Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638). Africae nova description. Auct: Guiljelmo Blaeuw. Amsterdam: ca. 1630 (undated). Featured in Blaeu’s first world atlas. Copperplate engraving with full hand-color. 16 x 21 3/4 in to neatline. Sheet size: 18 5/8 x 22 1/4 in. Latin text on verso. Minor wrinkling at lower centerfold. Overall, very good condition.
$4,500.00
Classic Dutch Map of Africa
An outstanding example of Willem Janszoon Blaeu’s carte-à-figures map of Africa produced at the height of the Golden Age of Dutch map making. Views of the great cities appear in the top border including Tangier, Ceuta, Algeria, Tunisia, Alexandria, Cairo, Mozambique, Fort St. George, and the Canary Islands. Six of these cities were from classical times within the European sphere. The remaining three cities reflect the growing reach of Europe during the age of discovery. Each was a key port for the circumnavigation of Africa with Portuguese forts established by the time this map was published.
The side borders feature figures from Morocco, Egypt, Senegalese, Abyssinia, Guinean merchants, Mozambicans, a couple from Cape Lopez in Gabon, a royal couple from Madagascar, a Congolese soldier and his bride, and a fearsome portrayal of the denizens of the Cape of Good Hope.
The map is decorated with sea creatures and sailing ships which were typical stylistic elements of the period, and reflect the maritime focus and the imaginative elements often found in early modern maps.
Africa is presented with a focus on geographical features such as rivers, mountains, and regions. It includes place names and territorial demarcations known at the time. Notably, the map reflects the limited and often inaccurate European understanding of Africa’s interior during this period. Coastal areas are more accurately depicted, indicating the focus on maritime trade routes.
This map is significant for its artistic and historical value, representing both a tool for navigation and a document of European perceptions of Africa. It exemplifies the blend of art, science, and exploration that characterized the cartography of the era. As part of Blaeu’s atlas, this map contributed to the dissemination of geographical knowledge and supported the European colonial endeavors of the time.
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