ARIAS (MONTANO), Benito - Benedict. Arias Montanus Sacrae Geographiae Tabulam Ex Antiq

THE EXTREMELY RARE FIRST STATE landmark world map, edited by Benito Arias, known as Montanus after his birthplace. This well engraved map appeared in Biblia Sacra, Hebraica... in 1572. The Polyglot Bible with text in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Syriac was prepared under the patronage of Philip II of Spain and published between 1569 and 1572, with the printing being carried out by Plantin of Antwerp. This map has a unique and famed depiction of an Australian landmass. The only similar printed map with claims to show Australia prior to the Dutch discoveries was a world map by the German theologian, Heinrich Bunting, in his Itinerarium in 1581. The maps from the first edition, of which the greater number of impressions were lost at sea on route for Spain, have printed on the reverse Orbis Tabula. Ben. Aria Montano. Auctore. Extremely rare first state of the “Orbis Tabula” by Montanus. 1572. Plantin. Antwerp.

One of the earliest printed maps to depict the “terra incognita” of a then “undiscovered” Australia.
This is the first edition and first state of the Arias Montanus Orbis Tabula or Map of the World, engraved in 1571, and published in 1572.
The map is very rare since a shipment of bibles including this map were lost in a storm in the North Sea, sailing on route from Flanders (XVII Provinces) to the north coast of Spain. The bibles in question -the Biblia Regia - were the monumental royal polyglot bibles prepared by friar Benito Arias Montanus, an eminent Spanish theologist, part-time librarian at the royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial near Madrid and confident of Spanish King Philip II.

As from 1568, Montanus spent several years in Antwerp, residing in the Officina Plantiniana, or the printing press of Cristophe Plantin, who was the greatest typographer and printer-publisher of his day. Plantin, as the official printer of Spanish King Philip II, or Prototypographus Regius , then held the monopoly on printing religious works for the expanding Spanish, European and colonial market.

Montanus (supposedly a marrano or falsely reconverted jew) was also an excellent linguist and polyglot, and his polyglot bible also called the Biblia sacra hebraice chaldaice, graece et latine , also known as the Biblia Regia or Royal Bible contained five languages : Syriac, Latin, Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. The Montanus bible was supposed to be an improvement on the Complutensian Polyglot Bible or Alcala Bible, first published in 1520 near Madrid and promoted by catholic Cardenal Cisneros to please and help emperor Charles V (father of Philip II) in h