Sign In

- Or use -
Forgot Password Create Account
The item illustrated and described below is sold, but we have another example in stock. To view the example which is currently being offered for sale, click the "View Details" button below.
Description

Old color example of this important early map of the Straits of Magellan, predating the discovery of the Straits of Le Maire.

Mercator's map is the earliest map of the Straits of Magellan to appear in a commercial atlas. It is also a rare example of a Mercator sea chart, employing the style of Lucas Waghenaer's work, including a profile view and soundings.

Oriented with south at the top, the map features a magnificent compass rose, and 3 large strapwork cartouches, one of which includes a profile view of the entrance to the Strait, in the style of Waghenaer and the Dutch Rutter books of the late 16th century. The ornate compass rose points downward, indicating north at the bottom of the map.

Six sailing ships and both land and sea creatures are illustrated. The Southern Land is identified as Tierra Del Fuego. In the Strait, there are approximately 20 place names identified, along with 30--40 soundings. Rhumb lines emanate from the compass rose.

The coastline of Tierra del Fuego quickly turns from charted lands to conjecture, trailing off to become a part of the unknown southern continent. One of the most fascinating and decorative of all regional American maps, illustrating an important period in the history of the discovery of the Americas and water routes from the Atlantic to the Pacific, predating the discovery of Cape Horn in 1616.

One of the most sought after of Mercator's atlas maps.

Condition Description
Old color. Minor toning and fold split at lower part of centerfold.