This is one of the most iconic decorative antique Western Hemisphere maps of the late 16th century, and among the most widely circulated visual depictions of the Americas from the Age of Exploration.
- Drawn in a circular hemispherical projection, it fully portrays North, Central and South America, labelling the Caribbean, Pacific Ocean and the mythical Terra Australis Magalánica. It preserves prevailing late-Renaissance geographic beliefs: California is not yet drawn as an island, and legendary locations like the Strait of Anian and Quivira are marked.
- Four full-length portraits frame the sphere, representing the four pivotal European explorers and conquistadors who opened the Americas to Europe, with sailing ships and sea creatures scattered across ocean spaces, hallmarks of Renaissance maritime cartography.
- Serving as the frontispiece to de Bry’s landmark travel anthology, it was the primary visual reference for European lay readers and scholars to understand the New World throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, fundamentally shaping European perceptions of the Americas.The diagonal text Vintage World Map Poster is a modern watermark added for commercial reproductions and does not appear on the original 1596 copper plate.