Frederik de Wit — An Exceptionally Fine Composite Atlas. Amsterdam: F. de Wit, 1660-1666. - Nieut Kaert-Boeck, vande XVII Nederlandse Provincies. Amsterdam, [1660-1666]

An Exceptionally Fine Composite Atlas. Amsterdam: F. de Wit, 1660-1666. - Nieut Kaert-Boeck, vande XVII Nederlandse Provincies. Amsterdam, [1660-1666]

2 works in one volume, folio (20 2/8 x 12 inches). Engraved title-page to "Nieut Kaert-Boeck" (using that of Jacob van Campen's "Afbeelding van't Stadt Huys an Amsterdm" [1661] with de Wit' s present title on an engraved overslip, together 53 double-page engraved mapsheets, all except one hand-colored in outline the cartouches and other embellishments fully hand-colored (first few maps with repaired splits at lower fold), manuscript contents in a contemporary hand, 7 leaves of descriptive text. Contemporary speckled calf, spine gilt in compartments (binding expertly repaired at spine and joints by James Brockman). Provenance: Near contemporary ownership inscription and description of contents of Baron Georg Guldenstiern (1632 -1686), State councillor to Queen Christina of Sweden (1626 - 1689) (ruled 1632-1654), chamberlain to King Charles X Gustavus of Sweden (1622 - 1660) (ruled 1654 - 1660), Chancelor of the Exchequer and of the Admiralty and governor of Stockholm 1678-1682 under King Charles XI (1655 - 1697), (ruled 1660-1697), governor of the provinces of Kronoberg and Uppland from 1657 and 1664 respectively; Christopher Henry Beaumont Pease, Lord Wardington (1924-2005), Library of Important Atlases and Geographies. AN EXCEPTIONALLY FINE EXAMPLE of an early small de Wit atlas. Compiled by Baron Georg Guldenstiern, explaining addition of the regional maps of Uppland and Götaland, which are not normally found in De Wit's small atlas. In two parts: a general world atlas and a regional atlas of the seventeen Dutch provinces. It contains a number of important maps found only in de Wit's early small atlases. The four continental maps are examples of de Wit's first continental maps that he replaced with more modern maps by 1671. The map of Hungary "NOVISSIMA ET EMENDATA DELINEATIO HUNGARIÆ" was originally published by Joannes Meyssens,(Schilder) but with de Wit's imprint it is known of in only one other de Wit atlas held by the map collection of the Amsterdam University Library. Like the map of Hungary the map of Germania by Claes Jansz. Visscher found in this atlas is also replaced by 1671. The World map is de Wit's second, and it is in an earlier state than the one given by Shirley (451), as the page number "1" is in manuscript and is not yet engraved. This is the only copy of this map known without the engraved page number. The atlas can be dated to between 1666 and 1671. Furthermore it can be dated to shortly after 1668, due to the contents of the atlas and several indicators found on the maps within the atlas. The first part of the general atlas has no title page or printed index. This indicates an early atlas as de Wit did not begin to use the familiar allegorical title page with Atlas holding up the heavens until shortly before 1671. The lack of a printed index also indicates a pre 1671 date as the printed indexes that are found in most of his atlases did not appear until ca.1671. The date of after 1666, for the earliest possible date for this atlas, is known as the atlas contains a map of Brabant: "Tabula Ducatus BRABANTIÆ ." dated 1666. Further this portion of the atlas also has the second state of de Wit's title page for his atlas of the seventeen provinces. The title page calls for twenty maps and it has a printed index of twenty maps on the verso. Both the title page and the index help in dating the atlas. De Wit acquired the plate for this title page in 1666 along with a number of plates of Amsterdam from Dancker Danckerts (Shirley 451 and 499). De Wit subsequently had a new title text for his provincial atlas printed that he then pasted over the original Danckerts text on this title page. There are three renditions of the new title block, the first indicating only fourteen maps, the second indicating twenty and the third twenty-five maps. We know that the fourteen map provincial atlas was first advertised by de Wit on the 14th of June 1667, in the "Oprechte Haerlemse Courant". Both the fourteen and the twenty map in.

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