Romani Imperii Imago - Abraham Ortelius, 1584. (Roman Empire Map In Color)
This map puts the Roman Empire in the center of your wall. The Mediterranean, most of Europe, North Africa and the Near East are drawn in soft colors on a warm parchment style background. It works well in a study or library, especially next to dark wood, old books and brass details.

About this map print
Romani Imperii Imago is a 16th century map of the Roman Empire by Abraham Ortelius, printed in Antwerp and dated 1584. It shows the Empire at its greatest reach, from England and Spain across Italy and Greece to Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean. The map is packed with place names, rivers and mountain ranges, so you can follow the old Roman world from west to east.
 
Around the map Ortelius adds several decorative panels. At the top there are two round portraits of Romulus and Remus. On the right a framed Latin quote from the writer Vitruvius talks about the scale of Rome. At the bottom and side a large family tree and text panels explain the line of Roman rulers and the history of the Empire, so the map reads like a mix of map and illustrated timeline.
 
The geography and lettering connect closely to Ortelius maps like Europae and his world map Typus Orbis Terrarum. If you compare this map with John Speed’s later A New Mappe Of The Romane Empire, you can see how English mapmakers picked up the same subject but switched the focus from portraits and family trees to city views and costume figures.
 
Craft & finish
This antique map print is made on hand processed paper. We add subtle gold by hand and seal the surface with beeswax, so it feels close to real parchment when you hold it. The paper catches the light softly, but colors may look a little different from screen to screen.

Find more prints like this in our Antique Maps collection.