Blaeu Paraguay Map, Rio de la Plata, Antique Engraving, South America 1642
€ 3 650
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1642
Sheet size
50 × 59 cm (19.7 × 23.2 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
HP-090
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Good condition for its age. Original central fold as issued. Light overall toning consistent with age. Minor wear and faint staining, mainly in the margins. Edges slightly irregular. Colors remain fresh and well-preserved.
About this sheet
Paraguay and the Rio de la Plata region of South America, a map titled "Paraguay, o Prov. de Rio de la Plata cum regionibus adiacentibus Tucuman et Sta Cruz de la Sierra", published by Willem and Joan Blaeu in Amsterdam around 1642 in their atlas Toonneel des Aerdrycx. It is an original copper engraving with hand color.
The map covers a wide part of the continent, from the Pacific coast of Chile on the left, with the Andes drawn as massed pictorial ridges, to the Atlantic coast of Brazil at the right. The great rivers of the Paraguay and Paraná system meet at the center and run down to the Río de la Plata, with Lago de los Xarayes in the north and the territories of the Chicas, Moxos and Guaranís named across the interior. Tucumán lies to the south-west. Lines mark the Tropic of Capricorn, and the seas are lettered "Mar del Zur" and "Mar del Nort".
The title is set in a large cartouche of scrolling leaves with a cherub at the upper right, a compass rose with a fleur-de-lis stands at the center, and the Amsterdam imprint "Guiljelmus Blaeuw excudit" sits at the lower right.
