‘The cornerstone of any African map collection’

Abraham Ortelius's map of Africa.

  The most famous map of Africa, described by Tooley as 'the cornerstone of any African map collection'. The large title cartouche, vignette sea-monsters and sea-battle make it a very decorative item. In the centre of the continent the kingdom of Prester John, the mythical Christian king, is marked. The map appeared in the 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum', first published in 1570, which is regarded as the first atlas in the modern sense of the word, with the maps designed to fit the book.