Amsterdam 1660

Separately Issued Map - The Last Map with Decorative Borders issued in The Netherlands :

NOVA | AFRICA | DESCRIPTIO | Auct. F. de Wit.
[with publisher's imprint in decorative cartouche at bottom left]:  T'AMSTERDAM | By Frederick de Wit inde Calverstraet inde Witte Paskaert.

Original copperplate printed map :
38.5 x 46.5 cm (map only) ; 43.5 x 55 cm (including decorative borders).

Map #AAF-513  (fourth state, undated)    $6,750
Map #AFS-190  (third state, undated)      $4,250
 

#AFS-190
Click Here for High Resolution Image
 

In 1660 De Wit prepared and published a set of maps of the four continents with decorative figures on each side border and town views across the top. These are among the earliest known maps by De Wit.  Interestingly, they are also the last folio-size maps with decorative borders issued in Amsterdam.  Frederick de Wit (1629-1706) was known as a map publisher, engraver, and seller. He worked in Amsterdam from the Kalverstraat ('by den Dam inde dry Crabben') to 1654 and then from 'in de Witte Paskaert' from 1655 to 1706. He produced a prodigious amount of cartographic material including separate terrestrial maps and sea charts, sea and terrestrial atlases, wall maps, and town views.  Many of his maps were superbly colored by master Dutch colorists of his day such as Dirck van Santen.

De Wit also acquired numerous copperplates from those auctioned by the Blaeu and Janssonius publishing houses sometime after 1674 and republished these works, often with his imprint added. On his death in 1706, the business was continued for a time by his widow Maria until 1709. In 1710, the De Wit plates were sold to Mortier, Van der Aa, and Renard. It is not believed that this map was re-issued as it had already been replaced by De Wit's second map of Africa of c. 1670 (Map # 114).  In designing this map of Africa, De Wit was influenced by the Visscher map states (1631, 1636, and 1652) of Van den Keere's map of 1614. De Wit used Visscher's allegorical depiction of the continent of an African woman sitting on a crocodile for his title cartouche.

Betz, Map #96.  Not in Norwich.

Map #AAF-513:  Fine original color.  Old repair on verso to bottom centerfold margin separation, some olf surface fingerprints. 
Map #AFS-190:  Good overall, with repaired separation entering map at bottom left of the map.