[Belgium] Nobilis Hannoniae Comitatus Descriptio

 600,00

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Very rare first edition of the Hainaut map by Abraham Ortelius

The history of this rare map is fascinating. It was based on a manuscript map by Jacques Surhon (1548), which for security reasons was not published. In 1572, Ortelius applied for privilege to publish the map, but it was never granted. The plate wasengraved anyway, and some prints (perhaps 100) made from it appeared in the 1573-1575 editions of Theatrum. That plate was then destroyed and a new one engraved, with privilege, in 1579, while Antwerpen was independent for a brief time. Van den Broecke:69