Oldest Printed Map Art
Author: Henricus Hondius II (1597–1651)
Title Latin: Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula
Title English: New Geographic and Hydrographic Map of the Whole World
This is created by Hendrik Hondius in 1630 and published the following year in the atlas Atlantis Maioris Appendix.
Among its claims to notability is the fact that it was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia, the only previous map to do so being Hessel Gerritsz' 1627 Caert Van't Landt van d'Eendracht ("Chart of the Land of Eendracht"), which was not widely distributed.
The Australian coastline shown is part of the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, discovered by Jan Carstensz in 1623. Curiously, the map does not show the west coast features shown in Gerritsz' Caert.
LiveArtGifts Art&Design Company has redrawn this image digitally. It is at the highest resolution ever done. Another unique thing about the image: It is printed on shiny and thick fabric. (It is the completely innovative step on the market!) The product shines under the light thanks to velvet material in it. The color protection process has processed. So, it's unfaded. Anti-bacterial and anti-allergic you can touch and feel the artwork.