Indiae Orientalis Insularumque Adiacientium Typus

1570

Original hand-coloured copper engraving on paper

Print size: 13.75 x 19.75 in (35 x 50 cm)
Sheet size: 15.25 x 20.25 in (39 x 51.7 cm)

Indiae Orientalis Insularumque Adiacentium Typus — Ortelius’ landmark map of Southeast Asia and the East Indies

This important sixteenth-century map of maritime Asia by Abraham Ortelius, titled Indiae Orientalis Insularumque Adiacentium Typus, represents one of the earliest widely circulated printed depictions of Southeast Asia and the East Indies. Issued in Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum— widely regarded as the first modern atlas — the map played a formative role in shaping European geographic understanding of Asia’s island world during the early age of global exploration.

The composition encompasses the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Moluccas (Spice Islands), the Philippines, and adjacent regions, reflecting the growing European interest in maritime trade routes linking the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Coastlines and island groups incorporate knowledge derived from Portuguese exploration and commercial navigation, while several regions retain speculative or transitional forms, documenting the evolving state of geographic knowledge in the late sixteenth century.

Ortelius’ engraving is distinguished by crisp linework, dense place-names, and confident original hand colouring that clarifies regional divisions. Decorative elements—including sailing ships, sea creatures, and an ornate cartouche—reinforce the map’s dual function as both a geographic record and a luxury display object for collectors and learnt patrons.

As one of the foundational atlas maps of Southeast Asia, Indiae Orientalis Insularumque Adiacentium Typus remains a historically significant and highly collectible example of early European cartography of the East Indies and the broader Indian Ocean world.

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot is offered at RESERVE

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