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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