Colouring: Coloured
Condition: Very Good
Confirmed: No
Description: The 1860 edition of Abel Tasmans manuscript map of Australia and New Zealand was published by the renowned Dutch Van Keulen sea chart publishing family. This map, a significant artifact of early Dutch cartography, illustrates the voyages of Abel Tasman in 1642 and 1644. It depicts Australia connected to Tasmania and New Guinea via a speculative southern and eastern coastline, with depth soundings shown. Although commonly attributed to Tasman, the map is a composite created by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), combining observations from Tasmans expeditions and earlier Dutch explorations.nUnder the orders of Governor-General Anthony van Diemen, Tasman embarked on his first voyage in 1642 to explore new lands in the southern latitudes. In November 1642, he became the first European to sight Tasmania, which he named Van Diemens Land. Tasmans subsequent discoveries included New Zealand and the Fiji Islands. On his second voyage in 1644, Tasman charted the south coast of New Guinea, seeking evidence of a southern continent. However, upon returning in August 1644, neither a strait south of New Guinea nor the eastern coast of Australia was reported.nDespite the incomplete findings, the VOC synthesized Tasmans observations with earlier Dutch discoveries to produce an informed yet hypothetical outline of the southern continent, naming it Compagnies Nieuw Nederland (Companys New Holland). This composite map, known today as the Tasman Composite Chart, includes a sweeping speculative eastern coastline that is notably realistic for its time. The maps northeast tip of Australia, however, extends erroneously far north, connecting with New Guinea and New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago.nThe version of the map illustrated here was first printed in 1859 in an uncoloured edition (as held by the National Library of Australia) and then in 1860 in a full-colour version, as seen here.
Mapmaker: Keulen, Gerard van (1678-1726)
Notes: Purchase details
Primary Category: Southern Continent
Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market
References: This edition is exceptionally rare, with only two copies held in Dutch institutions, three in New Zealand institutions, and the uncolored 1859 version in the National Library of Australia. Notably, no copies are recorded in American institutions.
Sheet size (cm): 970×760
Technique: Colour Facsimile
This state: 1860
Website: Click here
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