Finely coloured map of the British Isles from the 1579 Latin edition of Abraham Ortelius’ landmark atlas “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum”, the first modern atlas of the world. This map, which was included in the Ortelius atlas since it was first published in 1570, is based on the landmark Mercator map of the British Isles issued in 1564 as well as information taken from Saxton and Llhuyd. Unusually oriented to the west, as was the usual case in the older Ptolemaic maps, the map is decorated with several sailing ships and an elaborate cartouche that contains a brief description of the British Isles in Latin. A more detailed description of the area appears on the verso in Latin. The map is in excellent condition. 34.5 cm x 50 cm