Blaeu Strait of Magellan Map – Tierra del Fuego, Decorative Sea Chart, 1642
€ 6 750
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-091
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 some faint staining, mainly in the margins. Edges slightly irregular. Colors remain strong and attractive.
About this sheet
The southern tip of South America, a chart titled "Tabula Magellanica, qua Tierra del Fuego", 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 chart shows Tierra del Fuego as a great triangle named "Magellanica", with Patagonia ("Patagonum Regio") at the north and the Strait of Magellan and the Strait of Le Maire marked. Staten Landt lies at the east. Rhumb lines and several compass roses cross the seas, which are lettered for the Pacific and the Atlantic, and a keyed list of place names stands at the left. A fleet of Dutch ships under sail crowds the lower left, above a vignette of three native figures beside a checkerboard scale. At the upper right a coat of arms stands over a dedication to Constantijn Huygens, lord of Zuilichem and secretary to the Prince of Orange.
The title cartouche at the top refers to the straits found by Magellan and by Le Maire, and the sea passage was the route round the continent between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
