Egypt

Dapper, Olfert. Egypt. "Nova Ægypti tabula." Amsterdam Jacob Meurs 1668
Copper engraved map of Egypt from Olfert Dapper's " Naukeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaensche Gewesten". Black & white ; verso blank
The map is oriented with north to the left, showing the course of the Nile , with the Red Sea and Arabia in the upper part of the plate. Along the Nile various large crocdiles roam; Dapper also indicates the Pyramids.
Decorative title cartouche and scale. Dark impression; toned; left and right margins extremely close.

Dapper was born in a working-class district of Amsterdam, in around 1635. He was baptised at the Lutheran church in January 1636. In May 1658, he enrolled at Utrecht University and two years later was signing himself "doctor medicinæ", although there is no evidence that he ever received any medical training. Unlike his contemporaries, he never had his portrait reproduced in his books.

Following a growing publishing trend in Amsterdam, Dapper was just over thirty when he embarked on the geographical research that was to occupy him for the rest of his life. He threw himself into a vast undertaking, tackling first Africa (1668), then China (1670), Persia and Georgia (1672) , Arabia (1680) the Greek Archipelago and The Morea both in 1688

Dapper published his " Naukeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaensche Gewesten"(Description of Africa) in 1668; it was a detailed description of the parts of Africa known to Europeans in the mid seventeenth century. A second edition appeared in 1676. A German translation was issued in 1670, as was the English translation, often attributed to John Ogilby, as Africa in 1670. A French translation also appeared in 1676.

Dapper never visited Africa himself, but relied very heavily on records of the Dutch West India Company, especially a collection made by Samuel Bloomaerts, one of its officials. The records which Dapper used are no longer extant, however, as searches for the original reports and letters in the archives of the company in the Nationaal Archief Nederland (Dutch National Archive) have not produced anything original.
290 by 365mm (11½ by 14¼ inches).   ref: 2017  €200