Map Americae sive qvartae orbis partis nova et exactissima descriptio Americae sive quartae orbis partis nova et exactissima descriptio
About this Item
Title
- Americae sive qvartae orbis partis nova et exactissima descriptio
Other Title
- Americae sive quartae orbis partis nova et exactissima descriptio
Summary
- "In 1554, Diego Gutiérrez was appointed principal cosmographer to the king of Spain in the Casa de la Contratación. The crown commissioned the Casa to produce a large-scale map of the western hemisphere, often called the "fourth part of the world." The purpose of the map was to assert Spain's claims to new world territories against the rival claims of Portugal and France. Spain claimed all lands south of the Tropic of Cancer, which is shown prominently. The map was engraved by the famous Antwerp engraver Hieronymus Cock, who added numerous artistic flourishes, including the coats of arms of the three rival powers, a snake-like Amazon River that winds across the northern part of South America, mermaids and mythical monsters at sea, and an elephant, rhinoceros, and lion on the western coast of Africa. The name "California" is inscribed near Baja California, just above the Tropic of Cancer, the first time it appears on any printed map. Only two copies of the map are known to exist: this one from the collections of the Library of Congress, and another in the British Library." World Digital Library.
Names
- Gutiérrez, Diego, active 1554-1569
- Cock, Hieronymus, approximately 1510-1570
- Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection (Library of Congress)
Created / Published
- [Antwerp : s.n.], 1562.
Headings
- - America--Maps--Early works to 1800
- - Western Hemisphere--Maps--Early works to 1800
- - America
- - Western Hemisphere
Genre
- Maps
Notes
- - Covers North and South America with the adjacent seas.
- - Described in Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress, v. 6, no. 3 (May 1949), p. 18-20.
- - From the Rosenwald Collection, Library of Congress, no. 1303.
- - Includes texts in cartouche, statements of dedication, coats-of-arms, ill. of allegorical figure "Victoria", and ill. of sailing ships at sea and imaginary marine creatures.
- - LC copy sheet trimmed.
- - Originally printed on 6 sheets.
- - Relief shown pictorially.
- - Library of Congress. Lessing J. Rosenwald collection, 1303
- - Card copy 1 reviewed part of Rosenwald Coll per shelflist card. HREC has G & M.LAC scc 2019-07-10
- - LAC scc 2019-07-10 update (1 card)
- - Vault
Medium
- 1 map ; 83 x 86 cm., on sheet 100 x 102 cm.
Call Number/Physical Location
- G3290 1562 .G7
Repository
- Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA dcu
Digital ID
Library of Congress Control Number
- map49000970
Online Format
- image
LCCN Permalink
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
- Mapping the National Parks (174)
- Discovery and Exploration (223)
- Parallel Histories: Spain, the United States, and the American Frontier (389)
- Additional Conservation and Environment Cartographic Items (1,411)
- World Digital Library (19,532)
- Geography and Map Division (57,404)
- Library of Congress Online Catalog (1,828,007)
Format
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Subject
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