North Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Spain... Ruscelli, 1561, Tabula Aphricae I

Very interesting 1561 Girolamo Ruscelli’s copper engraved map from his work La Geografia di Claudio Tolomeo Alessandrino. Based on the work of Ptolemy, it depicts the Northwest of Africa (mainly Morocco and parts of Algeria and Spain).

Much of the northwestern corner of Africa is depicted, including most if not all of modern-day Morocco, and much of Algeria. The great Atlas Mountains and other mountain ranges along with numerous rivers systems are shown. Known cities and ports of the day are named, as are islands due west of Morocco. The Atlantic is labeled in Latin 'Oceanus Occidentalis', meaning the Western Ocean.

The map is based on the Geografia by Giacomo Gastaldi (1548), who probably also personally drew these maps, which were engraved by the brothers Livio and Giulio Sanuto.

The peculiarity of these maps is that they are engraved two for plate and subsequently cut; this is why the copper sign only appears on three sides of the map.

Ruscelli's Geographia is an expanded edition of Gastaldi's Atlas of 1548, which has been called the most comprehensive atlas produced between Martin Waldseemüller's Geographiae of 1513, and the Abraham Ortelius Theatrum of 1570. Ruscelli and Gastaldi's maps were beautifully engraved on copper, marking a turning point in the history of cartography. From that point forward, the majority of cartographic works used this medium. As it was a harder material than wood it gave the engraver the ability to render more detail. Gastaldi sought the most up-to-date geographical information available, making the modern maps in Ruscelli's Geographia among the best modern maps of the period.

Excellent condition

Image 18x24,5cm, page 22x31,5cm