Novae Guineae Forma & Situs.

Famous and important map by Cornelis de Jode, recognised as ‘the first printed map of Australia‘, (Tooley & Schilder).

This map appeared for the first time in the second edition of Gerard de Jode’s extremely rare atlas Speculum Orbis Terrae, Antverpiae (The Mirror of the World), published two years after his death in 1593, by his son Cornelius de Jode.

Although the map is titled Novae Guinea, only the upper portion shows New Guinea, the lower half shows a wholly imaginative, mountainous Australian north-coast. On it is depicted a dramatic encounter between a hunter, armed with bow and arrows, a griffon, a lion and a snake. Stylistically it contains similarities with maps from the Dieppe School, which owed much of their information from Portuegese sources now lost.

The legend on New Guinea states ‘New Guinea so called by the sailors because those coasts, the nature of the country, are similar to the African Guinea.’

The Latin text on the verso states ‘This region is even today almost unknown, because after the first and second voyages all have been avoided from sailing thither so that it is doubtful even until today whether it is a continent or an island. The sailors called this region New Guinea because its coasts, state and conditions are similar in many respects to the African Guinea. Andreas Cosalius seems to call it Peccinacolij. After this region the huge Australian Land follows which – as soon as it is once known – will represent a fifth continent, so vast and immense is it deemed. In the east the Solomon Islands join up, in the north the S. Lazaraus Archipelago; it takes its beginning at two or three degrees south of the equator. In the west it is, if not an island, connected up with the Southland.’

From Gerard de Jode’s atlas Speculum Orbis Terrae, Antverpiae (The Mirror of the World).

References:

Allen p.60-61, ill. p.60, Harris p.125, ill. p.124-125NLA, p.92 ill. p.92, Schilder 13, ill. p.269, Suarez, p.61, ill. p.60, Tooley Landmarks of Mapmaking p.247, ill.247, Tooley, Mapping of Australia 385.