ORBIS TERRARUM TYPUS DE INTEGRO MULTIS IN LOCIS EMMENDATUS auctore Petro Plancio 1594.
Ioannes a Duetecum iunior fecit.

Original copperplate engraved map
Fine Handcolor
405 x 575 mm
Map # AW-146
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A spectacular example of Petrus Plancius' famous world map.   A Foundation Map from the Beginning of the Age of Discovery!    This map is "only occasionally available to collectors" (Shirley, p. 207).   This is a cornerstone map for any world map collection!

This is the first world map to use the highly decorative border scenes with allegorical representations of the continents that came to dominate world maps later in the 17th century under Willem Blaeu, Henricus Hondius and others.   The scene in the upper left is of Europe with an allegorical representation of Europa and a cornucopia of plenty, two armies engaged in battle, and two people and a pastoral scene with animals.  Asia is at the top right with an Asian wearing jewels sitting on a rhinoceros, two armies in battle, and various animals, including a unicorn, of Asia.  The Americas (as "Mexicana" and "Peruana") is at the bottom left with an American Indian sitting on an armadillo with various scenes of Indian life.  Africa is at the bottom right with an African sitting on a crocodile and a scene of an African village, pyramids with numerous animals (elephants, lions, etc.).  Beside Africa is Magallanica (from Magellan), the supposed great southern continent, with a person on an elephant surrounded by other animals.  These scenes are inspired by Theodore de Bry's work about early exploration of the world from a few years before.

The map is literally filled with decorative details - three sailing ships, a large sea monster in the south Pacific. Numerous text notations are found throughout the map.  Celestial charts are located at the top and bottom center of the map. 

This beautiful map was engraved and etched by the famous Dutch master, Joannes van Doetecum or Doetichum II.   Johannes van Doetichum II was active in Amsterdam from 1592 to 1630, and was the younger son of Johannes Doetichum, the elder.  This is probably his most famous work.

The extensive details of coastal and other navigational points in Africa and Asia are based on the portolan charts of the Portuguese, especially Luis Teixeira.  Teixeira was the leading mapmaker in Portugal in the later part of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century.  This is one of the earliest maps to incorporate Portuguese portolan information.  This use of Portuguese portolan information was later followed by Jan Huygen van Linschoten, Cornelius Clasez. and others.

This map has numerous placename details throughout.  In North America, the following are shown:  Virginia (a few years before the ill-fated settlement on the coast), and Nova Francia with a smaller notation for Canada; Hochelaga (Montreal).  A northwest passage above North America is projected along with English names from the Frobisher and Davis explorations in search of this passage in 1576-1587 (C. Bedford, etc.).  This map also likely had a role in the three Willem Barents voyages (1594-1597) into this area.  At the North Pole a series of islands and various rivers show a representation based on Gerard Mercator's maps of the region.  On the west coast, a number of placenames are listed "C de S. Francisco", "C. Mendocino", etc.  The Caribbean and South America are well defined including Mexico. Peru with the recent Spanish conquest of Cuzco is highlighted. 

Africa is generally based on the Gastaldi-Ortelius model with aspects of Gerard Mercator's Africa section of his famous 1569 world map.  Uniquely, a third lake appears on the Equator above the twin Nile source lakes (n.b.: this configuration also appeared on smaller maps of Africa in 1597 by Cornelis Claesz.-Barent Langenes, and in 1598 by Zacharias Heyns; this configuration was based on Arab information and specifically Mohammed al-Idrisi).  Coastal information for Africa came primarily from the Portuguese, particularly the portolan charts of the famed Portuguese chartmaker, Luis Teixiera, with some Arab influence on the east coast.

The mapping of Asia also shows some significant improvements in the cartographic understanding of the region.  The outline for Japan is considerably improved.  Korea appears as a peninsula for the first time and is joined to the continent.  New Guinea (Nova Guinea) is part of the "southern" continent.  There is considerable detail for Nova Guinea, and Southeast Asia. 

Northern Europe shows an open sea route to the east by sailing north of the Eurasian landmass.  At this time, the Dutch, and especially Plancius, were actively promoting and seeking such a route to the east and this map was intended to support these efforts.

This map was first issued separately in 1594.  The map next appeared unchanged in editions of Jan Huygen van Linschoten's Itinerario... from 1599 onward.  Subsequent editions of the Itinerario... with this map were in Dutch in 1605, 1614, 1623, and 1644; and in French in 1610,1619, and 1638. 

Linschoten (1562-1611) was employed as Secretary to the Portuguese Archbishop of Goa in India from 1583. Here, he had access to many Portuguese portolans as well as other valuable commercial information. Linschoten returned to Holland in 1592 and there wrote a history of his years of travel, the Itinerario..., which incorporated all that he had learned from the Portuguese. This book and the accompanying maps provided precise information on the Portuguese sea routes to the East, their re-supply points around Africa, and their trading stations in the East. The book had a tremendous influence on Dutch expansion in the East and particularly in Java.

So significant was this Plancius map that it spurred a number of derivatives by Vrients in 1596, and then by De la Houve, Hugo Allard, Loots, and van den Keere. (Schilder, p. 209-212).  Others in the 17th century, including Willem Blaeu, followed much of the representation of the world as shown on this map.

Reference:  Shirley, Rodney W. The Mapping of the World: Early Printed Maps, 1472-1700. London: New Holland Publishers, Ltd.,1993, map #187.   Schilder, Gunter with Klaus Stopp, Monumenta Cartographica Neerlandica, vol VII (we highly recommend this book; chapter X is devoted to Linschoten).   Linschoten, Discours of Voyages into Y East & West Indies, Facsimile of the London 1598 edition. Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Amsterdam, 1974.   Betz, Richard L., with Penelope W. Betz. The Mapping of Africa: A Cartobibliography of Printed Maps of the African Continent to 1700. 't Goy-Houten, The Netherlands: HES & De Graaf Publishers, 2007 (for the section on Africa).

Exceedingly Fine Example of this Map!   We do not use the terms "excellent" or "mint" to describe our maps, but this particular example of the map can be described as in excellent or mint condition.  It is as good an example as can be acquired.  The image is strong and very clean.  The handmade paper is especially thick, with only several thinner spots (only noticeable from the verso) and with no separations.  Extremely good margins for this map!   The higher resolution digital images above show the entire map including the margins so the size of the margins can be examined.  The map is not backed with Japanese tissue (as are many available today).  The map has several minute pinholes at several fold intersections, because it was folded a number of times for insertion into the Itinerario.  There are the remnants of two conservation paper tabs on the top of the verso, which were used when the map was framed.  In attractive color.  We are certain you will be pleased with this map.