The Empire of Prester John, or Abyssinia
Price range: £35.55 through £59.95
The Empire of Prester John by Abraham Ortelius, first published in 1573
Elephants, sea creatures and ornate cartouches surround a remarkable Renaissance vision of Africa. Abraham Ortelius’s map places the legendary realm of Prester John across a vast interior, combining recognisable geography with accounts inherited from travellers and earlier writers. Its rich decoration and extraordinary subject make this reproduction an absorbing piece for anyone interested in early maps, African history or the meeting of geography and legend.
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Historical Background
First published in 1573 in Abraham Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, this map reflects European attempts to locate the kingdom of Prester John. The legendary Christian ruler had long been associated with distant lands in Asia before the story became attached to Ethiopia. Ortelius’s map places that imagined empire within a much larger African setting than the historical Ethiopian kingdom.
Map Details
- Original title: Presbiteri Johannis, sive Abissinorum Imperii Descriptio
- Cartographer: Abraham Ortelius
- First published: Antwerp, 1573
- Source: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
- Area shown: A broad expanse of Africa, with Egypt, the Red Sea and Arabia
- Notable features: Royal genealogy cartouche, elephants, sea creatures and inland lakes
The large inscription at upper left presents claims of royal descent, linking the ruler to biblical figures. Across the map, recognisable places sit beside uncertain inland geography and explanatory notes about distant peoples and kingdoms.
This is valuable evidence of how Renaissance Europeans understood regions for which they had limited direct information. Its appeal lies partly in that mixture: careful engraving and confident presentation preserve a world shaped by scholarship, travellers’ reports and enduring legend.
The design was first published in 1573 and reused in later atlas editions. The precise printing date of the source sheet has not been established.