MAP, Gulf of Mexico & Caribbean, Visscher

Gulf of Mexico & Caribbean. Nicolas Visscher, Insulae Americanae in Oceano Septentrionali ac Regiones Adiacentes, a C. de May usque ad Lineam Aequinoctialem, 1708 (circa). Hand Color. This handsome map focuses on the West Indies and covers the region from the Chesapeake through the Gulf of Mexico, with Central America and the northern part of South America. Two lovely cartouches with cherubs and mermaids decorate opposite corners. Eight ships sail the seas, and three native canoes are depicted off the coast of North America. A number of interesting cartographic myths appear on the map. These include two large nonexistent lakes in the region of western Georgia and a non-existent mountain range extending from the Piedmonts bearing across the North American continent. In South America, the archetypal cartographic myth, Manoa o' El Dorado (the golden city), is located on the shores of the Lacus Parime vel Roponowini in Guyana. This is the third state with the addition of the privilege in the cartouche and grid lines within the plate..

LITERATURE: Burden #531; Portinaro & Knirsch #82.
Dimensions: 22.1 x 18 in
Condition Report: Contemporary color with some short cracks due to the oxidation of green pigment that have been closed on verso with archival tape. There is a printer's crease that runs parallel to the centerfold, some minor spots, and light printer's ink residue. A 1.5" centerfold separation at top has been closed with archival tape on verso. Grade: B