Original Antique Map of Brasil, Published in the 16th Century, 1561
€ 550
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1561
Sheet size
22 × 30 cm (8.7 × 11.8 in)
Condition
Fair
Reference
BG-13621
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Brazil itself is a strong impression, with some loss of clarity in portions of the vertical folding line in the middle. Slight discoloration of the centerfold. Nevertheless a very interesting and decorative view of Brasil of the 16th century.
About this sheet
Brazil in an original copper engraving from Girolamo Ruscelli's edition of Ptolemy, La Geografia di Claudio Tolomeo Alessandrino, published in 1561. The title, "Brasil Nuova Tavola", is lettered across the top, and the sheet has hand color.
One of the earliest obtainable modern maps of the region, it is oriented with west at the top, so that "Ponente, Terra non descoperta" runs along the upper edge, "Levante" at the foot and "Ostro" and "Tramontana" at the sides. The coast carries a long run of place names for capes and river mouths, with the island of Fernando de Noronha and Pernambuco in the lower right. The interior is marked with clumps of trees and ranges of hills. Ruscelli shows the Amazon flowing south to north rather than west to east, rising from a lake at the foot of a volcano, with a second lake nearby as the source of the River Plate. A note in Italian in the center states that the Indians native to these countries eat human meat. There is Italian descriptive text on the verso.
Girolamo Ruscelli was an Italian polymath, editor and cartographer active in Venice, best known for his revision of Ptolemy's Geographia, published posthumously in 1574.
