1662 Frederick De Wit Map of Southeast Asia, the East Indies, and Australia

This is Frederick de Wit's map of India, Southeast Asia, southern China, and the East Indies, including an early mapping of the north coast of Australia.

A Closer Look

This elegant map is beautifully but simply engraved. De Wit dispenses with the ornament of the earlier Dutch period, instead focusing attention on abundant new cartographic content. The map's western limits are in Persia; thus, the Indian Ocean is mapped, fully embracing the Maldives. The map reaches as far north as Kabul in Central Asia and the Qiantang River in eastern China. Taiwan (Formosa) is included. The Philippines are shown in sharp detail, although exaggerated in size, reflecting their significance. The Spice Islands mapps as far as the coast of New Guinea, which is sketched in. In the southeast, the northern coast of Australia (Hollandia Nova) is recognizable. The cartouche is flanked with superbly engraved and engaging figures: two Mogul warriors, and two unarmed and ingratiating men, possibly merchants?

A Much-Updated Work

The cartography is broadly consistent with that of earlier Dutch cartographers such as Gerritsz and Blaeu. The Chinese south has been mapped according to the state-of-the-art 1655 cartography of Martino Martini. Throughout, the map is rich with new content. The Ganges Delta, for example, is radically reworked compared to the cartography of Blaeu and Visscher. Many of the placenames visible here do not appear on the 1659 Doncker, which most scholars cite as the precursor to Wit's maps, suggesting this map's true paternity requires deeper scrutiny.

Early Australia

Here, broadly separated from Timor, is the northwestern coast of Australia. The area now comprising Darwin and Kimberley bears the early Dutch placename of Van Diemen's Land (not to be mistaken for the similarly-termed Tasmania.)

Apocryphal Lake Chiamay

The mythical Lake Chiamay appears at the top center of the map, roughly in what is today Assam, India. Early cartographers postulated that such a lake must exist to source the four important Southeast Asian river systems: the Irrawaddy, the Dharla, the Chao Phraya, and the Brahmaputra. This lake began to appear in maps of Asia as early as the 16th century and persisted well into the mid-18th century.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by Jan Lhuillier for inclusion in De Wit's 1662 atlas. It continued to appear in his atlases throughout his lifetime. We see no other states of the map. It was later copied and translated by Frances Lamb in 1676 for inclusion in John Speed's atlas. A similar example appears in a 1682 De Wit atlas in the David Rumsey's Collection. The map is well-represented in institutional collections and appears on the market from time to time.