Miniature Map of Peru.

Bertius, Petrus/ Pieter. Petrus Kaerius/Pieter van der Keere; Jodicus Hondius. "Descriptio Peruviæ" Peru. Amsterdam Jodicus Hondius Jr. 1616
Copper engraved map of Peru from Petrus Bertius' "Tabularum geographicum contractarum libri septum. " Latin text to verso describing the succeeding map. Dark impression.
Koeman: Lan 11. 100 by 135mm (4 by 5¼ inches).    €120

Virginia & Florida.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Florida. "Virginiæ partis australis et Floridæ partis orientalis, interjacentiumq, regionum Nove Descriptio." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Virginia & Florida from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Large decorative title catouche ; scale with 2 putti, of which the left has a tail thus 2nd state; ships and compass roses to sea.

Cartographically this map forms a marked improvement on the Jodocus Hondius map of 1606, from which this was largely derived. It also amply illustrates the direction that engraving styles had moved, being more open and florid. The map depicts two nations' interests, both marked by their own coat of arms. The French claim, being largely present day Georgia, rests on the abortive colonial attempts of the 1560s. Blaeu makes no advance here in geography, following Hondius to the letter.
The greatest improvement occurs in the northern half of the map north of Porto Royal. Whereas on the Hondius the coastline towards C. de Ste. Romano (present day Cape Fear) veered directly east, Blaeu more correctly takes it north-east, placing the cape closer to its true position of 34°. This span of coastline is approximately that of present day South Carolina's. This now present to us a more accurately proportioned Outer Banks Region, radically reduced in size but still slightly too far north. For these improvements Blaeu drew upon the extremeley rare DE EYLANDEN ..., by Hessel Gerritsz, c. 1631. The Outer Banks combine the placenames of Gerritsz and Hondius, often using two different ones for the same area such as C. de Trafalgar and C. ost Feare. This latter name was often applied to present day Cape Lookout before it was used for its present site to the south-west.
Chesapeake Bay was depicted as just a small bay on Hondius' map of 1606 as John Smith was yet to explore these waters. The Gerritsz terminated at this point, and only two placenames appeared. Blaeu draws largely on the Smith map for much of the nomenclature but introduces some English ones from an unknown source. The most important is Newport nesa, Newport News, founded in 1621 and apparently shown here for the first time on a printed map. Also new are Bermouth, Stortingen and Arglas. The two Indian figures from Hondius' map form part of the cartouche on Blaeu's. The winged cherub to the left of the scale provides the only difference to the two known states. [Burden: The Mapping of America]
Bright original outline colour; good impression; light damp stain to edges of blank margins, far from image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C.; Burden: 253 State 2. 386 by 506mm (15¼ by 20 inches).    €1500

The Isthmus of Panama, Costa Rica and Columbia.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Descriptio Terræ Firmæ, Novi regni Granatensis, et Popayan. "Terra firma et Novum Regnum Granatensis et Popayan." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Panama And Columbia from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Strap work title catouche and scale; compass roses to sea.

Decorative map of the Isthmus of Panama and North Western South America including most of present day Columbia and part of Venezuela.
Terra Firma is Panama, Veraguas is Costa Rica, and Popayan in the west and Nuevo Rey Node Granada in the east refers to the mountainous Columbia.
The map is significant both for illustrating these early historic areas in the New World and for the numerous settlements, rivers and mountains.
The map is based on the cartography of Hessel Gerritsz. Bright original outline colour; good impression; light damp stain to edges of blank margins, far from image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C. 378 by 490mm (15 by 19¼ inches).    €500

Paraguay, South America.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Descriptio Paraguay sive Provinciæ Rio de La Plata, cum regionibus adjacentibus Tucuman et Santa Cruz de la Sierrra. "Paraguay, o Prov. de Rio de la Plata cum regionibus adiacentibus Tucuman et Sta Cruz de la Sierra." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Paraguay from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Strap work title catouche; large compass rose.
The map shows the Northern Patagonia territory. Also showing Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Santa Cruz of Bolivia, Paraguays, Uruguay, Buenos Ayres, Chili and Santo Iago. Bright original outline colour; good impression; damp stain to edges of blank margins, far from image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C. 375 by 478mm (14¾ by 18¾ inches).    €350

The Carribbean.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Insulæ Americanæ, in Oceano Septemtrionali, Ante sinum Mexicanum, & aliquot Continentis regiones. "Insulæ Americanæ, in Oceano Septemtrionali cum Terris adiacentibus." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of the Caribbean from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Large strap work title cartouche and scale: dedication cartouche surmounted by coat of arms; ships and compass roses to sea.

Blaeu's chart of the Caribbean, based on a section of Blaeu's own West Indische Paskaert (ca. 1630) and Hessel Gerritsz' rare chart of 1631. The chart was the most accurate for its time and was used throughout the seventeenth century.

The chart covers practically the same area as the Gerritsz chart, but adds the west coast of Central America and the South Sea ( Mare del Zur). Although this western coast is shown on the chart, there are no place names there. Every other coast is detailed in its toponyms, reflecting the advanced nature of European colonialism in the mid-seventeenth century. The place names in Florida and what is now the US Gulf Coast are mostly Spanish in origin, suggesting the use of a hard-to-get Spanish chart for that section.

The place names along the coast of eastern North America are practically identical to the Gerritsz chart, other than the important addition of Virginia here. According to Burden, Blaeu also accurately shows the distance between Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound to be only 1°, whereas many contemporaries show them a further distance from each other.

The coastlines are colored decoratively, not to reflect political boundaries. The map is embellished with several other aesthetic details that make it distinctive to other charts of the area based on Gerritsz. A delicate scrolling script and rhumb lines fill the seas, as do five ships in full sail. The ships underline the region's importance to Europeans; it was a major center for trade, resources, and a site for forced labor. Bright original outline colour; good impression; light damp stain and toning to edges of blank margins.
Koeman1, Bl 24C. 383 by 526mm (15 by 20¾ inches).    €1300

The Straits of Magellan, Tierra de Fuego. and Le Maire Strait.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Fretum Magallanicum. Fretum Le Maire. "Tabula Magellanica, quâ Tierræ del fuego, cum celeberrimis fretis F. Magellano at I. Le Maire detectis novissima et acuratissima descriptio exhibetur." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Magellanica from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
3 strap work catouches for title, scale and key; coat of arms and dedication to Constantino Hugenio (Constantijn Huygens, the secretary of the two Princes of Orange, Frederick Henry and William II);; fleet of ships and compass roses to sea.

Ferdinand Magellan discovered and explored the sea route between the mainland of South America and Tierra del Fuego during his circumnavigation of the globe. The natural passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean is named today Strait of Magellan. Magellan himself died during this journey on 27 April 1521 in the Philippines.
The map bears Willem Blaeu's signature but was published by his son Joan.

The map shows the results of the expeditions of Willem Cornelisz Schouten and Jacob Le Maire (1615-1617), who discovered Cape Horn, and those of the Nassau fleet under admiral Jacques l'Heremite and vice-admiral Gheen Huygen Schapenham (1623-1626). "Lheremitens eylandt" and "Schapenhams bay" are named after these two expedition leaders. Bright original outline colour; good impression; fairly extensive damp stain to edges of blank margins, just touching image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C. 375 by 478mm (14¾ by 18¾ inches).    €600

Guiana, South America.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Guiana sive regio Amazonum. "Guiana sive Amazonum Regio." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Guiana from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Strap work title catouche and scale; compass rose and ships to sea.

Decorative map of the Guianas , Lake Parima (Parime Lacus), and the route to El Dorado.Initially issued in 1630 , variants were published well in to the 1660s. The map covers from Isla Margarita and the Orinoco Delta eastward as far as Tampico and southwards as far as the Amazon River.

This region of South America generated considerable European interest in the early 17th century following the publication of Sir Walter Raleigh's fascinating 'Discovery of the Large, Rich, and Beautiful EMPIRE Of GUIANA .' Raleigh's expedition traveled down the Orinoco River in search of the Kingdom of El Dorado. Today we know that El Dorado did not exist, but was rather an amalgam of very real tribal traditions and the European lust for gold. Nonetheless, in the 16th century, tales of El Dorado were common conversation along the port cities of the Spanish Main. Having explored a considerable distance down the Orinoco, Raleigh's expedition found itself mired in a remote tribal village at the onset of the rainy season. While waiting for an opportunity to return north, a trading delegation arrived. At this time the dominate trading empire in the Amazon were the Manoa, who, though based near modern day Manaus, pursued trade routes to from the foothills of the Andes to the Amazon and Orinoco Deltas. While the rainy season prevented Raleigh from moving forward, for the Manoa it had the opposite effect. The heavy rains inundated the vast Parima flood plain creating a great inland sea, consequently opening an important trade connection between the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers. When the Manoa arrived, Raleigh and his men noticed that they had various golden trinkets for sale. This was apparently enough for Raleigh to deduce that they must indeed be from the hidden kingdom of El Dorado. When Raleigh asked where the traders came from, the locals, with no common language with which to engage Raleigh, could only explain that they traveled across a great water and were from Manoa. Raleigh's presumptuous narrative inspired many early cartographers to map this massive lake, with the city of El Dorado or Manoa on its shores, in the unexplored lands between the Orinoco and Amazon River basins. Bright original outline colour; good impression; damp stain to edges of blank margins, far from image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C. 376 by 494mm (14¾ by 19½ inches).    €400

Mexico, Novea hispania.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Nova Hispania. "Nova Hispania et Nova Galicia." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Mexico from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Large decorative title catouche ; ships and compass rose to sea.
Map of Mexico extending from just north of Mazatlan to Acapulco and from Tehuacan to the Sierra Madres, showing Mexico City, Puebla (Angelorum Civitas), Colima, Campostella, Purificatio and Mechoacan as the major cities of the time.
Based on Ortelius's map of 1579 which became the basis for many of the seventeenth century maps of the area.
Despite the implications in the title, the map does not cover all of the provinces of New Spain, only a portion of modern Mexico. At the time, the region was described as being rich in gold & silver, with pearl-fishing carried on in the coastal regions. The numerous salt lakes produced the finest salt by means of evaporation, and much was made of the sugar-cane cultivated here.
In the east of the mapped area, below the large title cartouche may be seen the area of Mexico city, situated on the shores of a large lake, described as an ample city, queen of all the cities in the New World. Although the mapmaker gave no clues, the small lozenge shaped symbols to the left of the cartouche probably indicate gold or silver mines.
The elaborate title cartouche is surrounded by the Spanish Royal Coat of arms. Bright original outline colour; good impression; light damp stain to edges of blank margins, far from image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C. 385 by 502mm (15¼ by 19¾ inches).    €500

After John Smith's famous map of Virginia.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Virginia. "Nova Virginiæ Tabula." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Virginia from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Oriented West, based upon John Smith's landmark map of the Virginia colony issued in 1612 the plate is drawn from Jodocus Hondius' plate of 1618 . Blaeu acquired a number of Hondius ' plates in 1629 thus it is the 2nd state with the imprint of Blaeu, which would appear in Blaeu's atlases from 1630 to 1663.
Taken from the first state of the Smith, it continues the coastlines where the former had left them vague. It features a Sasquesahanough Indian in the top right and the arms of James I of England and VI of Scotland appearing next to the cartouche with the explanation of the symbols; in the upper left a vignette of the famous scene of Powhatan, Pocahontas and John Smith.
one of the most important maps of America ever produced and certainly one of the greatest influence. [Philip D. Burden,The Mapping of America.] Bright original outline colour; good impression; damp stain to edges of blank margins, far from image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C.; Burden, 193. 2nd state. 377 by 482mm (14¾ by 19 inches).    €2200

Chile.

Blaeu, Guillaume & Jean. Chili. "Chili." Amsterdam Apud Johannem Guiljelmi F. Blaeu. c1655
Original coloured, copper engraved map of Chile from volume 2 of Joan Blaeu's "Theatrum Orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus .pars secunda." Double page; folio; Latin text to verso.
Large strap work cartouches for title and scale, banner with key small cartouche for author, ships and compass roses to sea. Bright original outline colour; good impression; Printers creases at centre fold; damp stain to edges of blank margins, far from image.
Koeman1, Bl 24C. 357 by 476mm (14 by 18¾ inches).    €400