Bilder Abraham Ortelius – Map of Switzerland – Copperplate Engraving – 1570

Beskrivning

This important 1570 copperplate engraving is the first modern map of Switzerland to appear in a printed atlas. Titled Helvetiae Descriptio and based on the work of Swiss humanist Aegidius Tschudi (1505–1572), the map was published in Abraham Ortelius’s landmark Theatrum Orbis Terrarum—the first true modern atlas. Oriented with south at the top, the map offers a richly detailed depiction of the Swiss Confederation in the 16th century, including its mountains, rivers, cities, cantons, and key trade routes.

Topographical features such as the Alps and the lakes of Lucerne, Geneva, and Zurich are prominently rendered, along with numerous towns, abbeys, and political boundaries. The decorative title cartouche and elegant Latin script reflect Ortelius’s fusion of scientific geography and Renaissance artistry.

Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598), a Flemish cartographer and geographer based in Antwerp, revolutionized the field with his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570), widely considered the first modern atlas. His maps, sourced from the leading scholars and regional cartographers of his time—including Tschudi—combined accuracy with elegance and were reprinted in many editions throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

Artist or Maker: Abraham Ortelius, after Aegidius Tschudi

Dimensions: 40 cm × 52 cm

Medium: Copperplate Engraving

Date: 1570

Condition Report:
This work is in good condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections or fox or mottled marks to be expected with age. Please review the images carefully for condition details, and feel free to contact us with any questions or for a comprehensive condition report.