Unusual and Rare Oval Dutch Bible Map of the World

"Orbis Terrarum Typus de Integro in Plurimis Emendatus Auctus et Icunculis Illustratus", Danckerts, Family

This is a very rare world map that is only found in a few Dutch bibles, made even more interesting by the fact that it is an oval shape, which was uncommon in maps published after the 16th century. This map was created by Danckert Danckerts, son of Cornelis Danckerts the elder. The majority of the map was copied from Arnold van Langren's 1594 oval map of the world (Shirley #186), which is in fact even rarer than Danckerts' map. Van Langren based his map off of Ortelius' third world map with a few updates -- notably the addition of a long, peninsular Korea, Novaya Zemlya shown as an island, and revisions to the shape of Japan, northeastern Canada, and New Guinea. Danckerts made further changes, omitting the large landmasses at the north and south poles, making Tierra del Fuego a separate island, and adding the Dutch discoveries along the southwestern coast of Australia and Tasmania. The map's title and decorative elements were borrowed from Nicolas Visscher's double-hemisphere bible map of the world, first published circa 1650 (Shirley #401). These include two celestial spheres that are displayed in the Eastern Hemisphere and allegorical representations of the continents as well as native inhabitants and wildlife surrounding the map. To balance the celestial spheres, Danckerts added two mer-putti holding a banner with his imprint in the Western Hemisphere. It is interesting to note that Danckerts also copied the updates to Australia and Tasmania from Visscher, but not any of the improvements that Visscher included in North America. Dutch text on verso.

This is the first time we have offered this map, and we have found only 3 other examples offered on the market in the last 30 years.

References: Poortman & Augusteijn #97; Shirley #403 (A).

Condition: B+

A dark impression on a bright sheet with a bit of printer's ink residue, some show-through of text on verso, a stain in the North Atlantic, and light soiling. Professionally remargined at right and left with some of the neatline replaced in facsimile. There are also professional repairs to some tears adjacent to the centerfold.