Arabia: Blaeu 1661

Title: Arabia Author: House of Blaeu Date: 1661 Medium: Hand-colored copperplate engraving Condition: Excellent Inches: 20 5/8 x 16 1/2 [Plate Mark] Centimeters: 52.39 x 41.91 [Plate Mark] Product ID: 222008 Map of the Arabian Peninsula, including the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the cities of Mecca and Medina. This piece appeared only in the last five editions of Blaeu's Atlas Maior, published between 1661 and 1672. Title cartouche features a group of Arab men and their camels conversing beneath a palm tree, while a group of putti admire a pile of lush fruit, representing the riches of Arabia. Blaeu's map was one of the first to show the internal features of the Arabian Peninsula, depicting oases (groupings of trees) and mountain ranges. Additionally, it indicates pearl deposits in the Arabian Gulf through small crosses and delineates international borders with dotted lines. The Red Sea bears labels with its three Latin names: Mare Rubrum (Red Sea), Ma