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Title 'Africa Ex magna orbis terre descriptione', printed in Duisberg. This influential map of Africa is by Gerard Mercator, Junior, copied from the large world map of 1569 by his famous grandfather Gerard Mercator. The shape of the continent is quite accurate although the depiction of the Nile is based on Ptolemy's geography with some complex modifications. The source of the Nile is shown as a series of three large and several smaller lakes located in the "Lune montes" just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Another branch of the Nile flows from the west, with this system winding about in what is the Sahara Desert. One branch of this river has its source in a lake almost within sight of the Atlantic, and another, southern branch is noted as being the Niger. The Niger River remained a mystery to Europeans until well into the nineteenth century, and the hypothesis that it flowed into the Nile was quite popular. In "Abissini," Mercator shows Prester John sitting on his throne, and he tries to fit the convoluted river systems of the region, described by Abyssinian monks, into his already elaborate conception of the Nile. The Congo makes an early appearance on this map, and typically, the depiction of the river is confused. Mercator shows it as joining into the Nile just north of the Mountains of the Moon. The engraving has many decorative elements including the moiré effect in the seas and a title cartouche that is done in the mannerist style. The map is in excellent condition with wide margins and only very slight foxing at the top paper edge (well away from the engraved area).
ANTIQUE MAPS (1149)
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