1609 Irlandiae Accurata Descriptio, Auctore Baptist Boazio

By: Abraham Ortelius /Joannes Baptista Vrientes Date: 1609 (Published) Antwerp Dimensions: 17.25 x 22.5 inches (44 cm x 57 cm) This decorative map is an extraordinary example of the Ortelius/Vrients edition of Baptista Boazio’s remarkable map of 1599. The map is oriented with north to the right, and depicts Ireland in its entirety. Such a presentation that many today would view as odd was a common practice in the 16th and 17th century. The idea was to orient the map based on the how most ships would approach the mapped location. Many early maps of the Americas employ this same tactic with north located on the right side of the map, while maps of the East Indies orient north to the left. Sometimes however, the orientation would also be a result of how the mapped area would best fit on one sheet of paper. Depicted are the already then extant provinces of Ulster, Connaught, Leinster and Muster, with counties delineated by dotted boundary lines. The vibrancy of the map is due in part to i