MAPS & GLOBES

Antique Print & Map Room has been acquiring and selling antique maps since 1979, building one of the most comprehensive specialist collections in Australia. The collection spans four centuries of cartographic history — from the great atlas publishers of the Dutch Golden Age through to the scientific surveys of the 19th century — covering every continent and most major regions of the world.

Collectors searching for Dutch antique maps will find exceptional depth in the collection. The principal publishers of the Dutch Golden Age are well represented: Willem Blaeu, Joan Blaeu, and Frederik de Wit produced some of the most beautiful and sought-after maps of the 17th century, combining cartographic accuracy with elaborate decorative engraving. Nicolas Visscher, Pieter Schenk, and Gerard Valck round out the Amsterdam school, while Jodocus Hondius and Henricus Hondius bridge the earlier tradition established by Mercator.

French royal cartography forms a second major strength. Guillaume Delisle, Nicolas Sanson, Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, and Rigobert Bonne produced maps of rigorous scientific intent, reflecting France’s leading role in geodetic survey and geographic scholarship through the 17th and 18th centuries. British mapmakers are equally well represented: John Speed, Emanuel Bowen, Thomas Jefferys, John Cary, and Aaron Arrowsmith each contributed landmark atlases and separately issued maps that remain among the most collected in the English-speaking world.

Antique maps of Australia and the Pacific are a particular specialty. The collection traces European cartographic knowledge of the continent from the earliest speculative outlines of Terra Australis through Dutch charting of New Holland, the voyages of Cook and Flinders, Baudin’s expedition, and the detailed colonial surveys of the 19th century. State and territory maps — New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania — are stocked in depth, alongside charts of the Pacific island groups, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.

Beyond Australia, the collection covers antique world maps, continental maps of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, regional maps, town plans, celestial charts, hydrographic charts, and military campaign maps. Formats range from folio atlas sheets and wall maps to pocket maps and separately issued broadsheets. All works are originals from the period stated — not reproductions. Condition is assessed and described precisely for every item, and international shipping is available on all purchases.