South America - South Atlantic Ocean, coastlines of South America and Southwest Africa.; J. Janssonius - Mar di Aethiopia vulgo Oceanus Aethiopicus. - 1621-1650
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Selected by Ilaria Colombo
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Estimate € 400 - € 500
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Mar di Aethiopia vulgo Oceanus Aethiopicus, a copper‑engraved sea chart by J. Janssonius, published in Amsterdam in 1650, mapping the South Atlantic Ocean with the coasts of South America and Southwest Africa, in contemporary hand colour, 50.3 x 59.6 cm (paper), Good condition.
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J. Janssonius, Mar di Aethiopia vulgo Oceanus Aethiopicus.
Amsterdam 1650.
A spectacular, highly important, and beautifully decorated mid-17th-century sea chart of the South Atlantic Ocean, mapping the coastlines of South America and Southwest Africa. Engraved and published in Amsterdam in 1650 by the eminent cartographer Johannes Janssonius (1588–1664), this masterpiece originates directly from the rare French-text edition of his milestone sea atlas: Cinquiesme partie du Grand Atlas (also known as the Water-Weereld / Atlas Maritimus). This volume is celebrated by historians as the world's first true maritime atlas. The chart covers the vast expanse between two continents. To the west, it illustrates the major part of South America, showcasing the winding Amazon River, the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego (depicted separated from the mainland), and the Falkland Islands (labeled “Sebald de waerts Eylanden”). To the east, it details the southwest coastline of Africa, extending from the Equator down to the Cape of Good Hope.
A fascinating feature of this map is the inclusion of the mythical Lake of Xarayes at the headwaters of the Paraguay River; a fabled location where Spanish and Portuguese explorers traveled in search of the legendary riches of El Dorado. To the far south, a massive coastline hints at the hypothetical southern continent, Terra Australis Incognita. True to the absolute peak of Dutch Golden Age engraving, the map features two exquisite cartouches. In the upper-left, the title is beautifully framed by an elaborate figurative cartouche featuring indigenous figures, exotic birds, and a lizard. At the bottom center, a scale-bar cartouche is playfully flanked by cherubs assisting a maritime surveyor holding a sextant.
Designed as a sea chart, the plate is filled with sprawling rhumb lines, a striking multi-colored compass rose, and sailing vessels charting the ocean currents.
In Original Hand-Color!
Dimensions: 43,5 x 55,5 cm (engraving), 50,3 x 59,6 cm (paper).
Good condition, a few small spots, small tear in white margin of lower middle fold with old restoration.
J. Janssonius, Mar di Aethiopia vulgo Oceanus Aethiopicus.
Amsterdam 1650.
A spectacular, highly important, and beautifully decorated mid-17th-century sea chart of the South Atlantic Ocean, mapping the coastlines of South America and Southwest Africa. Engraved and published in Amsterdam in 1650 by the eminent cartographer Johannes Janssonius (1588–1664), this masterpiece originates directly from the rare French-text edition of his milestone sea atlas: Cinquiesme partie du Grand Atlas (also known as the Water-Weereld / Atlas Maritimus). This volume is celebrated by historians as the world's first true maritime atlas. The chart covers the vast expanse between two continents. To the west, it illustrates the major part of South America, showcasing the winding Amazon River, the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego (depicted separated from the mainland), and the Falkland Islands (labeled “Sebald de waerts Eylanden”). To the east, it details the southwest coastline of Africa, extending from the Equator down to the Cape of Good Hope.
A fascinating feature of this map is the inclusion of the mythical Lake of Xarayes at the headwaters of the Paraguay River; a fabled location where Spanish and Portuguese explorers traveled in search of the legendary riches of El Dorado. To the far south, a massive coastline hints at the hypothetical southern continent, Terra Australis Incognita. True to the absolute peak of Dutch Golden Age engraving, the map features two exquisite cartouches. In the upper-left, the title is beautifully framed by an elaborate figurative cartouche featuring indigenous figures, exotic birds, and a lizard. At the bottom center, a scale-bar cartouche is playfully flanked by cherubs assisting a maritime surveyor holding a sextant.
Designed as a sea chart, the plate is filled with sprawling rhumb lines, a striking multi-colored compass rose, and sailing vessels charting the ocean currents.
In Original Hand-Color!
Dimensions: 43,5 x 55,5 cm (engraving), 50,3 x 59,6 cm (paper).
Good condition, a few small spots, small tear in white margin of lower middle fold with old restoration.
Details
Era
1400-1900
Number of objects
1
Country
South America
Geographical specification
South Atlantic Ocean, coastlines of South America and Southwest Africa.
Map maker/publisher
J. Janssonius
Map/book title
Mar di Aethiopia vulgo Oceanus Aethiopicus.
Period
1621-1650
Condition
Good
Technique
Copper engraving
Additional Information
Beautiful coloured copper engraving by J. Janssonius from 1650, showing the South Atlantic Ocean
Map colour
Contemporary hand colour
Height
50.3 cm
Width
59.6 cm
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