A superb example of Wytliet’s map of Florida in FULL EARLY WASH COLOUR. We have been unable to find a record on an example in early colour. ‘In 1597 Cornelis van Wytfliet published his ‘Descriptionis Ptolemaicae Augmentum’ to Ptolemy’s Geography. This is true in as much as it covers all the Americas, a part of the world unknown to the latter; however, no other connection between them exists. Dedicated to Philip III of Spain it is a history of the New World to date, recording its discovery, natural history etc. For the book Wytfliet had engraved nineteen maps, by whom we do not know … this book can be truly called the first atlas of America … Not much is known about Wytfliet other than that he was an advocate and secretary to the Council of Brabant, whose capital at the time was Louvain’ (Burden).

The map ‘is drawn from the Abraham Ortelius-Gerónimo de Chaves map entitled La Florida, published in 1584. However, here Wytfliet expands the area covered south to include parts of Cuba and north to C.de Arenas or the area of the Outer Banks of Carolina. It also enabled him to include the territory called APALCHE. Most of the cartography is derived from the explorations of Hernando de Soto during the years 1539-42. As such it is one of the few maps of the sixteenth century to record inland information largely from first hand European sources. Along with the Ortelius map of 1584, and the Johannes Metellus of 1598, these are the only printed maps of the present day southern United States published in the sixteenth century. The Florida peninsula is altered in shape from the Ortelius in that it is more rectangular and has a pronounced ‘neck’. The source for this delineation appears to be unknown. The Rio del Spirito Santo shown here is the Mississippi River’ (Burden). Provenance: private English collection. Burden nos. 100 & 104; Cumming (1962) no. 18; Koeman (1967) vol. 3, p. 219; Martin & Martin (1984) p. 75; Nordenskiöld (1889) p. 133; Phillips (1909-) no. 1140; Skelton (1964).