Cornelis van Wytfliet – Map of the World, 1598

This is a black and white engraving of a world map from 1598 by Cornelis van Wytfliet. The map is presented in a double-hemisphere projection, showing the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

What I see:

• Hemispheres: The Earth is divided into two circular sections. The left hemisphere prominently displays the Americas, with labels like America Sive India Nova (New India) and Nova Guinea. It details coastlines and some interior geographical features.
• Eastern Hemisphere: The right hemisphere shows Europe, Asia, and Africa. We can see labels for Mare Indicum (Indian Sea), Arabia, Persia, and China.
• Terra Australis: Both hemispheres depict a vast southern continent labeled Terra Australis (Southern Land), which is an early representation of what would later be understood as Australia and Antarctica.
• Cartographic Details: The map is adorned with grid lines indicating latitude and longitude, as well as tropical circles (Cancer and Capricorn) and the equator (Circulus Aequinoctialis).
• Decorative Elements: At the top, theres an ornate cartouche with the Latin inscription VTRIVSQVE HEMISPHERII DELINEATIO (A Map of Both Hemispheres). There are also decorative floral motifs.
• Central Figure: Beneath the two hemispheres, a stylized depiction of Atlas, the Titan from Greek mythology, is shown supporting the globe on his shoulders. He is depicted kneeling on a rock, with a mythical creature or a sea monster beneath him.

Subtexts and Symbolism:

• Exploration and Discovery: The very existence of this map in 1598 signifies the Age of Discovery. It represents Europes growing knowledge of the world, driven by exploration, trade, and colonization. The early naming of America Sive India Nova reflects the initial European confusion about the newly discovered continents.
• The Known and Unknown: The map highlights both the expanding knowledge of the world and the vast areas that remained mysterious or speculative. Terra Australis is a significant example of this, representing a placeholder for a believed continent that was largely uncharted at the time.
• Mythological Authority: The inclusion of Atlas at the base of the map serves multiple purposes. It adds a classical and mythological gravitas to the endeavor of mapping the world, implying that charting the globe is a monumental task, akin to Atlass burden of holding up the heavens. It also reinforces the idea of the world as a cohesive entity, supported and contained.
• European Perspective: Like most maps of this era, it is created from a European viewpoint. The prominence given to Europe and the naming conventions reflect the dominant cultural and political powers of the time.
• Scholarly Endeavor: The Latin inscription and the detailed cartography suggest a scholarly and scientific approach to understanding geography, even with the limitations of the periods knowledge. The map is presented as a formal depiction of the Earths characteristics.
• Pre-Modern Cartography: The somewhat stylized and simplified representations of landmasses, especially in the interior regions and Terra Australis, are characteristic of early cartography, where artistic interpretation and inference filled gaps in precise geographical data.