Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598), Dutch cartographer. In 1570, Ortelius published his most famous work, the 'Theatrum orbis terrarum' (Theatre of the Whole World). This was the first modern world atlas. It went through 41 editions and was published in seven languages. The Latin inscription (an elegiac couplet) reads: 'Spectandum dedit Ortelius mortalib orbem, Orbi spectandum Galleus Ortelium'. It states that Ortelius gave mortals the world to look at, and that Galleus (Dutch engraver Philippe Galle: 1537-1612) gave them Ortelius to look at. This artwork (first used in the 1579 edition) is from the 1603 edition of 'Theatrum orbis terrarum'.