1578 / 1593 - GERMANIAE TOTIUS NOSTRAE EUROPAE - Gerard De Jode - MAP OF GERMANY

Book Details + Condition: Original copper-engraved map of Germany by the famous cartographer, Gerard de Jode. We are unsure if this is from 1578 or 1593 (please see below). De Jode was a printer, publisher, cartographer and engraver in Antwerp, active during the same time as his rival A. Ortelius. His 'Speculum Orbis Terrarum' is a major World Atlas, and extremely rare today. It could not be published until 1578, eight years later than the Ortelius Atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum in 1570. His son Cornelius de Jode reissued the Atlas in 1593. The copper plates were sold to J.B. Vrients after the death of Cornelius, but no further publications were done. Compared to Ortelius or Mercator maps, only a small number of copies have been printed, making the maps of de Jode very rare.

In this map, the entire area of ​​the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation is represented, from the North and Baltic Seas to nearly the Gulf of Venice, and as far as Masuria and France. A lovely decorative cartouche is represented on the lower left, in the style of Mercator with the exact title. Above it is a depiction of the German Emperor, sitting on the throne with the double-headed imperial eagle in the background. At his sides are the seven electors of the Old Kingdom. On the left, the three spiritual dignitaries: the Archbishop of Trier, the Archbishop of Cologne, and the Archbishop of Mainz. On the right are the four secular electors: the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony, and the Margrave of Brandenburg. At the feet of each person is the national coat of arms. All princes are shown with their royal attire and attributes. Map measures 15" x 21". Normal age-toning present, with minor chipping to edges. Reverse shows age darkening.