This decorative allegorical engraving representing the Mogol Empire appeared in Part IV of Scherer's Atlas Novus. The center of the composition is dominated by a procession of elephants, camels, and soldiers, with regal figures riding on the elephants in howdahs. This impressive march takes place against a cartographic backdrop showing the Indus Valley from Sukkur to Kabul at left, and the Ganges River at right. The Caucasus Moutains and Montes Dalanguer, a precursor to the Himalayas on European maps of the era, appear in the distance. In the foreground, putti wield shields noting the Empire's abundance and military strength while dismissing its religious traditions. The dismissive attitude towards Brahmin fables and the Koran is typical of Scherer, a devout Jesuit who emphasizes the Catholic hierarchy and the spread of Jesuit missions throughout his Atlas Novus. Engraved by Josef a Montalegre, based on a drawing by Johann Degler.

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) T.SHER-1a #105.

Condition: B+

A dark impression with small spots and some short wormtracks along the left edge of the engraving that have been infilled with old paper on verso.