1594 Occidentalis Americae partis, vel earum Regionum quas Christophorus Columbus primi detexit Tabula Chorographica ex multorum Auctorum scriptis
DESCRIPTION
A highly important and visually compelling early map of the Caribbean basin and northern South America, this engraving by Theodor de Bry synthesizes some of the earliest printed geographic knowledge derived from the voyages of Christopher Columbus and subsequent Spanish exploration.
Centered on the West Indies, the map extends from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico through Central America and into the northern reaches of South America, presenting one of the earliest widely obtainable printed visions of the Caribbean world. The geography reflects late 16th-century European understanding, with Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica prominently formed, while the coastlines of Venezuela and Central America remain generalized and somewhat speculative. Florida appears as a recognizable peninsula with a peculiar shape, and the Bahama channels are carefully articulated, underscoring their importance to Spanish navigation. Throughout, the map is enriched with sailing ships, sea monsters, and finely engraved topographical elements.
De Bry’s work is deeply tied to the publication of Girolamo Belzoni’s account of the Americas, and this map serves as a visual companion to those narratives, illustrating the regions first encountered and described by Columbus. As such, it occupies an important position in the transmission of New World knowledge to a European audience, blending firsthand accounts with the engraver’s own interpretive synthesis. Several interesting lines of Latin text describe parts of the sea “full of islands, rocks, shoals, and very treacherous currents,” and with regards to Hispanola, it notes how “the Spaniards hold a large part of this island, and from it they send great quantities of gold and spices.”
CONDITION
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