Nova et Accuratissima Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula Auctore Joanne Blaeu
Map Maker: Willem Janszoon Blaeu
Place / Date: Amsterdam / 1662
Coloring: Hand Colored
Size: 21.5 x 16 inches
Price: $22,500.00
Nice old color example of Blaeu's double hemisphere map of the World, originally prepared by Joan Blaeu for his Atlas Maior in 1662. The map was also included in contemporary composite sea atlases of the period by Goos and others.
Unlike Blaeu's first world map which appeared in the majority of his atlases and was done on the Mercator projection, Blaeu utilizes a double hemisphere format and depicts California as an island.
This double hemisphere map was prepared at the end of the firm's publishing history and is much rarer than its predecessor. The engraving, layout and elegance of decoration are all of the highest standard. The map depicts celestial figures seated among the clouds and representations of the four season below, with each figure seated in a chariot drawn by beasts and birds. Because of the relatively scarity of this map and Blaeu's prominence as one of the most influential and decorative map makers of the Golden Age of Dutch Cartography, this map has become especially sought after by collectors and increasingly scarce on the market.
Condition Description: Old color. Split and tear in upper margin, entering image, but well repaired on verso. Minor tear in lower left margin, just entering printed image. Some minor soiling in the image and in the blank margins.
