A good example of the FIRST STATE of a classic map of the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It was published by Abraham Ortelius in the ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ for the first time in 1573. It is drawn directly from the written account of the French naturalist Pierre Belon of 1553 and cartographically from Jacomo Franco’s map published in Venice c.1570, just prior to this map. Franco’s map improved the general outline of the island and provided more place names than any other before it. It is unfortunately very rare surviving in only three known examples. This Ortelius map is the earliest derivative of it and is engraved by Jan van Deutecum on a larger scale. It is augmented with three sailing ships, a fine sea monster and three ornate cartouches. One of these encloses an inset map of the island of Lemnos. Ortelius’ map had a great influence on the future cartography of Cyprus being copied on numerous occasions by later map mapkers. Broecke (1996) 149; Maps of Cyprus 25.1; Stylianou (1980) no. 66; Zacharakis (1992) no. 1451.