Argonautica - Abraham Ortelius, 1624. (World Map In Color)
This map lets you follow Jason and the Argonauts as if their story were laid out on an old atlas page. The coasts of Italy, Greece and the Black Sea are drawn in soft color on a warm parchment style background, with the ship’s route winding through the water. It has a clear myth-and-history feel that works well in a study or reading corner next to books, wood and brass details.
 
To learn more about the history of these pieces and how we craft them in our family workshop, feel free to read our full guide to antique map prints.
 
About this map print
This print is based on Argonautica, a historical map from Abraham Ortelius’ Parergon, the extra part of his atlas that focused on the ancient world and famous stories from classical writers. Here Ortelius turns the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts into geography, following the route to the Golden Fleece as told in Apollonius Rhodius’ poem Argonautica and other ancient sources.
 
The main map covers the eastern Mediterranean from Italy across Greece to the Black Sea and the land of Colchis, with the path of the ship Argo marked step by step. Around it, Ortelius adds small inset maps of Europe, Thessaly and parts of Asia Minor so the viewer can place the story inside a wider picture of the ancient world. Text panels list the names of more than eighty Argonauts and give the classical authors he used as references, which is why this sheet is often described as half map and half lesson in Greek myth.
 
Argonautica sits in the same historical series as Ortelius maps like Romani Imperii Imago, where he mapped the Roman Empire, but here the focus is on one legendary journey instead of a whole state. Together they show how he liked to turn well known stories from the ancient world into carefully researched maps.
 
If you are curious about the history behind this piece, we put together a short background on this map for you to read.

Craft & finish
Every replica we make is individually hand-processed in our family workshop. We finish the paper with a traditional beeswax seal to give it a warm, heavy texture. Our team also adds subtle gold paint details by hand to help the artwork truly shine. To complete the look, we hand-burn the edges to give each piece the feel of a true historical artifact.
 
While our smaller sizes are perfect for gallery walls, our 43x61 cm Large replica is a museum-scale centerpiece. Because of the size, the hand-processing and beeswax application take much longer. This extra time and care ensures that every centimeter of the historic illustration is preserved with a rich, authentic glow.
 
You can find more pieces like this in our Antique Maps collection.