18th Century and Earlier Maps

Title: “Antique Map of the Sunda Islands Including Sumatra, Java, and Borneo” This print is a beautifully detailed and relatively rare map of Western Indonesia, encompassing the reg...

Antique map titled 'Carte des Isles Java, Sumatra, Borneo (..) - Kaart van de Eilanden van Iava, Sumatra, Borneo (..)'. Map of the East Indies including Sumatra, Java, Borneo and...

Antique map titled 'Partie meridionale de la Russie Européenne'. Detailed map of the southern part of European Russia by Robert de Vaugondy. It covers from Moscow south to Georgia and from Poland east to the Volga River, including Crimea and Ukraine. Artists and engravers: Gilles Robert de Vaugondy (1688-1766) was the head of a leading family of geographers in eighteenth century France. Gilles got his start when he jointly inherited the shop of Pierre-Moullart Sanson, grandson of the famous geographer Nicholas Sanson. The inheritance included the business, its stock of plates, and a roller press...

Rare decorative engraved map of the Dutch East Indies, or nowadays Indonesia. Title (in old Dutch): NIEUWE EN NAUKEURIGE KAART DER OOST-INDISCHE ...

Title: "1788 Map of Europe - France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Great Britain & Ireland by D'Anville" Description: This detailed map of Europe, titled "First Part of the Map of Europe...

Antique map titled 'Carte de l'Empire de Hya et Partie de Tangut'. Old map of Tibet, Gobi desert and China depicting the Great Wall of China and caravan routes. Originates from Prevo...

Venetian Trade Routes in the Levant – Antique Map by Pieter van der Aa, Early 18th Century This finely engraved map, published by Pieter van der Aa in Leiden, provides a detailed d...

1773 Bellin map of Persia, Gujarat and Malabar coasts with Arabia and Maldives Description: This finely engraved and delicately hand-colored 18th-century map titled Kaart van de Kusten van Persië, Guzaratte en Malabar was produced by the eminent French cartographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin and engraved by Jakob van der Schley. It was published in 1773 in Amsterdam by E. van Harrevelt and D. Changuion, as part of a Dutch edition of Bellin’s maritime atlas focused on the East Indies and the Indian Ocean. The map presents the coastline bordering the Arabian Sea, extending from the Persian Gulf and parts of the Arabian Peninsula to the shores of Gujarat and the Malabar Coast in southwestern India. It provides a detailed representation of the coastlines of Persia (modern-day Iran), the western coast of India, and a portion of southern Arabia including the Oman Peninsula. Coastal towns, rivers, ports, and geographical landmarks are clearly labeled, including prominent trading centers like Surat, Goa, Calicut, Cochin, and Cape Comorin (now Kanyakumari). Additionally, the map shows the Laccadive Islands (Laka Dives) and the Maldives (Maldivische Eilanden), with attention to navigational details such as shoals, sandbanks, and anchor points. A large compass rose and clear latitude and longitude markings enhance its utility as a navigational aid. A highly decorative title cartouche at lower left features maritime iconography such as sea creatures, a fountain, and shells. An inset legend beneath the map provides explanations in Dutch for the symbols used to indicate bays, capes, ports, forts, islands, and towns. This is a copperplate engraving printed on laid paper with full original hand coloring. It retains its original fold lines as issued. The condition is generally good, with minor age toning and a few light spots in the margins. No repairs or restoration are visible. The paper is strong, and the impression remains crisp and clear. This historical map is a significant and attractive example of 18th-century European cartography, especially valued for its depiction of maritime trade regions and coastal geography during the age of exploration and colonial expansion. To frame this 1773 Bellin map attractively and safely: - Use acid-free matting in a neutral tone like cream or antique white - Consider double matting with a subtle inner color that complements the map - Choose a simple wooden frame in walnut, cherry, or aged oak for a classic look - Use UV-protective glass or acrylic to prevent fading - For a full display, consider float mounting to show the edges and fold lines - Allow 2 to 3 inch mat margins to balance the composition and enhance presentation Keywords: Bellin map 1773, van der Schley, Persia coast map, Gujarat map, Malabar map...

Map of Wiflispurgergov by Gerardus Mercator, Avenches Region, 1585 This rare and finely engraved map, titled *Das Wiflispurgergov*, was produced by Gerardus Mercator and published i...

Map of Lake Geneva and Surroundings by Hondius, Geneva Region, 1606 This rare and intricately engraved map, titled *Chorographica Tabula Lacus Lemanni Locorumque Circumiacentium*, w...

Map of Zurich and Basel Region by Mercator, Uncolored Engraving c.1600 This original uncolored copperplate engraving, titled *Zurichgow et Basiliensis Provincia*, was created by the...

Antique map titled 'Map I containing the Western Division of the Grecian Colonies & Conquests'. Original antique map of the ancient Greek colonization. Frontispiece map of 'The Histo...

Antique map titled 'L'Asie selon les nouvelles observations de Messrs de l'Academie des Sciences etc'. The main focus of this important and scarce map of Asia is the delineation of the northeast part of the continent from Jesuit sources. The northeast coast is severely truncated with the discoveries of Nicolas Witsen shown, and the partial coastlines of Jesso and Compagnies Land are depicted to the north of Japan. Inset in the North Pacific is a map of that same region based on the information from Father Martino Martini. It shows Jesso connected to the mainland with a narrow strait between it and a huge Compagnies Land. An inset below, taken from Father Ferdinand Verbiest, illustrates the road between Peking and Kirin and Nincrita. Father Verbiest's world map of 1674, which he compiled for the Chinese, subsequently led to the Jesuits obtaining a commission to make a comprehensive topographical...

Antique 17th-Century Map of Shaangxi Province, China – "Xensi" by Blaeu, Featuring Decorative Cartouches Description: This exquisite 17th-century map of Shaangxi Province, historically known as Xensi Province, is an exceptional work by Johannes Blaeu, one of the most celebrated mapmakers of the Dutch Golden Age. Originally published in Blaeu's groundbreaking 'Novus Atlas Sinensis', this map is a masterful blend of geography and artistry. Blaeu's atlas was created in collaboration with Martino Martini, a Jesuit missionary whose insights into China provided European audiences with unprecedented geographical accuracy. The map meticulously charts Shaangxi's mountains, rivers, mines, cities, and towns, with names rendered in Latin. It also features a detailed section of the Great Wall of China, a symbol of the region's historical significance. The artistry of this map is further enhanced by its elaborate cartouches. At the top, a Chinese warrior is beautifully illustrated, while the lower-left corner displays a deer, possibly a reference to the elusive Pere David deer...

Title: Gascogne and Guyenne Map - Hand-Colored 17th-Century Engraving by Frederik De Wit c. 1688 Description: This remarkable map, "Gouvernement de la Guyenne & Gascogne," captures ...

Antique print titled 'La Ville de Bantam capitale du Roiaume de meme nom'. A bird's eye view of the city Banten or Bantam near the western end of Java in Indonesia. Several tall ...

Antique print titled 'Pavillon pour les jardins (..)'. Copper engraving showing the pavilions of knight Worsley of Hovingham and knight Willoughby. This print originates from 'Jardin...

Title: Terra Sancta in XII olim Tribus nunc VI Provincias Dispertita Cartographer: Christoph Weigel the Elder (1654–1725) Publisher: Johann Ernst Adelbulner Publication Locatio...

This is a historical map of Europe titled "L'Europe divisee en ses Principaux Etats," created by Jean Denis Janvier in 1782. This beautiful map depicts the political boundaries and...

Antique print titled 'The Elevation of Melvin House in the Shire of Fyfe (..)'. Old engraving of Melville House in Fife, Scotland. This print originates from 'Vitruvius Britannic...

Rare 18th C, Map titled "A plan of the town of Newport in the province of Rhode Island". Earliest printed plan of Newport, published for the use of the British just prior to their o...

Antique map titled 'Nieuwe Kaart van America.' Very attractive map of North and South America, the western part of Africa and south west Europe. With full contemporary hand colouring...

Antique map titled 'Sclavonia, Croatia, Bosnia cum Dalmatiae Parte'. Old map of the Eastern Balkans with the geographical & political divisions of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Bosnia, Serbia, etc. The map details the course of the Danube, Sauus, and Drauus Rivers. Originates from the 1633 German edition of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas Major, published by Henricus Hondius and Jan Jansson under the title: 'Atlas: das ist Abbildung der gantzen Welt, mit allen darin begriffenen Laendern und Provintzen: sonderlich von Teutschland, Franckreich, Niderland, Ost und West Indien: mit Beschreibung der selben.' Artists and Engravers: Gerard Mercator (1512 - 1594) originally a student of philosophy was one of the most renowned cosmographers and geographers of the 16th century, as well as an accomplished scientific instrument maker. He is most famous for introducing Mercators Projection, a system which allowed navigators to plot the same constant compass bearing on a flat map...

Title: Map of Friesland (La Frise), from "Atlas Nouveau Portatif" (1756) This is an 18th-century map of Friesland (Frise), a northern province of the Netherlands, engraved by *Georg...

Antique print, titled: 'Cananor' - This is a print of a view of Kannur (or Cannanore), Kerala, India. From the monumental: "Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën ..." ...

Antique map titled 'Carte de la Tartarie Orientale (..)'. Original antique map of what is present day northern China and far eastern Russia. Centere...

Beautiful map in excellent condition. This map depicts the city of Douai (France) and originates from 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum'.

Original antique map titled 'Ducato D'Normandie Scala di Miglia d'Italia'. Very decorative map of Normandy, with a fine title cartouche featuring Leda ...

1782 Bayly Map of the East Indies – India, Siam, Philippines, Java, Borneo, Ganges This finely engraved and vibrantly hand-colored map titled 'A New Map of the East Indies' was dr...

"Antique map of the south part of Palestine. This simplified map shows the most important cities of the Jewish Land. Source unknown, to be determined. Artists and Engravers: Made by ...

Title: Rare Hand-Colored Map of Franche-Comté and Burgundy by Frederik De Wit c. 1688 Description: This stunning 17th-century map, titled "Comitatus Burgundiae vulgo La Franche Comt...

Antique map titled 'Leovardia.' A plan of Leeuwarden in Friesland, the Netherlands. With two coats of arms, the title in a scroll and an index of 30 buildings in the lower right. Fro...

Crete Map 1749 – Homann Heirs Engraving of Candia with Aegean Islands This fine 1749 map titled 'Insula Creta hodie Candia' presents an 18th-century cartographic portrait of the isl...

Switzerland Map 1778 – Faden’s Hand-Colored Copperplate of the Thirteen Cantons This striking copperplate engraving, published by William Faden in London in 1778, offers a detailed ...

Greece and the Danube Basin Map c.1720 – Antique Engraving of the Balkans This remarkable early 18th-century map presents a sweeping view of southeastern Europe, centering on the co...

Decorative 16th Century Map of Northern France by Ortelius, circa 1590 This richly colored antique map titled *Nobilis Hannoniae Comitatus Descriptio* depicts the County of Hainaut ...

Rare 1699 Map of the Failed Scottish Colony of Caledonia in Panama This scarce and historically fascinating map, titled 'The Scots Settlement in America or New Caledonia A.D. 1699',...

Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel – Antique Map by Sebastian Münster, 1574 This rare and finely colored woodcut map of Northern Netherlands depicts the provinces of Friesl...

Antique map titled 'Plan du Port de Chequetan ou Seguataneo'. Map of the Mexican port of Zihuatanejo. This area was originally named Cihuatlán in Aztec, which means 'Place of Women,'...

Antique map titled 'Heylige Land verdeeld in de Twaalf Stammen Israels (..).' Highly detailed map of the Holy Land divided into 12 tribes of Israel...

Antique map titled 'A Map of Germany (..)'. Large antique map of the German Empire, highly detailed. Engraved by T. Kitchin. Published J. Blair, cir...

John Ogilby (British 1600-1676) cosmographer and geographick printer to Charles II. A road map from Britannia, 1675/6. No 5, The road from London to Barwick: London to Stilton In a grey painted and gilded frame. In a remarkable life John Ogilby pursued, several careers, each ending in misfortune, and yet he always emerged undeterred, to carry on. His modern reputation is based on his final career, started in his sixty-sixth year, as a publisher of maps and geographical accounts. Ogilby was born outside Dundee, in 1600, the son of a Scottish gentleman. While he was still a child, the family moved to London. When the elder Ogilby was imprisoned for debt, the young John invested his savings in a lottery, won a minor prize, and settled his father's debts. Unfortunately, not enough money was left to secure John a good apprenticeship; instead, he was apprenticed to a dance master. Ogilby was soon dancing in masques at court but, one day, while executing a particularly ambitious leap, he landed badly. The accident left him with a permanent limp, and ended his dancing career. However, he had come to the attention of Thomas Wentworth, later Earl of Strafford, Charles I's most senior minister. Ever one to exploit his contacts, Ogilby became a dance instructor in Strafford's household. When Strafford was sent to Ireland, Ogilby accompanied him as Deputy-Master of the Kings Revels, and then Master of Revels. In Dublin, he built the New Theatre, in St. Werburgh Street, which prospered at first, but the Irish Rebellion, in 1641, cost Ogilby his fortune, which he estimated at £2,000, and almost his life. After brief service as a soldier, he returned to England, survived shipwreck on the way, and arrived back penniless. On his return, Ogilby turned his attention to the Latin classics, as a translator and publisher. His first faltering attempt, in 1649, was a translation of the works of Virgil, but after his marriage to a wealthy widow the same year, his publishing activities received a considerable boost. One means by which Ogilby financed these volumes was by subscription, securing advance payments from his patrons, in return for including their name and coats-of-arms on the plates of illustrations. Another approach was to secure a patron, preferably in the court circle. Ogilby's first patron was Strafford, who found out too late that all leading ministers are dispensable when Charles I assented to his execution in 1641. As he re-established himself, Ogilby sought a new patron, the King himself. In 1661, Ogilby was approached to write poetry for Charles II's coronation procession; he later published 'The Relation of His Majesties Entertainment Passing Through the City of London', and a much enlarged edition the following year, which included a Fine set of plates depicting the procession. Royal favour was bestowed in 1674 when John Ogilby received the title of 'His Majesty's Cosmographer and Geographick Printer' with a salary of £13.6s.8d per annum. In 1665, Ogilby left London to avoid the Plague then ravaging the capital. The following year, in the Great Fire of London, Ogilby claimed that he lost his entire stock of books valued at some £3,000, as well as his shop and house, leaving him worth just £5. As he sought to restore his fortunes, Ogilby was already looking in new directions. The initial opportunity he seized on was the reconstruction of London's burnt-out centre. He secured appointment as a "sworn viewer", whose duty was to establish the property boundaries as they existed before the Fire. Ogilby was assisted in the project by his step-grandson, William Morgan, and by a number of professional surveyors. The result was an outstanding plan of London, on a scale of 100 feet to an inch, on 20 sheets, although it was not printed until after Ogilby's death. Ogilby then turned his attention to publishing geographical descriptions of the wider-world. In 1667, he issued 'An Embassy from the East India Company of the United Provinces to the Grand Tartar Cham, Emperor of China.' Buoyed by the response to this volume, Ogilby conceived an ambitious project, a multi-volume description of the world. The volumes were joint collaborations, in conjunction with the Dutch publisher Jacob van Meurs. 'Africa', published in 1670, was the least original of the three, both in terms of the text, maps and illustrations. In a similar vein, he issued the 'Atlas Japannensis' (1670), the 'Atlas Chinensis' (1671), and 'Asia' (1673). In 1671, Ogilby published the 'America', translated from Arnold Montanus' Dutch text. The 'America' is certainly the most original, and most important, of Ogilby's various geographical volumes, and its influence and popularity was immediate. With its completion, Ogilby turned to a project nearer his heart, the description of Britain. Ogilby originally intended to devote one volume to Britain, but as the project evolved, he became more ambitious, as revealed in a prospectus issued in about 1672: "This having oblig'd our Author to take new Measures ... to compleat within the space of two Years a Work ... considering the Actual survey of the Kingdom, the Delineation and Dimensuration of the Roads, the Prospects and Ground plots of Cities, with other Ornamentals ... into six fair volumes. The Four first comprehending the historical and geographical description of England, with the County-Maps truly and actually survey'd. ... The fifth containing an Ichnographical and Historical Description of all the Principal Road-ways in England and Wales, in two hundred copper sculptures, after a new and exquisite method. The sixth containing a New and Accurate Description of the famous City of London, with the perfect Ichnography thereof ..." In the proposals, Ogilby emphasised the scale of the undertaking; no-one before him had attempted such a vast project. He estimated the total costs would be £20,000, a staggering amount. The cost of the complete set of six volumes was to be £34. At that time, Wenceslas Hollar...

Antique map titled 'Flandriae comitatus pars Australis'. Decorative antique map of the southern portion of Flanders, France. It shows the cities of Lille (Rijsel), Douai, Tournai (Do...

Antique map titled 'Carte de tous les Lieux, célébres dans l'Histoire (..)'. Beautiful old map of France and western Europe. This map originates from 'Atlas Historique de la France A...

Antique print titled 'Elevation of Duncomb Park in Yorkshire (..)'. Old engraving of Duncombe Park, Yorkshire. Duncombe Park is the seat of the Duncombe family whose senior members a...

Antique print titled 'Cities of the Province of Kyang-si, Fo-kyen, Shan-Si & Yun-nan'. Old map depicting four walled cities of the Chinese Qing dynasty provinces Yunnan, Shanxi, Fuji...

Antique map Indonesia titled 'Nouvelle Carte de l'Isle de Java - Nieuwe kaart, van het Eiland Java'. Chart of the island of Java, depicting soun...

Antique map titled 'Partie de Barbarie, ou est le Royaume d'Alger (..)'. Copper-engraved map showing the Algerian coast of North Africa. Published 1683. Artists and Engravers:...

Title: "Map of Turcomania, Georgia, and Comania" This print presents an intricately detailed map of the Caucasus region, titled “Turcomania, Georgien Commanie,” by the esteemed cart...

Bird’s-Eye View of Basel from Braun & Hogenberg’s "Civitates Orbis Terrarum" (Circa 1572-1617) This highly detailed map of Basel is a bird's-eye view, originally based on Sebastian Münster’s map...

Historical Map of the Margraviate and Electorate of Brandenburg by Chevalier de Beaurain - Circa 1750 This impressive historical map, titled "Carte du Marquisat et Electorat de Br...

Antique map titled 'Tabula Itineraria Patriarcharum Abrahami, Isaaci et Iacobi'. Decorative regional map of the Holy Land, showing the travels of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Published ...

Antique map titled 'Barbariae et Biledulgerid Nova Descriptio'. Original antique map of North Africa. The map covers the regions of Barbaria and Biledulgerid, essentially the territo...

Title: 'The departure of the Empirour Hockflieuw to the Emprial Court at Peking' with further description in Dutch. The Dutch man Pieter van Hoorn, his son...

Antique map titled 'Carte de l'Isle de la Martinique'. Detailed map of Martinique. Shows hilly terrain, forests, roads, houses, and even the sugar plantations. The island was to ...

This is an attractive historical map of Europe created by Frederick de Wit, published around 1690. Here's a detailed description of the map and additional context about its creation:...

Antique map titled 'Ducatus Silesiae Glogani vera delineatio'. This decorative map shows the Odra River valley based on the Silesian cartographer, Jonas Scultetus. The map is oriente...

Just purchased more information to follow. In unrestored condition, the sheet can be cleaned.