The boundaries between fact and fiction are not always readily apparent in the works of historical cartographers. One of the most influential figures of the so-called ‘Dutch Golden Age’ was the Flemish geographer Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598). Ortelius is chiefly celebrated for his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, referred to as the first ‘modern’ atlas. His approach to geography though went far beyond its significant mercantile advantages. The diverse geographical record from which he drew encompassed the ancient and the modern, the biblical and the classical, the theological, the philosophical, and the scientific. The result was a collection of some of history’s most beautiful examples of cartographic art. Beyond their aesthetic value though, Ortelius’ maps offer us an enthralling glimpse into the minds of the sixteenth century geographers. New World discoveries are juxtaposed with ancient myth cycles, and the newly mapped contours of now-familiar continents sit comfortably alongside places of fantasy and fever-dream.
Portret van Abraham Ortelius Peter Paul Rubens Antwerp, 1633 Oil on canvas Museum Plantin-Moretus
47
