Title Page to Abraham Ortelius, Theatrum Orbis Tenarum

Unknown Artist

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of an ornate memorial plaque. It features an elaborately designed architectural structure resembling a classical facade adorned with Corinthian columns with acanthus leaf capitals. The central portion contains a Latin inscription dedicated to Abraham Ortelius, surrounded by a stone-like framework with decorative pilasters and entablatures. Above the inscription, there is a round portrait medallion of a man with a beard and ruffled collar, topped by a figure of a man wielding a staff with a banner. The left and right sides of the structure are flanked by classical figures, one holding a shovel and the other with a globe. The bottom part features a smaller circular medallion displaying a globe, embellished with ornamental scrollwork.