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Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula by de Wit

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Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula by de Wit

Author: De Wit

Year/Period: 1670

Size:Inches:75 x 53
CM:190 x 130

Price: $2,299.99

SKU: PLAN 12

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Description:

Frederik de Wit (1616-1698) was a famous Dutch publisher of maps and atlas. He is particularly well known for his wall maps, of which NOVA TOTIUS TERRARUM ORBIS TABULA (1670) is one of the finest examples. Measuring a considerable 75X53 inches, it was realized with copper engraving tecniques. In the four corners of the map are representations of people from far away countries, rare anaimals and plants. Between New Zealand and the Magellan Straits there is a table of distances. Below the table there is a sphere representing the moving planets according to the Hypothesis Ptolemaica, followed my a map of the Arctic Pole, a celestial map, the Antarctic Pole and finally a sphere with the moving planets according to the Hypotheis Tychonica. The original is kept at the Geographic Military Institute in Florence .Restored in 1997, this beautiful planisphere has recovered its splendour, thanls to Mrs. Nathalie Ravanel's work. To prepare this planisphere an old manual press and precisely engraved plates have been used. The support on which has been transferred is made up by paper of pure cotton coming from an old paper-mill, which was already working when his work was born for the first time. The sheets manually and one by one undergo a process of ageing based on vegetable substances. This process helps in differentiating each engraving from the other ones because the spots are not and cannot be alike and uniform. Then paper has to be fixed to the cloth, in pure unbleached cotton too, which undergoes a process of aging as paper does.

Engraving Information:

This artistic reproduction of an antique map was made using the same techniques, materials and instruments used for the original. Map is created from a zinc slab that is mounted on a wooden base and printed by hand, a piece at the time, on a press with a limited production size of 20 pieces each time. Map is printed on cotton-paper panels which are glued and mounted on a cotton cloth background "a stacchi" (slightly separated from each other), in order to allow for folding and easier transport. Finally, map is water-colored by hand, making it a truly unique piece, worthy of the original vintage map.