A Map of the East-Indies and the Adjacent …

Acquired From: Leen Helmink

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Very Good

Confirmed: Yes

Date Acquired: 26/12/2024

Dealers ID No.: 19641

Description: Herman Moll was a German-born mapmaker who settled in London in the late 17th century. Beginning his career as an engraver, he rose to prominence as a cartographer known for his detailed and commercially astute maps. His major works, including The World Described and Atlas Minor, combined decorative artistry with political and economic insight. Molls maps appealed to both scholarly and commercial audiences and often reinforced British imperial interests. This map, dedicated to the Directors of the East India Company, exemplifies his ability to align cartographic craft with colonial ambition.nThis striking and influential map offers a sweeping view of India, Southeast Asia, China, the Philippines, and parts of Japanextending from Persia (modern-day Iran) to New Guineaand marks the first large-scale map of the region produced in England. It reflects both geographic ambition and imperial intent.nPublished at the height of European competition in Asia, the map includes detailed insets of key trading centres: Bantam (Dutch), Goa (Portuguese), Surat and Madras (British), and Batavia (Dutch). Rich annotations highlight regional markets, commodities, and political conditions, emphasizing the growing reach of the British East India Company (EIC), which by 1720 accounted for a significant share of Britains global trade.nMoll traces the EICs development from its 1600 royal charter to its entrenchment in Indian ports such as Surat, Bombay, and Calcutta. He notes the Company's involvement in tradeparticularly in gems, textiles, and teaand its diplomatic tensions with rulers like Emperor Aurangzeb over piracy and influence.nExplicitly dedicated to the EICs directors, the map served both as a geographic resource and a tool of imperial self-promotion. The Companys coat of arms is prominently displayed on the title cartouche, underscoring the maps role in celebrating British commercial power. It remained one of the most authoritative and widely circulated depictions of South and East Asia in the early eighteenth century.

First published: London: 1710

Image Size (cm): 101×61

Mapmaker: Moll, Herman (1654-1732)

Price: 4000

Primary Category: Southeast Asia

Purchase Reference: Ledger

Sheet size (cm): 105×62

Technique: Copper Engraving

This state: 1720