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$13,500. This first printed map of the Pacific Ocean is also a landmark in the cartography of the West Coast, and the first printed map to depict Japan in its so-called "turtle" configuration. As regards the map's importance for its depiction of the Northwest Coast of America, Wagner comments, "[it] constitutes a distinct departure, being unlike any other map...published before 1589." The breadth of the Northwest Coast now encompases almost 65 degrees, the previously used placenames from Niza and Coronado have been deleted and replaced with new ones, and the Gulf of California appears in a new fashion. And in South America, the infamous bulge (1570) and its somewhat indented correction (1587) now appears in a straighter, compromised version. Ortelius took pride in the practice of crediting his maps authors, whose names often appear in the dedicating cartouche. But here he credits only himself. The map is probably his own composite of data from various sources. Additional mystery surrounding this map lies in its depiction of New Guinea. Although New Guinea had been discovered possibly as 1511, the question of whether it was an island or part of Terra Australis remained unanswered until Torres' incredible voyage of 1605. As his discovery was concealed and officially forgotten, it remained an enigma until the first voyage of James Cook. Ortelius himself had been quite neutral on the matter. In the course of his Theatrum he produced two different world and America maps, those of 1570 and 1587, and in both cases was so undecided about the New Guinea question that he depicted it as an island on the world map and as part of Terra Australis on the America. On all four maps he accompanied the region with a disclaimer stating that it was not known whether New Guinea was connected to Terra Australis or not. Yet only two years after the second set he created a map which, despite focusing on the problem more than any map had, correctly shows it as an island, modidied in shape, and with no legend qualifying his choice of insularity. Something had made him considerably more confident of its insularity in the two years that had elapsed since 1587. Japan appears in its "turtle-shape" pattern. This configuration, used here for the first time, was derived from the 1568 manuscript of Vaz Dourado. The Maris Pacifici is one of Ortelius most important works, and is scarcer than either of his world or America maps.
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