Danckerts' Decorative Double-Hemisphere Map

"Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula ", Danckerts, Justus

This is Danckerts' version of De Wit's splendid maritime world map. The cartographic features include the island of California and an open-ended Great Lakes on the Sanson model in North America. A remnant of Lake Parime is still shown in South America. In Africa, the Nile still rises from twin lakes and the interior is mostly guesswork. Australia is represented only by the northern and western coastlines and Van Diemen's discoveries are shown in Tasmania and New Zealand. Above and below the map are polar projections. Lively allegorical scenes representing the four elements surround the map. Fire is depicted by a fierce battle scene and the abduction of Persephone; air as the heavenly realm ruled by Zeus and Hera; water by Neptune with his entourage, sailing ships and a fantastic spouting whale; and earth by Demeter and two other earth goddesses in a peaceful scene of harvesting and husbandry. This is Danckerts' second of two similar maps, with geography updated from De Wit's original. In the Antarctic sphere, all of the southern continents are depicted as far as the equator, whereas previously only the tip of South America was shown. In addition, Nova Guinea appears in the western hemisphere and the northwest coast of North America is illustrated and named Terra Esonis.

References: Shirley #529.

Condition: B

A nice impression with original color in the map and later color in the decorative elements. There is toning, light soiling, and two short worm tracks in the Antarctic sphere that have been professionally repaired with a minute amount of the image replaced in facsimile. There are additional professional repairs to a tear that enters 3" into the Arctic sphere and to a number of small chips and tears along the edges of the sheet.