251-B - [Americana]. BLAEU, Guillaume.

[Americana]. BLAEU, Guillaume. Mappa Aestiuarum insularum alias Barmudas dictarum... Amsterdam, (ca. 1630–1670). A black copperplate engraving (42 x 54.5 cm), hand-colored, framed at a later date (60 x 72 cm) (wormholes and scuffing on the frame edges, slight foxing and discoloration on the map). A very beautiful and important map of Bermuda by Willem Blaeu, based on surveys conducted by the English surveyor Richard Norwood between 1615 and 1617. It offers a meticulous depiction of the archipelago, divided into eight districts, with its numerous numbered parcels of land and a table of landowners, reflecting the organization of the early English settlements in the 17th century. Highly decorative, the map features an original composition combining a detailed plan of Bermuda with a depiction of its geographical location in the Atlantic, off the coast of North America. It is adorned with an imposing title cartouche crowned by Neptune and surrounded by allegorical figures, coats of arms, ships, a compass rose, and ornamental cartouches. First published by Blaeu around 1630, it was reprinted in the German, Latin, French, and Dutch editions of his atlases throughout the 17th century until the 1670s. Van der Krogt, II, [9660:2].