One of the earliest maps to show the Strait of Anian, separating America from Asia, and so giving a new configuration to northern Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Based on the information on Gastaldi’s ten sheet world map of 1561, which was probably issued to accompany his pamphlet ‘La Universale Descrittione del Mondo’.

The map is anonymous, and several mapmakers have been suggested as the author of the work. Shirley names Nicolo Nelli as a possible engraver, as it bears great similarity to the large four-sheet map of the world, probably engraved by him, in 1567, at Camocio’s workshop, in Venice (see Shirley 117). Bifolco, have postulated that the map was originally the work of either Ferrando or Donato Bertelli, as the four finely engraved vignette birds-eye views of Venice, Rome, Milan and Naples, bear a great similarity with their output. Bifolco states that all, but the view of Milan, were first represented by Paolo Forlani in his book on cities and fortress of the world, 1567. The maps were later published, this time including Milan, from different plates, by Ferrrando Bertelli in 1568, and by Ferrando Bertelli in 1569, in they city books. Bifolco goes to add weight to the attribution, by stating that Valegio, whose imprint appears on the second issue of the map, purchased a great deal of Bertelli’s stock at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The work also appears in two Italian composite atlas (now housed in Modena’s Estense Library and The Hungarian National Library) which contain numerous Venetian maps many of which are published by Ferrando Bertelli.

The present map is an example of the second state with the addition of “Valegium formis Venetiis”, to the bottom right of the plate. This could either be Nicolò Valegio, active from 1570, or Francesco Valegio, who published work in Venice at the beginning of the seventeenth century and who is known to have purchased many of Bertelli’s plates.

Rare Bifolco records only one institutional example of the present state: The Newberry Library, Chicago.