This rare miniature map of the world was drawn and engraved by Sepp and published by Willem Holtrop. The map presents North America with a blank western coast above California. Australia and New Zealand are both only partially formed. A celestial sphere based on the Copernican theory is below the double hemisphere map, balanced by a decorative title cartouche at top. This is the second state, with the publisher name in the title cartouche changed from Arent van Huissteen to Holtrop.

This map has an interesting and complicated publication history. It was originally engraved by Sepp in 1747 for Arent van Huissteen, however Huissteen died in 1751 before the map could be published. It was finally published in 1765 by Steven van Esveldt in Geographisch Hand-Boekje, voor de Jeugd, with Huissteen's name still engraved on the plate. The map continued to be used in other composite atlases by Esveldt, and also by his wife after his death in 1776. The business was then passed on to Esveldt's son-in-law, Willem Holtrop, who replaced Huissteen's imprint with his own.

See also lot 690 for Geoffrey King's Miniature Antique Maps that describes this map.

References: King (3rd ed.) #1794; King (IMCOS #126) pp. 15-18.

Condition: A

Contemporary outline color on a bright sheet with minor soiling.