Antique Map of Finland with original coloring and gold highlights

Antique map titled 'Nova Tabula magni ducatus Finlandiae (..)'. Beautiful antique map of Finland, with original hand coloring with small touches of gold. The map is based on the archetypal map of the Swede Anders Bure. It is the first map to show the Grand-Duchy of Finland on its own. A remarkably beautiful cartouche displays the coat of arms of the Grand-Duchy of Finland and the seven provinces of the 17th century. Published by F. de Wit, circa 1680. Frederik de Wit (born Frederik Hendriksz; c.?1629 – July 1706) was a Dutch cartographer and artist. By 1671, he was publishing a large folio atlas with as many as 100 maps. Smaller atlases of 17 or 27 or 51 maps could still be purchased and by the mid-1670s an atlas of as many as 151 maps and charts could be purchased from his shop. In about 1675, De Wit released a new nautical atlas. The charts in this atlas replaced the earlier charts from 1664 that are known today in only four bound examples and a few loose copies. De Wit's new charts were sold in a chart book and as part of his atlases. De Wit published no fewer than 158 land maps and 43 charts on separate folio sheets. In 1695, De Wit began to publish a town atlas of the Netherlands after he acquired a large number of city plans at the auction of the famous Willem Blaeu publishing firm's printing plates. Dating De Wit's atlases is considered difficult because usually no dates were recorded on the maps and their dates of publication extended over many years.

Condition: Fair. Original/contemporary hand coloring with gold highlights. Age-related toning, few tiny tears in margins. Staining, mainly outside image. Small repairs in top margin & top folding line, sl. affecting image. Blank verso. Please study image carefully.

Date: c.1680

Overall size: 63 x 50.3 cm.