New Guinea, New Britain and New Holland

Acquired From: Gowrie Galleries

Colouring: Uncoloured

Condition: Very Good

Confirmed: 28/09/2024

Date Acquired: 9/10/2002

Dealers ID No.: M391 (STK 1283.01)

Description: Herman Moll was one of the most important London mapmakers in the first half of the eighteenth century. His early career began as an engraver for Moses Pitt on the production of the English Atlas, a project that ultimately failed and led to Pitts imprisonment for debt. Moll began producing his own original maps in the early 1680s and had established his own shop by the 1690s.nThroughout his career, Moll published a wide array of geographies, atlases, and histories, along with numerous sheet maps. One of his most notable works was Atlas Geographus, which included this map of New Holland (modern-day Australia). The map documents early Dutch explorations along the Australian coastline, including:n Dirk Hartog (1616): The first European known to have set foot on the western coast of Australia, naming it "'t Landt van Eendracht" (Land of Eendracht).n Frederick de Houtman (1619): Conducted further explorations along the west coast.n The Leeuwin (1622): A Dutch ship whose name was later given to the southwestern cape of Australia, now known as Cape Leeuwin.n Jan Carstenszoon and Willem Joosten van Colster (1623) Explored northern Australia, including Cape York and Arnhem Land.n Pieter Nuyts (1627): Charted parts of the southern coastline during his voyage aboard the 't Gulden Zeepaert (Golden Seahorse).n Gerrit Frederikszoon de Witt (1628): Contributed to mapping sections of the Australian coast, leading to the designation "G.F. de Wits Land.n Abel Tasman (1644): Conducted detailed surveys of northern Australia, mapping areas such as the Gulf of Carpentaria.

First published: Moll, Herman Geographicus: or a Compleat system of Geography Vol. 3. London: John Nutt, 1712

Image Size (cm): 18×12.8

Mapmaker: Moll, Herman (1654-1732)

Price: A2,400 plus gst

Primary Category: Asia-Pacific

Purchase Reference: Inv. 1309

Rarity: R3 Uncommon – dealers can usually obtain a copy

References: Tooley, The Mapping of Australia, 122, no. 908; nReinhartz, The Cartographer and the Literati: Herman Moll and His Intellectual Circle , 28-30. Dewez, The Printed World II, map 118; nDewez, The Printed World V, map 61.

Sheet size (cm): 22×16

Technique: Copper Engraving

This state: 1717