Antique map of Algarve by Waghenaer L.J. 1600

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Item Number:  21371 Authenticity Guarantee

Category:  Antique maps > Europe > Spain and Portugal

Sea chart of Portugal - Algarve, oriented to the North

Copper engraving
Size: 33 x 52cm (13 x 20 inches)
Verso text: French
Condition: Old coloured, refreshed, slight shine-through of verso text.

From: Le nouveau mirroir des voyages et navigations. Antwerp, Jean Bellère, 1600. (Koeman, Wag11A).

This work holds a unique place among the printed rutters of the sea in the 16th century because it is the first printed rutter with charts. Further, it outranks any other rutter of its period, with its splendid presentation of charts and text; as such it stood as a model for the folio-size pilot-guides with charts in the 17th century. Thanks to the unparalleled skill of the engravers, Baptist and Johannes van Deutecom, the original ms. charts by Waghenaer were transformed into the most beautiful maps of the period. The composition and the adornment have greatly contributed to the splendour of what originally were simple sketch-charts; the typography of the Plantijn printing house at Leiden further added to the quality of the book. In its concept, the text follows the traditional composition of the 16th century pilot-guides but the charts form a new element. One remarkable feature is the coastal profiles projected onto the land along the coasts, further elucidated by profiles drawn in the open areas of the charts. There is no evidence that Waghenaer copied his charts from existing sources. Some of them must have been based on his personal observations and for the whole of the work he must have relied on his own rich experience in practical navigation. (Koeman)