Italy - Puglia; Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598) cartiglio “Iacobo Castaldo Auctore” - Apuliae quae olim Iapygia, nova corographia - 1551-1560

Beautiful and rare map of Puglia, created by the great Venetian cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi (ca. 1500–1566), cosmographer of the Republic of Venice and one of the most important European cartographers of the 16th century.

The work shows:
• Land of Bari
• Land of Otranto
• Cape of Otranto
• Gulf of Taranto
• Salento / Iapygium
• The main fortified cities represented with castle pictograms (typical Gastaldi style)
• A large sailing ship engraved in the Gulf of Taranto
• A sea monster
• A Venetian-style cartouche with the signature:
“Iacobo Castaldo – Author”

The coast is finely lined and the interior features a dotted pattern typical of Gastaldi's early engravings.
This map does not derive from Ortelius: it is one of the sources from which Ortelius took much of the data for the Theatrum.

Intact margins
• Zero major tears
• Very nice impression, very strong

I would say excellent condition +, above average.