[CYPRUS - CRETE]. ORTELIUS, Abraham. Cyprus Insula. Candia, - Lot 78

[CYPRUS - CRETE]. ORTELIUS, Abraham. Cyprus Insula. Candia, formerly Crete. A 16th-century map of the islands of Cyprus and Crete, from Abraham Ortelius’s famous *Theatrum Orbis Terrarum*. No place [Antwerp], no publisher, no date [circa 1570–1590]. Two maps engraved in black on copper (36.5 x 44 cm combined) on laid paper (44.5 x 57.5 cm), mounted on white Marie-Louise paper (50 x 65 cm) with a clear film in the center. A tear on an inner corner of the mount; a few water stains along the margins of the laid paper, including a slight one above the northern coast of Crete; the central fold is slightly discolored. This rare map is taken from Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598), the first modern atlas containing 53 engraved maps (in the original 1570 edition) and generally considered the most expensive book of the 16th century. It depicts the two main islands of the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and Crete. In addition to the ships sailing around them, the map of Crete even includes a depiction of the Labyrinth of Daedalus, which, according to ancient mythology, was home to the famous Minotaur. Our copy is simply slipped under a Marie-Louise mount and held in place by two pieces of special removable tape. Although from the 16th century, it likely comes from the 1586 edition. Part of the descriptive text (in Latin) for the island of Crete appears on the reverse. A beautiful, prestigious map in good condition.