Acquired From: Gowrie Galleries
Colouring: Coloured
Condition: Very Good
Confirmed: Yes
Dealers ID No.: (STK 1775.01)
Description: Nicolaes Visscher I, the only son of Claes Jansz. Visscher (View Record (#10), View Record (#11), View Record (#12), View Record (#292), View Record (#293)) took over the family business after his fathers death in 1652. Among his notable works is this double-hemisphere world map, which includes two smaller polar projections above and below the main hemispheres. nThe map was first published in Atlas novus, vol. 1, edited by Johannes Janssonius and issued in Amsterdam in 1658 (View Record (#34), View Record (#43), View Record (#107), View Record (#206), View Record (#255), View Record (#282)). It was subsequently reused in editions of Visschers own Atlas contractus orbis terrarum, first issued around 16571658, and was also sold separately for inclusion in composite atlases.nThis map is among the earliest to omit the hypothetical Terra Australis Incognita, the vast southern continent that had dominated earlier world maps. Instead, the South Pole region is left largely open, with only Patagonia and a fully articulated Tierra del Fuego shown. The imagined southern landmass is replaced by documented discoveries from Abel Tasman's voyages of 1642 and 1644, including the western coastlines of Australia and New Zealand.nThe map is richly decorated with four elaborate mythological scenes designed by Nicolaes Berchem, each symbolising one of the four classical elements. Fire depicts the abduction of Persephone by Hades, with the nymph Cyane attempting to intervene. Air shows Zeus and Hera traversing the heavens in an eagle-drawn chariot accompanied by putti. Water presents Poseidon and Aphrodite emerging from the sea in a chariot drawn by hippocampi, surrounded by tritons and nymphs. Earth portrays a pastoral harvest scene presided over by Demeter, holding a cornucopia as mortals present the fruits of agricultural abundance.
Engraver: Berchem, Nicolaes (1620-1683)
First published: Atlas novus, vol. 1, Amsterdam: Johannes Janssonius, 1658
Mapmaker: Visscher I, Nicholaes (1618-1679)
Notes: Purchase details
Price: A18,800 plus gst
Primary Category: World
Purchase Reference: Insurance Ledger June 2015
Rarity: R2 Very rare – one or two copies appear on the market
References: Johannes Keuning, The Novus Atlas of Johannes Janssonius, Imago Mundi 8 (1951): 7198.
Shirley ID #: 406 Mapping the World
Technique: Copper Engraving
This state: First
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