New Guinea and Southland fragment of an early Dutch portolan chart on vellum of c.1600, of the Indische Noord, attributed to Cornelis Doedsz of the North Holland School of Cartography. They were the main suppliers of sea charts for all pre(cursor)-VOC companies, as well as for the VOC until they started their own in-house chartmaking.

Portolan charts of the North Holland School of Cartography are among the most decorative and sought-after portolans.

Rarity

Of exceptional rarity. Schilder lists two surviving charts of this typus.

Condition

Pen and ink on vellum, coastline in green, islands and rhumblines in red or green, vertical graticule in blue and red bisecting the word NOVA in the middle of the island, place names written in brown or red ink, 176 x 97mm at greatest extent, sometime trimmed and reused as a wallet-style wrapper, with closure tab irregularly cut out at foot and 42mm slot scored through at head (one small 6mm hole in blank area of the island, some scattered spotting).

Provenance

Ex Christie's London, Dec 2019, Lot 9.
Ex Collection Nico Israel.


LITERATURE

Günter Schilder, Early Dutch Maritime Cartography, Leiden, Brill, 2017.