then humanist. In 1516, the book’s appearance challenged the way of thinking about the ideal society and it became the most influential book ever to be written in the former Netherlands. In this biting satire on England and the Europe of his time, the famous humanist described the ideal and imaginary island of Utopia, a place governed entirely by reason. Ortelius took his inspiration from the famous work Utopia or the Treaty on the Best Form of Government, written in large part in 1515 (in Latin) by the English lawyer and statesman Thomas More (1477–1535), during his stay in Antwerp as part of a diplomatic mission. The map is unparalleled, hence its iconic status. This Fund has as its objective to enrich the collections of Belgian museums with masterpieces of our national heritage. The King Baudouin Foundation was able to buy the map, engraved on copper, thanks to the Charles Vreeken Fund. It is this work that has been acquired by the King Bedouin Foundation and returned to its original home. Printed in just twelve examples in Antwerp, today only one copy remains. Around 1595–1596, the famous Antwerp cartographer Abraham Ortelius imagined a map of the imaginary island that Thomas More had described in this work Utopia.

Abraham ortelius map