{"product_id":"frederick-de-wits-separately-published-set-of-the-continents-de-wit-1660","title":"Frederick de Wit's Separately Published set of the Continents: de Wit, 1660","description":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTitles:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e[See Descriptions]\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Frederick de Wit \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDate: \u003c\/b\u003e1600\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCondition: \u003c\/b\u003eSee Description\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eInches:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 17 3\/8 x 21 5\/8 [Paper] \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCentimeters:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 44.13 x 54.92 [Paper] \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eProduct ID: \u003c\/b\u003e308711\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDe Wit’s Extremely Scarce Separately Published Continents, all First State\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eEach of these maps was printed in 1660 with similarly styled cartes-a-figures to the right and left borders and vignettes of famous cities along the top. These maps were separately published and are scarce individually, and almost unknown as a collection. They were occasionally added to composite atlases, most frequently to Doncker's maritime atlas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNova Totivs Americae Descriptio...\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e Dated 1660, First State \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe Americas are presented on a slightly tilted projection, emphasizing the sweep from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, with California shown as a prominent island and only a speculative northwest coastline beyond it. North America is sparsely detailed inland but carries dense coastal toponymy, while South America shows a more mature network of rivers and settlements, especially along the Atlantic seaboard and in Peru and Brazil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe borders are richly framed by standing figures of “American” peoples, engraved as full\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Cambria Math',serif; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Cambria Math';\"\u003e‑\u003c\/span\u003elength ethnographic types: along the verticals you have pairs of Magellanic, Brazilian, Chilean, and Virginian figures, all in highly theatrical dress that reflects European imagination more than reality. Across the top run vignette views of key American towns and ports\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eengraved bird\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Cambria Math',serif; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Cambria Math';\"\u003e‑\u003c\/span\u003eeye prospects of places such as Havana, Mexico City, and Cartagena\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003ewhich visually anchor Dutch commercial interests in the New World. The Baroque title cartouche in the North Atlantic features an allegorical America clad as fame astride an armadillo on a pedestal, while a lively scene of sea gods and indigenous figures occupies the South Pacific, reinforcing both maritime power and exoticism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNova Africa Descriptio...\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e Dated 1660, First State\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAfrica with the familiar mid\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Cambria Math',serif; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Cambria Math';\"\u003e‑\u003c\/span\u003e17th\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Cambria Math',serif; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Cambria Math';\"\u003e‑\u003c\/span\u003ecentury depiction: fairly accurate along the Mediterranean and east and west coasts, more conjectural in the interior, and still influenced by Ptolemaic traditions in its river systems. The Nile is fed by lakes in central Africa, and the southern interior carries a patchwork of kingdoms and regions\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eMonomotapa, Congo, Guinea\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003ereflecting a blend of classical sources, Portuguese reporting, and Dutch trading intelligence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe sheet is framed by a full set of “costume” panels: along each vertical margin, male and female figures representing regional African types, from North African and Ethiopian dress to West and Central African peoples, each labeled and staged against a plain ground so the clothing silhouette reads clearly. Across the top is a procession of harbor and city views—Mediterranean ports, West African roadsteads, and Red Sea approaches—underscoring the littoral perspective of Dutch trade around the continent. The title cartouche in the western Indian Ocean shows Africa personified, seated on a stylized crocodile and surrounded by fauna and trophies, while a second cartouche at the Cape features a spirited marine scene Poseidon in a chariot, putti, trumpeting winds, and a large banner bearing De Wit’s Amsterdam imprint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsiae Nova Descriptio...\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e Dated 1660, First State\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAsia extends from the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea through the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to Japan and the still\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Cambria Math',serif; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Cambria Math';\"\u003e‑\u003c\/span\u003eamorphous outlines of \u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eNova Zemla\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e and \u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eNova Hollandia\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e (Australia) at the map\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es fringes. India, Ceylon, and the Southeast Asian archipelagos are comparatively well articulated, while the interior of Central and Northern Asia is dominated by broad regional labels\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eTartaria, Cathay\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eand an oversized \u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eMare Tartarium,\u003cspan style=\"mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos;\"\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e reflecting the influence of earlier Dutch and Blaeu models.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eIn the side panels De Wit arrays a sequence of costumed Asian figures: Tartars, Arabians, Persians, Indians, “Chineans,” and Japanese types, each engraved as a full\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Cambria Math',serif; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Cambria Math';\"\u003e‑\u003c\/span\u003elength figure with attributes that would have read as culturally legible to a Dutch audience. The upper border offers small panoramic views of major Asian cities and ports; Ormus, the fabled wealthy trading port (near the Strait of Hormuz), Aden, Jerusalem, Damascus, Rhodes and Famagusta.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eEach is tucked into an oval reserve separated by decorative strapwork. At the lower left, the title cartouche shows an allegorical Asia personified as a richly robed woman seated on a camel, holding a censer or scepter and surrounded by trade goods, a conventional vignette linking the continent with spices, incense, and luxury commodities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNova Europae Descriptio...\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e No date, First and Only Known State (1660)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eEurope is rendered with dense political and toponymic detail, reflecting the continent’s centrality to De Wit’s audience: coastlines are crisp, river systems and mountain chains are carefully engraved, and the map is crowded with towns, regions, and territorial names from Iberia to Muscovy. Northern Europe is pushed upward by the decorative border, but the familiar Dutch focus on the North Sea, Baltic, and Mediterranean trade routes remains clearly legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe vertical borders present an aristocratic “gallery” of European power: crowned rulers and nobles of Spain, France, England, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Muscovy appear in full court costume, each identified by title and coat of arms, effectively turning the sheet into a parade of contemporary sovereignty. Along the top, a suite of finely cut city prospects—Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Seville, Prague, and others—runs in a continuous frieze, each view separated by small ornamental spandrels. The lower right title cartouche shows Europa personified, seated on the back of Zeus as the bull, attended by putti and armorials; this classical vignette both anchors the composition and plays into the set’s larger program of allegorical continent personifications.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground on Creator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eFrederick de Wit was one of the great Dutch mapmakers and publishers of the 17th century, with a prolific career spanning publishing, engraving, and selling his works. He was born around 1629 in Gouda, moved to Amsterdam by the late 1640s, and built a major cartographic business there.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eHe set up his own shop in Amsterdam in the 1650s and later became one of the city’s leading cartographic producers, offering the full range including sea atlases, terrestrial atlases, wall maps, and town books with plans and views.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eDe Wit made highly decorative, finely engraved maps that were also geographically current for their time. His maps often feature elaborate cartouches, figures, and ornamentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOne of his best-known works, and one that was immensely important to cementing his reputation was the world map Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula, first published around 1660. De Wit married Maria van der Way in 1661, gained Amsterdam citizenship privileges, and joined the Guild of Saint Luke in 1664. After his death in 1706, his widow continued the business until 1710, and his printed plates circulated widely after his death through later publishers such as Pieter Mortier and Covens \u0026amp; Mortier.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eFor collectors, de Wit is prized because his maps sit at the intersection of art and geography: they are visually rich, historically important, and often scarce in good condition. His first world maps and his continental sheets are among the most desirable examples.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eVerso without text, slight toning, occasional small restorations, tears, some staining, reinforcements at central fold, Asia, America and Africa with slight worming at lower margin. Later hand color.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReferences\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eShirley, Rodney. \u003cem\u003eThe Mapping of the World: Early Printed World Maps 1472–1700\u003c\/em\u003e. Holland Press, 1983.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eVan der Krogt, Peter. Koeman’s \u003cem\u003eAtlantes Neerlandici, vol. II \u003c\/em\u003e(and supplements on De Wit).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSchilder, Günter. \u003cem\u003eMonumenta Cartographica Neerlandica\u003c\/em\u003e. Multiple vols. Zutphen: Walburg Pers, 1986.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBurden Philip, \u003cem\u003eThe Mapping of America…\u003c\/em\u003e, Vol I, 1996\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Antiquarium Antique Maps | Quality Custom Picture Framing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47188046479499,"sku":"308711","price":17995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0389\/6416\/6795\/files\/Dewit_Continent_Set.png?v=1781215123","url":"https:\/\/theantiquarium.com\/products\/frederick-de-wits-separately-published-set-of-the-continents-de-wit-1660","provider":"The Antiquarium Antique Maps | Quality Custom Picture Framing","version":"1.0","type":"link"}