This is a close derivative of Nicolas Visscher's influential map of the Americas. However, the island of California and the Great Lakes are shown on the Sanson model. In the Southwest, the Rio del Norto flows from a large interior lake and empties into the sea between the mainland and California. In South America, the mythical lakes Parime Lacus and Xarayes are prominent, and a battle scene and village appear in the Brazilian interior. The map is embellished with two large cartouches that were also copied from Visscher. In the top left corner, one cartouche depicts angels struggling with a devil for the soul of a Native American. At bottom left, the pictorial title cartouche contains scenes of gold panning, hunting, and a native chief standing beneath an umbrella. The only change De Wit made was that the chief is standing on the left rather than on the right as in Visscher's composition. This is the fourth state, with the degrees of longitude changed to 188 degrees to 8 degrees.

See also lot 738 for Philip Burden's The Mapping of North America - A List of Printed Maps 1511-1700 and lot 739 for Carl Wheat's Mapping the Transmississippi West 1540-1861 that both describe this map.

References: Burden #465; Carhart (De Wit) #6.4; McLaughlin #49; Tooley p. 120 #30; Wheat (TMW) #52.

Condition: B+

A crisp impression with full contemporary color on a lightly toned sheet. There is an archivally repaired centerfold separation that enters 3" into the image at bottom, small stains in the top corners of the sheet, and small worm holes confined to the map border and edges of the sheet. Remnants of hinge tape on verso.