Gerard Mercator's Map of the World Poster

A gorgeous example of Mercator's map of the World, based upon the writings of Claudius Ptolemy, from a later edition of Gerard Mercator's Tabulae geographicae CI. Ptolemaei ad mentem autoris restitutae et emendatae per G. Mercatorem, first published in 1578. This is the first state of Mercator's1578 Ptolemaic world map, with the strapwork around the map and 12 wind heads. In the later editions, the border has been re-engraved, and now includes a frieze of allegorical figures representing the four elements of Fire (Zeus), Air (Hera), Water (Neptune), and Earth (Gaia), rather than the strapwork and wind head border of the earlier editions. The map includes a massive Taprobana (modern-day Sri Lanka) in the Indian Ocean. The Indian subcontinent is severely truncated and the Indian Ocean appears to be landlocked. Only the northern part of Africa is shown with the Nile originating in the twin lakes south of the Equator in the Lunae montes (Mountains of the Moon).