Map of Southeast Asia including India, East Indies, part of New Holland or Australia, China

This remarkable folio engraving from a composite atlas of maps from Frederik De Wit. It was published in Amsterdam after 1688. It features original hand-coloring. De Wit published composite atlases using plate stock of his own and other Amsterdam map publishers. This included maps from the likes of Hondius, Bleau, and Visscher.

“The De Wit composite or ‘dual-purpose’ atlas is an early example of an atlas planned at its outset to serve as a land and a sea atlas in one. Koeman lists these works according to the number of maps and by and large this progression gives a fair idea of their development and therefore dates, beginning in the early 1660s. But he acknowledges it is not accurate and often subject to revised opinion. The index is quite unlike any of those listed in Koeman.” (Wardington Catalogue)

Frederik De Wit (1629-1706) created a leading publishing firm in Amsterdam during the golden age of Dutch cartography. He was a catographer and mapseller that was best known for his atlases and his Dutch town maps. After De Wit’s passing his wife, Maria, ran the shop for a few years before selling. At this point, most of his plates went to Pieter Mortier.