Fine original hand color. The dark line along the bottom of the centerfold was produced during the process of printing as the result of a crack in the plate. Reinforced bottom of centerfold, overall very fine condition.
$3,500.00
Classic Dutch Map of Asia with Decorative Vignettes
This seventeenth-century gem by Willem Blaeu is an important and beautifully decorated map of the continent of Asia produced at the height of the Golden Age of Dutch cartography. The side panels show peoples of various nations and areas including China, Arabia, Armenia, Sumatra, and the Spice Islands. Above are city and port plans including Jerusalem, Damascus, Goa, Aden, Bantam, and Macao.
Blaeu’s geography was mostly up to date for the time, due to his access to Dutch East India Company charts. A few features are notable for their surprising appearances. Korea is shown as an island just off the Asian mainland, Japan is projected in a horizontal position that was typical to this period, and the coast north of Korea is roughly drawn as it had not been thoroughly surveyed.
Embellished with ships patrolling the waters, with one firing at a whale. West of Sumatra, a merman blows on a conch shell. On land, a lion watches from the interior of eastern Africa. An elephant is shown near the Chismay Lake, said to be the source of the Ganges. The title cartouche is placed within Europe; two archers hold up the cartouche’s frame, which proclaims that this is a newly delineated version of Asia.
In the 1630s, Willem Blaeu, arguably the most important cartographer of the Dutch Golden Age, conceived a plan to create a massive atlas comprising the most up-to-date maps of the entire known world. The vast project advanced slowly and Willem died before he could complete it. His sons Joan and Cornelius assumed their father’s business, expanding on his ambitious plans. The project finally reached fruition with Joan’s publication in 1662 of the Atlas Maior in 11 volumes containing almost 600 double-page maps. “This was,” according to Moreland and Bannister, “and indeed remains, the most magnificent work of its kind ever produced.” It featured “fine engraving and colouring, elaborate cartouches and pictorial and heraldic detail and especially splendid cartography.” The achievements of the Blaeu dynasty were truly remarkable, and the elegant map offered here is a fine example of Willem’s mastery.
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