Antique Mexico Map Blaeu c.1642 – New Spain, Early Colonial Detail
€ 6 250
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-085
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 with age-related toning. Original center fold as issued. Light discoloration and minor wear at the margins, consistent with age. Paper remains strong and stable. A well-preserved and attractive impression.
About this sheet
The map of Mexico and the viceroyalty of New Spain titled "Nova Hispania et Nova Galicia", an original copper engraving with hand color, published by Willem Blaeu in his atlas Toonneel des Aerdrycx around 1640 to 1642. It is a fine example of the map as it was drawn by the Blaeu workshop.
The map takes in the Pacific coast of Mexico, from the Gulf of California at the upper left to the isthmus at the right edge, with the interior covered in a dense network of rivers, lakes and hundreds of small place names. The Valley of Mexico with its lakes sits in the center, and Guadalajara, Zacatecas and Michoacán are marked. Two sailing ships and a compass rose with its radiating rhumb lines fill the Pacific at the lower left.
The large title cartouche at the upper right is surmounted by the crowned Spanish royal arms, with two allegorical figures as supporters, one holding a spear and the other a banner, and a scale cartouche with cherubs sits at the lower right. Original outline color picks out the coast, the provincial borders and the ornament.
