‘t ooster deel van Oost Indien strekkende van Ceylon tot Iapan en Hollandia Nova.

Magnificent sea chart published in Doncker’s De Zee-Atlas ofte WaterWereldt, the first published Dutch maritime sea atlas. Doncker’s
charts were the most up-to-date in the second half of the 17th century
and were copied by Van Loon, Goos and Lootsman. The charts are found in various editions containing new
information as he continually updated his atlas.

Doncker’s
chart shows Australia with the Dutch discoveries up to and including
Tasman’s second voyage of 1644, but excluding his first voyage
discoveries, due to the geographical limits of the map. It is simply
embellished with a plain title at lower left, a scale of distances at
top and a sea galleon and two rosettes. Its intended use as a sea chart
is indicated by the extensive use of rhumb lines and compass points.
Other Dutch discoveries in Australia are noted and these include: Hartog
1616, Houtman 1619, van Leeuwin 1622, Cartensz 1623, Nuyts 1627 and de Wit 1628. The
map does not record the first English sighting of the Australian coast
and the first recorded European shipwreck off the coast of Western
Australia by the Tryall, an East India Company ship under the command of  John Brookes in 1622, that had run aground on the Tryal Rocks (105km off the north-west coast of WA). 

On
close examination of a number of examples of this chart, we have found
that all the titles have been cut out and pasted onto the maps. In some,
the title is placed in the lower left corner, as on our map, in others it
is located in the lower right. We are unable to determine why the
placement of the title varies but possibly, it provided Doncker with the flexibility as to the placement of the title when offering the charts as single sheets or
joining pairs of geographically connected charts. The first issue of
Doncker’s atlas is recorded as being 1659 and the only known copy of
this edition is in the National Library of Australia. In the 1660 issue,
the Oost Indien chart is untitled (Koeman 158 Don 2-14). Further editions of the atlas were published in 1660, 1661 and 1662 in which the Oost Indien chart remained unchanged.

The
characteristic feature of Dutch charts produced in the second half of
the 17th century were based solely on the results of
actual observation and where that was lacking, no coastlines were
shown.

Doncker’s
charts and atlases were often used by mariners at sea, which resulted in many
being either degraded or destroyed due to the less than ideal
conditions.

References:
Clancy 83, ill.6.14, Koeman Doncker Vol IV p.159 Don 6, McMahon p.8,
ill.pp.8-9, Moreland p.114, Parry p.123-121, Suarez p.103, ill. Fig. 92,
Tooley 670, ill. pl.50, p.203 item.30.