One of the finest maps of the Iberian Peninsula ever produced, in excellent original color.
Nova Descriptio Hispaniae.
$3,800
1 in stock
Description
Gerard de Jode’s rare map of the Iberian Peninsula was originally compiled by the Italian architect Pirro Ligorio and engraved by Johannes and Lucas van Doeticum. It was included in De Jode’s seminal atlas, Speculum Orbis Terrarium, first published in 1578.
De Jode’s atlas is considered the second modern atlas after Abraham Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570). Despite being a prominent mapmaker who competed directly with Ortelius and endowed his maps with incredible aesthetics and detail, De Jode did not achieve the same commercial success as Ortelius, making his maps much rarer today.
The map is a prime example of the era’s fine cartography, boasting sea monsters, sailing ships, and an ornate coat of arms. As such, this map reflects the ambition and high artistic standards that characterized mapmaking in the 16th century. Even though Portugal is distinguished from the rest of the peninsula by its green coloring, De Jode’s map captures Spain and Portugal amid a turbulent political union (1580-1640) that gradually eroded Portugal’s dominance on the high seas.
Census
The creation of De Jode’s Hispania map can be traced back to Ligorio’s original work and the influence of Michele and Francesco Tramezzini’s Nova Totius Hispaniae Descriptio (Rome, 1559). Ligorio, a Neapolitan artist and antiquarian, was a crucial figure in the map’s original compilation. The map was engraved by the Dutch artisans Johannes and Lucas van Doeticum, renowned for their skill, detail, and precision. As with many of the plates from the original Speculum, the Hispania map was modified for the 1593 edition, from which our map derives.
De Jode’s map of Spain and Portugal is among the earliest obtainable maps of Spain and Portugal published in the Low Countries. It is a reflection of the scientific and artistic advancements of the Late Renaissance. Its creation, dissemination, and eventual suppression provide a fascinating insight into the world of sixteenth-century mapmaking and the intense rivalries that shaped its development.
Cartographer(s):
Gerard de Jode (1511–91) was a Dutch printer and mapmaker born in Nijmegen who worked from Antwerp, then the center of European cartographic production. Accepted into the Guild of St. Luke in 1547, he quickly earned a reputation as a skilled mapmaker — though his business acumen never quite matched his cartographic talent. His greatest achievement was the two-volume Speculum Orbis Terrarum (1578), conceived as a rival to Ortelius’ enormously popular Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Despite De Jode’s reputation, the atlas sold poorly — a commercial failure whose consequence is that barely a dozen copies survive today, making it one of the rarest atlases in existence.
Undeterred, De Jode began work on a revised and expanded atlas with his son Cornelis (1568–1600). The result, Speculum Orbis Terrae (1593), retained Gerard’s original maps while incorporating significant revisions and new maps compiled by Cornelis. Gerard died two years before publication. The atlas fared no better commercially, and after Cornelis’ death the plates were sold to J. B. Vrients — who also owned the Ortelius plates — effectively ensuring the work would never be reprinted. Where Ortelius ran to dozens of editions, the De Jode atlas exists only in its two original editions of 1578 and 1593.
Condition Description
Fine original color. Small repaired split in bottom centre fold, otherwise fine condition.
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