Bellere, pub 1566-83 - Scarce Map of the Americas

Bellere, pub 1566-83 - Scarce Map of the Americas
This exceptionally scarce woodcut engraved map of the Americas is entitled Brevis exactaq totius novi orbis eiusq insularum descriptio recens edita. The map was part of Levinus Apollonius's work entitled De Peruviae Regionis. The map was published by Jean Bellere in Antwerp in circa 1566 to 1583. This would be considered the second state of the map with Peru printed in horizontal.

There are many place names along the coast of the map, which is uncommon for an American map of this period. It is adorned with the double-headed eagle holding the coat of arms of Castile & Leon, Spain flanked by the pillars of Hercules. There are ships, sea monsters, and wind heads surrounding the land. The map is shown with no west coast of North America. The Amazon River seems to be drawn from Giacomo Gastaldi's world map of 1546. The South America portion depicts early renderings of the Llama.

The detail of North America was taken from explorations by Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon (first European attempting to establish a settlement in now Georgia or South Carolina named San Miguel de Gualdape), Estevao Gomes (Portuguese cartographer who sailed for Spain in 1524 in search of the Northwest Passage, and is believed to have travelled to the mouth of the Hudson River), and Joao Alvares Fagundes (Portruguese explorer that traversed the areas of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia).


Paper Size: ~ 5 1/2" by 7 3/8"

The work is in very good to excellent condition overall. There may be a few minor marks or imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.