South America - South Atlantic Ocean

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.

Stima:€400

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