Nova totius terrarum orbis geographica ac hydrographica tabula.

Important world map on Mercator’s projection by Willem Blaeu, one of the finest and most beautiful examples of cartography produced during the Golden Age of Dutch mapmaking. WITH ORIGINAL HAND COLOURING.

The map was reduced to one sheet by the engraver Josua van de Ende from Blaeu’s twenty-one sheet double-hemisphere 1606 world map, of which there is only one surviving copy. Van de Ende’s signature can be seen to the left of the southern polar projection at lower right. The map was very successful and continued to be published in all Blaeu atlases until 1662. 

Blaeu is widely considered to be the greatest cartographer of his time and as official mapmaker of the VOC (1633-1638), had access to the latest geographical information. He was renowned not only for including the most up-to-date details on his maps but also for the exquisite and elaborate art that adorned his work. This map set the standard for carte figures maps and is beautifully decorated with a border containing twenty-two vignettes. Along the top there are representations of the seven classical planets: Luna, Sol, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The seven vignettes along the bottom of the map depict the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World after the paintings of Maarten van Heemskerck. The letters engraved between the vignettes at top and bottom respectively spell Septem Planetae (Seven Planets) and Septem Mirabilia Mundi (Seven Wonders of the World). On the left are four panels with allegorical depictions of the four elements: Fire, Air, Water and Earth while on the right, there are representations of the four seasons. The map itself includes numerous other decorative features such as ships, sea monsters, compass roses and three ornate cartouches, one held by two mermaids which includes a note on the discovery of America in 1492.

The northern Australian coast is shown connected to New Guinea and as part of the larger southern landmass of Magallanica Terra Australis Incognita. The peninsula below Java labelled Beach, continued the error originally included in Fine’s 1532 world map, which mistakenly corrupted Marco Polo’s false kingdom of Lochac to Boeach or Beach. Further west, the part of Terra Australis beneath Africa is labelled Psittacoprum Regio, meaning Land of Parrots which was traditionally thought to be a reference to Western Australia. A column on the left hand side of the map divides the world horizontally into five climactic regions after the hypothesis of Aristotle.

This is the fourth state of the map.

References:

Clancy, 6.1 ill. p.74, Fell ill.3, Kissajukian p.29, ill.27, Perry ill. p.32-33, Shirley 255 ill. pl.201 (1st state).ap.