Iceland--Ortelius, Abraham.

The condition of this item is as described in the catalogue description
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The most famous early map of Iceland.

This fine map of Iceland was drawn by Anders Sorensen Velleius (or Vedel), a Danish mapmaker, and published in Abraham Ortelius' Theatrum orbis terrarum from 1587 onwards.

Although there are earlier printed maps of Iceland, most originate from the "Isolario" tradition of the Mediterranean world, and present a largely unrecognisable delineation, as does Olaus Magnus' wall-map of Scandinavia and the northern Atlantic, in 1539, and Jerome de Gourmont's separate map of the island derived from that.

Ortelius' map is the first obtainable "modern" map of the island, with Velleius drawing on the work of Gudbrandur Thorláksson (1541-1627), Bishop of Hólar in Iceland.

However, this map is celebrated more for the delicately engraved vignettes on land and in the sea, depicting all manner of land and sea-creatures, some recognisable (the polar bears for example), others the product of the imagination and superstition of writers, mariners and old-wives' tales, many linked to the descriptive text printed on the reverse.

As such a strikingly visual treat, this is probably the single most collectable of all Ortelius' atlas maps, and among the most difficult to find, as it appeared only in late editions of the atlas.