Nova totius terrarum orbis tabula

Acquired From: Leen Helmink

Colouring: Coloured

Condition: Excellent

Confirmed: Yes

Date Acquired: 1/11/2021

Dealers ID No.: 19009

Description: This matching set by Amsterdam-based engraver and publisher Gerard van Schagen comprises separate maps of the four continentsEurope, Asia, Africa, and Americaalongside a double-hemisphere world map. Issued in 1689, it represents the second state of van Schagens series, first published in the early 1680s.nAlthough little is known about van Schagens life, he was a skilled etcher and printer whose maps were distributed by leading Amsterdam publishers including Johannes van Keulen, Nicolaes Visscher II, and Frederick de Wit. He did not compile atlases himself, his separately issued maps and wall charts circulated widely among merchants, navigators, and collectors.The Dutch imprint in the lower right corner of the world map reads t'Amsterdam gedruckt by G. van Schagen, by de Nieuwe Haerlemmer sluy"Printed by G. van Schagen at the Nieuwe Haarlemmer Sluice," a lock near the Brouwersgracht and Haarlemmerstraat long associated with printers and map dealers. nVan Schagen's world map draws heavily on Frederik de Wits world map Nova totius terrarum orbis tabula (see View Record (#207)), first published in the Orbis maritime sea atlas around 1668. It is framed by elaborate mythological scenes representing the four classical elementsair, fire, water, and earthclosely following the allegorical programme designed by Romeyn de Hooghe for De Wits original:n''Air ''(upper right): The Olympian gods are shown seated among clouds, each associated with one of the seven classical planetsZeus (Jupiter), Juno (Hera), Ares (Mars), Aphrodite (Venus), Apollo (Sun), Cronus (Saturn), Hermes (Mercury), and Diana (Moon). Overhead, a zodiac band runs from Cancer to Scorpio.n''Fire ''(upper left): Hades (Pluto) and Persephone preside over a fiery underworld guarded by Cerberus, with scenes of war and destruction in the distance.n''Water ''(lower right): Poseidon (Neptune) and Amphitrite appear amid tritons, sea monsters, and Dutch shipsa celebration of Dutch maritime power.n''Earth ''(lower left): Cybele, the turret-crowned goddess of cities and agriculture, sits among symbols of abundance. Her mural crown the fortifications of Amsterdam, expressing the citys claim as the hub of global commerce.nThe four accompanying continent maps are adapted from Nicolaes Visscher Is c.1658 series, newly updated and embellished with allegorical cartouches in place of Visschers original dedications:n''America'': California is shown as an island. At the top right, Poseidon (Neptune) rides his seahorse-drawn chariot.n''Asia'': Incorporates Abel Tasmans 1644 discoveries in northern Australia. At the top right, a vignette shows figures in diverse Asian attire, including one weilding a stick above a collared beaver-like.n''Africa'': The lower left corner features Poseidon (Neptune) with a semi-naked maiden in a seahorse-drawn chariota classical motif of maritime dominance.n''Europe'': At the bottom right, a maiden draped in red rides a bull across the sea, referencing the myth of Europa from Ovids Metamorphoses 2:836875.nTogether, these maps combine updated cartographic content with classical imagery, projecting the cultural confidence and global ambitions of the Dutch at the close of the seventeenth century.

Engraver: Schagen, Gerard van

First published: Separate Publication: Amsterdam: Gerard van Schagen, 1682

Image Size (cm): 43.5×54

Mapmaker: Schagen, Gerard van (1642-1690)

Other states: First 1682

Price: 17,000

Primary Category: World

Purchase Reference: Ledger 2022

Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market

References: See article Werner, J. H Gerard van Schagen. A small Amsterdam map publisher from the end of the Golden Age.

Sheet size (cm): 50.5×59.3

Shirley ID #: 514 Mapping the World

Technique: Copper Engraving

This state: 1689, Second

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