Bertius Map of Bengal, India 1603 – Bengala
Petrus Bertius was a professor of mathematics and librarian at Leyden University in Holland. He is known for his miniature world atlas ‘Tabularum geographicarum contractarum’. Although not an actual mapmaker himself, Bertius’s text was embellished with maps from the foremost engravers of the late 1500′s and early 1600′s, including Pieter Van den Keere and Jocodus Hondius.
This map is from the 1603 Latin edition and the superb engraving is immediately evident.
This decorative map of the Bay of Bengal has fine detail – it notes many towns and villages – ‘Calecota’, ‘Bengala’, ‘Aracam’, ‘Satagam’, ‘Palhor’, ‘Masulipatum’, ‘Orixa’ – and illustrates the coastline, Ganges Delta, small islands, other major rivers and hills. The map has an elegant title cartouche.
The map measures 5″ by 3.5″, has superb wash hand colouring, and is in very good condition but with showthrough of the engraving from the reverse.
Bertius Map of Bengal India 1603
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