Acquired From: Leen Helmink
Colouring: Uncoloured
Condition: Excellent
Confirmed: Yes
Date Acquired: 20/1/2020
Description: This early and rare map of Southeast Asia by Petrus Plancius is the first state of Insulae Moluccae, engraved around 1592 by Jan van Doetecum and published in Amsterdam in 1594 by Cornelis Claesz. It is among the earliest printed Dutch maps devoted specifically to the Spice Islands and reflects the growing cartographic and commercial interests of the Dutch in the region.nThe first state is identifiable by its pasted letterpress title in the upper cartouche and the engraved signature Ioannes à Doetechum fecit in the lower margin. In the second state (before 1609), the title was engraved directly into the plate and the signature updated to Joannes van Doetecum. (c. 1600). The third state (1617; see View Record (#72)) was issued from the same plate but with the imprint of C.I. Visscher excudebat Ao. 1617 in the lower cartouche, reflecting the enduring demand and influence of the map over a 25-year period.nPlancius, a Flemish theologian and cosmographer, settled in Amsterdam after fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. There, he played a central role in early Dutch navigation and became a founding geographer of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). In 1592, Dutch agents in Lisbon secured Portuguese rutters and charts compiled by Bartolomeu Lasso, royal cosmographer to the King of Spain. This intelligence coup broke the Iberian monopoly on navigational knowledge and provided the basis for a series of Plancius maps, including his 1592 wall map (now in Colegio del Corpus Christi in Valencia, Spain) and a related chart of the African coast and Indian Ocean (View Record (#228)).nGeographically, the map covers the Sunda Islands, Banda Islands, Timor, New Guinea, and the Moluccas. The Latin title underscores the commercial importance of these islands:n"The islands of the Moluccas are very famous because of their extremely great wealth in spices, which they export over the whole world. The most important islands are Ternate, Tidor, Motir, Machian, and Bachian. Some would expand this list to include: Gilolo, Celebes, Borneo, Ambon, and Banda. From the island of Timor, red and white sandalwood is shipped to Europe, from Banda nuts with their flowers commonly named mace, and from the Moluccas clove tree. At the foot of this map, we have arranged to include pictures of these products drawn from nature."nBeyond its geographic and commercial content, the map is richly decorated. Three detailed botanical illustrations Nux myristica (nutmeg), Caryophillorum arbor (clove tree), and Santalum album (sandalwood) appear in the lower margin, marked ex natura delineavimus (drawn from nature). These vignettes highlight both the scientific aspirations and the commercial interests that drove Dutch exploration.nAs the first state, this edition is particularly rare and historically important. Created at a pivotal moment in Dutch overseas expansion, it exemplifies how cartography was used to visualise and promote early imperial ambitions in Southeast Asia.
Engraver: Doetecum, Johannes van
First published: Separate Publication. Amsterdam: Cornelis Claesz, 1594
Image Size (cm): 39×55
Mapmaker: Plancius, Petrus (1552-1622)
Other states: Second , Third 1617 (View Record (#72))
Price: 127,000
Primary Category: Southeast Asia
Purchase Reference: Ledger 2022
Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market
References: Thomas Suárez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia: The Epic Story of Seafarers, Adventurers, and Cartographers Who First Mapped the Regions Between China and India, 177, Fig 190 (third edition).nGünter Schilder, Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica, vol. 7, Cornelis Claesz., (Alphen aan den Rijn: Canaletto, 2003).
Shirley ID #: 187 Mapping the World
Technique: Copper Engraving
This state: 1594
Website: Click here
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