Ukraine - Belorussia, Russia, Baltic; C. Ptolemy / G. Ruscelli and Giacomo Gastaldi - Europae Tabula VIII. - 1561-1580

C. Ptolemy / G. Ruscelli and Giacomo Gastaldi, Europae Tabula VIII.

Venice, Vincent Valgrisi, 1562.

An extraordinary and exceptionally rare 16th-century copperplate engraving titled "Europae Tabula VIII". Originally drafted by the legendary cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi and edited by the humanist Girolamo Ruscelli, this map was published in Venice by Vincenzo Valgrisi for the highly sought-after 1562 first Latin edition of Ptolemy's Geographia.

The map depicts the vast lands of Sarmatia (modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, European Russia, and the Baltic regions) as understood at the time. It stretches from the Baltic Sea (Oceanus Sarmaticus) down to the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus) and the Sea of Azov (Palus Maeotis). It features early cartographic details of major river systems including the Don (Tanais) and the Dnieper (Borysthenes) .

Dimensions: 18,5 x 24,5 cm (engraving), 23 x 30 cm (paper).

Extremely Rare in Original Hand Coloring!

In very good condition.