The second state of Girolamo Ruscelli’s modern map of France first published in the ‘Geographia’, 1561. It is one of the earliest obtainable maps of modern France and is a representation of the shift at the time from Ptolemaic to modern cartography, a crucial aspect of the Renaissance. The border contains figures of latitude and longitude, the ‘G’ in the corners most likely standing for the Latin ‘gradus’ for degrees. This map was one of two that were engraved on the same plate for the first edition. For this 1574 edition the two maps are separated, seen by the presence of a plate mark on all four sides.

Girolamo Ruscelli (c.1504-66) edited the Latin text for this quarto edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s classic work ‘Geographia’ which is an expanded edition of Giacomo Gastaldi’s edition of 1548, which has been called the most comprehensive atlas produced between Martin Waldseemüller’s ‘Geographiae’ of 1513, and the Abraham Ortelius ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ of 1570. Gastaldi sought the most up-to-date geographical information available, making the modern maps in Ruscelli’s Geographia among the best modern maps of the period. The plates for Gastaldi and Ruscelli’s editions were beautifully engraved on copper, marking a turning point in the history of cartography. From that point forward, the majority of cartographic works used this medium. As it was a harder material than wood it gave the engraver the ability to render more detail. Ruscelli’s plates were newly engraved by the brothers Giulio (fl.1540-88) and Livio (c.1520-76) Sanuto. The work was first published by Vincenzo Valgrisi in Venice. However, the 1564 edition was published by Giordano Ziletti in Venice as was this 1574 edition. Nordenskiold (1979) 220; Shirley (2004) T.Ptol 10e; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004).