India & Ceylon
€ 960
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Original/contemporary hand coloring. Original folding line. Strong toning. Shows a few small defects. Passepartout included (shows some staining), no backing. Blank verso. Please study image carefully.
Antique map titled 'Magni Mogolis Imperium'. This map depicts the Empire of the Great Mogul in northern India including the region from Iran to Burma. The Indus and Ganges Rivers are the most prominent features of the map, along with the large mythical lake of Chiamay Lacus located in northern Burma. Wild beasts, including lions, tigers and elephants roam the interior, while a ship sails in the Indian Ocean. The map is further embellished with a title cartouche flanked by two putty and a distance scale. Published by F. de Wit, circa 1680.
Frederick de Wit (1629-1706) was an engraver, cartographer and map dealer who ran a prominent and productive printing business in Amsterdam, founded in 1654. He published his first atlas in 1662. In 1695 he purchased a large collection of the plates of the prestigious Blaeu publishing business. After his death in 1706, his wife Maria continued in the business for four years before selling it at the auction. A majority of the plates were purchased by Pieter Mortier. His thriving and growing business eventually became Covens & Mortier, one of the largest and most successful cartography and printing businesses of the eighteenth century.
