Acquired From: Leen Helmink
Colouring: Coloured
Condition: Very Good
Confirmed: Yes
Date Acquired: 22/10/2024
Dealers ID No.: 19581
Description: Frederik de Wit began his career as an apprentice to Willem Blaeu before establishing his own publishing house in Amsterdam in 1648 under the sign De Drie Crabben (the Three Crabs). In 1655, he renamed his shop Witte Pascaert (the White Chart), from which he issued a wide range of cartographic works, including single-sheet maps, wall maps, atlases, and sea charts. Renowned for their refined engraving and vivid hand-colouring, De Wits productions rank among the most admired of seventeenth-century Dutch cartography.nHis major publications include Atlas Belgium (1667), Atlas (c. 1670), Atlas Minor (1670), Zee Atlas (1675), Orbis Maritimus ofte Zee Atlas (1675), and Atlas Major (1690s).nThis maritime world map represents one of Frederik de Wits most ambitious and influential productions. It bears the signature of the renowned Dutch artist and engraver Romeyn de Hooghe in the lower left corner, beneath which the publication date of 1668 can be faintly discerned.nGeographically, the map significant advances over earlier models, particularly the 16551658 second edition of Joan Blaeus 1648 wall map (Shirley 371). In North America, speculative inland features have been replaced with a more accurate rendering of the Great Lakes. Japans outline has been revised, and northeastern Siberia now appears nearly joined to both Japan and Compagnies Land, reflecting Maarten de Vriess 1643 voyage. These updates, however, are not reflected in the smaller Arctic inset above. The eastern coastline of Spitsbergen has been extended, while the long-standing depiction of Terra Australis Incognita has been omitted entirely. In its place, Hollandia Nova (Australia) is shown prominently, incorporating Tasmans voyages of 164243 and 1644 alongside earlier Dutch discoveries.nAlthough De Wits rarely dated his atlases, Koeman identifies 1675 as the earliest firmly dated issue of his maritime atlas. Earlier compilations containing this map, listed as Orbis Maritimus in De Wit's contents, are generally dated to ca. 1670. he map remained in circulation for more than a century and was reissued by later publishers, including:nState 2: Louis Renard (1715, 1739)nState 3: Reinier and Joshua Ottens (1745)nState 4: Widow of Gerard Hulst van Keulen (1802)nComparable derivatives of this map include a larger four-sheet version and single-sheet editions issued by Justus Danckerts (c. 1680, c. 1685), Gerrit van Schagen (1682), Joachim Bormeester (c. 1685), and David Funcke (c. 1700).nThe surrounding allegorical etchings by Romeyn de Hooghe form a carefully structured symbolic program rooted in classical mythology and early modern cosmology. The four corners depict the elements: nAir (upper right): This mythological scene represents Olympus, home of the gods, with each deity linked to one of the seven classical planets. At the centre is Zeus (Jupiter), ruler of the heavens, with his eagle and lightning bolts, accompanied by Hera (Juno), goddess of marriage, symbolised by peacocks. Ares (Mars), god of war, and Aphrodite (Venus), goddess of love, appear with their planetary attributes. Apollo (Sun) is shown with a lyre and radiant halo, while Cronus (Saturn), god of time and harvest, holds a scythe and devours a childa reference to the myth of his son Zeus. Hermes (Mercury), with winged helmet and caduceus, is paired with Diana (Moon), goddess of the hunt, who bears her typical bow and moon disc. Below, the river god Potamoi and wind god Anemoi represent natural forces. The zodiac arc above them shows the signs from Cancer to Scorpio.nWater (lower right): This scene represents the element of water, presided over by Poseidon (Neptune), god of the sea, storms, and navigation. After the defeat of the Titans, Poseidon drew dominion over the oceans, while Zeus ruled the skies and Hades the underworld. Poseidon appears with his trident alongside his wife Amphitrite, a sea nymph, and their son Triton, shown offering a shell. The background teems with Dutch merchant ships, highlighting the maritime context of the map and the significance of seafaring to Dutch identity. nFire (upper left): This panel symbolises the element of fire through imagery of war and the underworld. Hades (Pluto), ruler of the dead, appears with his wife Persephone, whom he famously abducted and bound to the underworld by tricking her into eating pomegranate seedsforcing her to remain there part of each year. To the left stands Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the underworld, preventing the dead from escaping and the living from entering uninvited. Behind him loom scenes of destruction and chaos, reinforcing the association of fire with violence, death, and transformation. nEarth (lower left): This scene represents the element of earth through imagery of agriculture and abundance. The seated figure is Cybele, earth-goddess and protector of cities, wearing a turreted crown. As an allegorical figure of Amsterdam, she symbolises the city's strength, prosperity, and civic pride. Surrounding her are scenes of harvesting and husbandry, reflecting harmony between nature and civilisation.
Engraver: Hooghe, Romeyn de
First published: Orbis maritimus ofte zee atlas Amsterdam: Frederick de Wit, 1668
Image Size (cm): 48.1×56.2
Mapmaker: Wit, Frederick de (1610-1698)
Notes: Purchase details
Price: 7200
Primary Category: World
Purchase Reference: Ledger
Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market
Shirley ID #: 444 Mapping the World
Technique: Copper Engraving
This state: 1668
Website: Click here
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