By DPA
Sydney : After a journey around the world, a stolen map from 1482 based on the work of the ancient astronomer and geographer Ptolemy has been recovered in a Sydney art gallery.
The find was reported Saturday in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
The map, known as the Ulm Ptolemy World Map, illustrates what was known about the world in the late 15th century. Spain’s National Library, which owns the map, describes it as “perhaps the most famous and highly sought after of 15th-century world maps, and certainly the most decorative”.
Valued at $160,000, the Ptolemy map was stolen from the library and made its way to the US, where it was bought on the Internet by Simon Dewez, owner of the Gowrie Galleries in Sydney.
“I had absolutely no idea it was stolen,” Dewez said Friday. “I thought it was a fantastic buy, a rare opportunity.”
The map has been recovered and is with the Australian Federal Police, who sent photographs to the National Library in Madrid.
“They’ve confirmed it’s their missing map,” a police spokesman said. “The gallery surrendered it willingly.”
Spain will apply to Australia to have the map returned.