Africa - .; Verdussen - Africae - 1725

Technical sheet

Title: Africae – Map of the African continent.
Author: I. Peeters
Engraver: attributed to Jacobus Harrewijn (1660–1727); signed “Harrewijn f.” in the lower left corner, at the base of the figurative composition.
Draftsman: I. Peeters
Publisher: Juan Bautista Verdussen.
Place: Antwerp.
Era: 1725.
Technique: copper engraving on copper, executed with etching and burin, with hand-applied period coloration at the borders, along some coastal lines and on the frame.
Support: laid paper.
Dimensions: sheet 19 × 20 cm; impression 18.5 × 15 cm.
Composition: single horizontal plate, with a vertical central fold, geographic lattice, graduated frame and an allegorical composition in the lower left corner.

Description

Map of the entire African continent, from the Mediterranean to the Cape of Good Hope, including Madagascar and numerous islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In the upper part there are also portions of southern Europe and the Near East, with the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea.

The representation distinguishes the main regions through historical names such as Barbary, Nigritia, Guinea, Congo, Abyssinia and Monomotapa. A dense nomenclature accompanies the drawing of the coasts, rivers and settlements, while mountain chains and other landscape elements are rendered by small figurative signs. The interior of the continent presents an articulated hydrography with large lake basins and river connections, expression of the geographical knowledge and conventions of the time.

The hand coloring highlights territorial divisions, some coastal profiles and the outer frame. Small sailing ships animate the ocean spaces. In the lower left corner, the title is placed within a broad allegorical scene with figures, palm trees, animals, goods and architectural references to Egypt, forming an ornamental apparatus of particular richness relative to the plate’s format.

Historical-artistic note

The map combines the descriptive function of geography with a figurative repertoire intended to evoke the continent for a European audience. The decorative composition gathers references to ancient Egypt, nature and trade, in accordance with the allegorical language of Baroque cartography.

The contrast between the richness of the coastal indications and the conventional representation of some inland regions makes the plate significant also as a document of geographical knowledge of the period. The signature “Harrewijn f.” attests the involvement of an engraver from the Harrewijn family; the identification with Jacobus is kept in attributive form.

Condition Report

A copy with a central vertical fold of editorial origin, slightly browned. Paper with light oxidation, minor foxing and scattered brownish spots, especially in the margins and on the back. Margins present on all sides, with slight irregularities and signs of handling.

Impression sharp, with good legibility of the nomenclature and figurative details. Coloration preserved. White verso, with the transparency of the engraving and brown-greenish halos corresponding to some colored areas.