1680 De Wit (Visscher) AFRICA Classic Map - Animals!

Totius Africae

58 x 49 cm copperplate engraving, 60 x 51 cm sheet size, original and later hand colour, Amsterdam, circa 1680

We are pleased to offer this scarce example of this classic Dutch map (Norwich #48) of Africa by Frederick de Wit (1630-1706), a prominent Amsterdam engraver, mapmaker and publisher.  De Wit is believed to have served as an apprentice in the Blaeu workshop in the late 1640s which led to a long and prolific career as an independent producer of sea charts, maps and atlases under his own name.  Rightly considered one of the finest mapmakers from the "Golden Age" of Dutch cartography, De Wit's maps are distinguished for their beauty of composition and exceptionally fine engraving work - attributes exemplified in this superbly executed map.   The map was very well received and was later copied by other Dutch publishers including Danckerts and De Ram, becoming the de facto Dutch cartographic interpretation of the continent for several decades.  Rich in decorative elements this example exhibits hand colour work of the very highest calibre and will make an elegant presentation if matted and framed.

We begin our survey of the map with the fine title cartouche showing the diversity of people inhabiting the continent as well as two lions and an elephant:

With regard to Swift's famous lines...

"So geographers, in Afric maps,
With savage pictures fill their gaps,
And, o'er inhabitable downs,
Place elephants for want of towns."

...De Wit not only supplies the elephants but presents a veritable bestiary throughout the map - here we also see his rendition of an rhinoceros, lion and ostriches:

Following Ptolemaic convention, De Wit shows the Nile emanating from two centrally located lakes fed by the Mountains of the Moon - here we see Lake Zafflan:

And here its counterpart Lake Zaire with some rather odd creatures, perhaps meant to be apes:

The region described as "Monomotapae" actually referred to the paramount chieftain of the Makaranga, a powerful South planispheren tribe dwelling between the Zambesi and Limpopo rivers and extending westward from the Indian Ocean probably as far as the twenty-fifth parallel of east longitude::

More wildlife including another rhino above the supposed sources of the Nile:

Course of the Niger hopelessly confused as it was believed to originate in a central Lake Niger flowing north to Lake Borno at right below and then diverting west, partly underground, to an even larger Lake Guarde with a large central island where its delta was then confused with that of the Gambia:

More odd figures apppear in mountains above the Gold Coast:

To get a sense of map detail consider that the distance from Fez to Algiers (Alger) as seen in the enlarged photo below measures just 5 cm actual size:

A tiny flotilla is shown off Sicily - note Mt. Aetna in eruption:

Nile, Red Sea:

A tiny ship approaches Zanzibar:

Compass rose and one of twelve ships:

More ships off the Madagascar coast:

Note minor loss along centrefold - see condition description below for a detailed account of various repairs and condition issues:

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