Abraham Ortelius Art Prints

Abraham Ortelius (Abraham Ortels) (2 April 1527 – 28 June 1598) was a Flemish cartographer and geographer, generally recognised as the creator of the first modern atlas. Beginning as a map-engraver, in 1547 he entered the Antwerp guild of St Luke. His early career is that of a businessman, and most of his journeys before 1560 are for commercial purposes. In 1560, however, when travelling with Mercator to Trier, Lorraine and Poitiers, he seems to have been attracted, largely by Mercator’s influence, towards the career of a scientific geographer; in particular he now devoted himself, at his friend’s suggestion, to the compilation of that atlas, or Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), by which he became famous.