1592 Maris Pacifici (quod vulgo Mar del Zur)
DESCRIPTION
This striking map of the Pacific Ocean is the earliest map to focus on the world’s largest body of water, issued in 1589 by Abraham Ortelius in his seminal atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas. Centered on the vast “Mare Pacificum,” the map captures Europe’s expanding geographic knowledge following the voyages of Ferdinand Magellan, presenting a compelling blend of exploration, conjecture, and tradition from the dawn of the Golden Age of Dutch cartography.
Geography of the Pacific World, Terra Australis, and the Southern Latitutdes
The map extends from the coasts of Asia and the East Indies at left to the western shores of the Americas at right, with the Pacific Ocean dominating the composition. Japan appears prominently as Iapan, while the Philippines and the Spice Islands are carefully delineated, underscoring their growing importance in global trade. Along the American coastline, New Spain and Peru are increasingly well defined, though the northern Pacific remains uncertain, with references such as Quivira preserving earlier geographic ideas.
A vast and conjectural southern continent, labeled Terra Australis sive Magellanica nondum detecta, spans the lower portion of the map. This imagined landmass conveys the enduring belief in a southern counterweight to the known northern continents first suggested by Aristotle, and notably incorporates Tierra del Fuego as part of this continuous southern landmass rather than a separate island. This reflects the geographic understanding of the late 16th century, prior to the voyage of Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten in 1616, when rounding Cape Horn demonstrated its separation, underscoring both the ambition and the limits of contemporary cartographic knowledge.
Ornamentation, Dedication, and Interpreting the Verso
Ortelius enhances the composition with elaborate strapwork cartouches and finely engraved decorative elements, including a richly adorned title panel and a dedication cartouche honoring Nicolaas Rockox, a prominent Antwerp civic leader and supporter of the arts. Sailing ships animate the Pacific, while references to Magellan’s voyage emphasize the ocean as a theater of exploration and imperial expansion.
The French text on the verso, titled Mer de Zur, provides a narrative account of the Pacific, drawing on both classical authorities such as Pliny the Elder and more recent discoveries. It describes the ocean as vast and once unknown, crediting Magellan with revealing its true scale and naming it for its relatively calm waters. The text recounts the hardships of his voyage, the scattered islands encountered across the ocean, and the growing importance of Spanish navigation between the Americas and Asia. Rather than serving as a purely technical explanation, the verso presents the Pacific as a space of wonder and discovery.
CONDITION
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