Catalog Archive
Auction 126, Lot 748

"Africae Vera Forma, et Situs", Jode, Cornelis de

Subject: Africa

Period: 1593 (published)

Publication: Speculum Orbis Terrae

Color: Hand Color

Size:
17.8 x 13 inches
45.2 x 33 cm
Download High Resolution Image
(or just click on image to launch the Zoom viewer)

This exceedingly rare map is an interesting amalgamation of cartographical sources. Cornelis prepared this map for the second edition of the Speculum after his father's death in 1591. It replaced the African map of the first edition that had been attributed to Gastaldi. This map retains the continental outline from Gastaldi with the interior based primarily on Mercator's world map of 1569. This is most evident in the river systems, including Sachaf lac as the source of the Zabere (Zembere), Cuama and R. d S. Spirito rivers in southern Africa. The map also incorportates information from Ortelius including the placement of Zanzibar on the southwest coast. The map is beautifully adorned with ships and sea monsters and representations of the native people scattered across the map. Unfortunately Cornelis' atlas met the same fate as that of his father's atlas, with very few copies being sold. On the death of Cornelis, the copper plates were sold to Jan Baptist Vrients, the publisher of Ortelius' atlas, who acquired them merely to stop their re-issue. As a result the map is very rare. Latin text on verso.

References: Betz #27; Norwich #19.

Condition: A

Lovely old color with slight oxidation of the green and very sound, supple paper. There is some light foxing and surface soil in the blank margins.

Estimate: $5,500 - $6,500

Sold for: $9,000

Closed on 12/3/2008

Archived