The Old Print Shop

Peru.

  • ARTIST: John Ogilby

  • MEDIUM: Copper plate engraving,

    DATE: 1671.

  • EDITION SIZE: 11 3/8 x 13 11/16" (289 x 348 mm) plus wide margins.

  • DESCRIPTION: The general outline of South America was fairly well known to cartographers and mapmakers by the end of the sixteenth century. Following Magellan’s momentous voyage around the southern tip of South America, both the eastern and western coasts of the continent were extensively explored. A wealth of maps were produced by European publishers depicting the individual regions in South America, as well as the continent as a whole. This decorative map is based on Blaeu and Jansson’s maps, which were published between 1640 and 1660. This map has two important differences from its predecessors, which distinguish it cartographically. The draftsman has neglected to rotate the compass rose to the left to indicate the direction north and has omitted the city of Cusco from the map. Although the detailing in the interior is somewhat inaccurate, the engraver has carefully sketched the treacherous terrain of the Andes, which stretches along the coast of Peru. This map appeared in John Ogilby’s seminal atlas "America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the New World," published in London in 1671. Ogilby’s work is an English translation of Arnoldus Montanus’ "Die Nieuwe en onbekende Weereld. . . ," which was produced in Amsterdam earlier the same year. Considered the first encyclopedias of the Americas, both texts are richly illustrated with maps, views, and portraits. With little exception, Ogilby’s work is a direct copy of Montanus’ atlas. Ogilby did expand his atlas by adding fresh material on the English colonies. Illustrated with over 122 magnificent engravings, Ogilby’s America was the most accurate compendium available of the New World.

  • ADDITIONAL INFO:

  • CONDITION: Good condition. Black & white.

  • REFERENCE:

  • CATEGORIES: Maps