A nice example of rare Gerard De Jode map of Austria extending from Lintz in the west to Gratz and Volkmarkt in the south, Bratislava and the Neusiedler See in the east. It presents a distorted picture of the course of the rivers Drau, Mur, Gurk and Lavant with numerous spurious lakes.
The map is attributed to the work of Wolfgang Lazio. Strapwork title cartouche, scale of miles with dividers, and a coat of arms adorn the sheet.
Published in Amsterdam in 1593 by Cornelis De Jode. One of the finest maps of Austria ever published.
Cornelis de Jode (1568-1600) was the son of the mapmaker and publisher Gerard de Jode. The elder published several important maps including Ortelius’ famous 8-sheet map of the world in 1564. His major atlas, Speculum Orbis Terrarum was a commercial failure because his rival, Abraham Ortelius, was able to obtain a monopoly for eight years at the same time De Jode was preparing the publication. After Gerard’s death, his widow and son enlarged the atlas and re-issue it in 1593. On the death of Cornelis, the copper plates were sold to J. B. Vrients, who acquired them merely to stop their re-issue, as he had also acquired the Ortelius plates.
