Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, Siam, Laos, Cambodia; Verdussen - Presqu’Isle de l’Inde deçà le Golfe du Gange / Presqu’Isle de l’Inde delà le Golfe de Gange - 1725

Technical sheet

Title: Presqu’Isle de l’Inde deçà le Golfe du Gange e Presqu’Isle de l’Inde delà le Golfe de Gange
Author / Cartographer: Francisco de Aefferden (1653–1709); cartography by J. Peeters
Designer: J. Peeters
Publisher: Juan Bautista Verdussen
Place: Antwerp
Period / Date: 1725
Technique: copper-engraved intaglio printed on copper, produced by etching and burin, with period hand coloring
Support: laid paper
Dimensions: sheet 19 × 20 cm; plate impression 13.5 × 16 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: titles set within two ornamental cartouches; geographic scales stated in alloys
Composition: plate comprising two adjacent geographies, originally folded and drawn from El Atlas abreviado o Compendiosa geographia del mundo antiguo y nuevo, published in Antwerp in 1725

Description

Eighteenth-century map plate composed of two adjacent panels, dedicated respectively to the Indian peninsula and the territories of Indochina. The plate, created within the Francisco de Aefferden atlas with cartography by J. Peeters, offers a succinct European representation of South and Southeast Asia at the beginning of the eighteenth century.

The left panel, titled Presqu’Isle de l’Inde deçà le Golfe du Gange, depicts the Indian peninsula south of the Mughal Empire. The Malabar and Coromandel coasts, the Deccan, Golconda, and Bengal are identifiable, along with major port and trading centers: Surat, Bombay, Goa, Calicut, Cochin and Madras. The island of Ceylon and the Maldive and Lakadive (Laccadive) archipelagos also appear, described by a succession of small islands.

The right panel, titled Presqu’Isle de l’Inde delà le Golfe de Gange, covers Burma, Siam, Laos, Cambodia, Cochinchina, Tonkin, and the Malay peninsula. The course of the principal rivers shapes the interior representation, while mountain ranges are indicated by small perspective elevations. Along the coasts are cities and ports such as Pegu, Martaban, Ayutthaya, Tenasserim, Malacca, and Cambodia.

The map also records the main sea spaces of the region, including the Bay of Bengal, the Gulf of Siam, the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea. The two titles are set within shell-shaped ornamental cartouches, accompanied by their respective geographic scales.

The period hand coloring highlights the coastlines, political boundaries, islands, borders and decorative elements, while preserving legibility of the dense toponymy.

Historical-artistic note

The plate belongs to the 1725 edition of El Atlas abreviado o Compendiosa geographia del mundo antiguo y nuevo, a geographical work by Francisco de Aefferden published in Antwerp by Juan Bautista Verdussen. The atlas, aimed mainly at a Spanish-speaking audience, gathered compact-format maps with notable informational density.

J. Peeters’ cartography reflects European interest in the Indian Ocean and the trade routes to India, Ceylon, Southeast Asia, and China. The presence of port cities, islands and straits reveals the particular attention given to the principal hubs involved in maritime traffic for European companies.

The division between India “to the near side” and India “beyond” the Gulf of Bengal echoes a geographic distinction then common: the former designation mainly referenced the Indian peninsula, while the latter encompassed Indochina and territories east of Bengal.

Condition Report

A good-condition copy. There is a central vertical editorial fold, with browning most pronounced along the fold line. Diffuse foxing, oxidations and age-related stains affect the sheet, both in the engraved area and the margins. Gentle waviness and handling marks consistent with age are visible. Margins preserved, with minor irregularities. The impression is crisp and fully legible; the hand coloring is well preserved. Verso is blank, with natural transparency of the engraving and pigments.