Map of Europe from 1575 – Cosmographie Universelle de Tout le Monde
Scarce woodcut version of Ortelius’ map of Europe – “Europae”, Belleforest, Francois
This rare map is a woodcut version of Ortelius’ map of Europe.
The map extends to Iceland and part of Greenland, with a small part of Labrador encroaching on the map in the upper left corner.
It also extends to West Asia and North Africa.
The engraver tried to imitate Ortelius’s copper engraving of a dotted sea and ornaments, but the execution on a wooden block is noticeably cruder.
The map is modestly decorated with a sailing ship, a compass rose and a tent camp in Russia.
The title cartouche shows the personification of Europe being abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull. There was only one edition of the Cosmographie de Belleforest, so the map is scarce and rarely available on the market.
