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This beautifully
hand coloured original antique map of the Moghal Empire
of Northern India, Tibet, Nepal and central Asia
by Henricus Hondius was published in the 1639 French
edition of Mercator's Atlas.
The Moghal Empire was founded in the northern parts of
India by Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur (1483 - 1531) in
1526. It grew in size until the early to mid 18th
century, when it slowly began to declined in power until
finally dissolved by the British in 1857.
While there was not a lot of interaction between Europe
and the Moghals in the seventeenth century, this
important Asian empire was still of great fascination to
Europe.
A 1618 map by William Baffin, based on the information
collected by Sir Thomas Roe, the British ambassador to
the Moghal Emperor Jahangir in 1615, was the basis for
this map originally published by Willem Blaeu and
re-issued shortly afterwards by Henricus Hondius & Jan
Jansson.
This is a very desirable map containing a wonderful
title cartouche showing two Moghal figures in elaborate
dress. Also of interest are the small vignettes of
elephants, lions, and a small camel caravan showing the
trade routes between the Moghal Empire and the east.
(Ref: Tooley, Koeman)
Condition Report
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Red, yellow, green
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 23in x 19in (585mm x 485mm)
Plate size: - 20in x 15in (510mm x 380mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)
Imperfections:
Margins: - Light spotting
Plate area:
- Vertical crease parallel to centerfold, centerfold rejoind slight separation.
Verso: - Bottom & top centerfold re-joined, no loss
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