Page 315 - Eye of the beholder

MAGNI MOGOLIS IMPERIUM 1634-38
The map is hand painted with vegetable dyes. It is mounted on a frame behind UV-proof glass.
In a well researched article published in the MARG Magazine titled, “Magni Mogolis Imperium: An Early Manuscript Map of India”, the collector Anirban Sadhu has provided the narrative of map making, collecting and particularly the printing process, which is enlightening and knowledge enhancing. Part of the text is from this published essay.
Cartography derive from Greek meaning "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and graphein, "to write" is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality or an imagined reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.
The passion for map collection as a piece of history or heritage has been known since the making of maps or the development of cartography from the classical period. Ancient Greeks created the earliest paper maps that were used for navigation, and to depict certain areas of the Earth. They made maps that were based on sound mathematical footing. Anaximander the first of the ancient Greeks in the 6th century B.C. drew a map of the known world, and, as such, he is considered to be one of the first cartographers. It was not until the early 16th century that the first world maps began to appear. Gerardus Mercator from Belgium was the leading cartographer of the mid-16th century. He developed a mapping projection based on mathematics, which was much more accurate than any other until that date.
Maps have been sought after as collectibles for over a century now. An antique map may not provide accurate directions, but it is a piece of heritage and, more importantly, tells a story. It exemplifies human endeavour, the spirit of adventure, and the scientific aspirations of the times in which it was created. Cartography, as a science and an art, has always been the forte of the Western world. Developments in map-making were fuelled by the spirit of discovery and the increase in seafaring of the 14th and 15th centuries, with the rise of the powerful naval powers in the West, especially in Spain, Portugal, Holland, and Britain. This was also a time when the old taboos and inhibitions against sea travel began to be questioned and abandoned. The quest for new lands and for secure trade routes to the East, especially to India, necessitated updated maps that incorporated the fresh discoveries of the age. Merchant guilds were formed in many European countries, patronized and supported by the rulers, to establish trade relationships with newly discovered countries. In most cases, these guilds employed or patronized master cartographers who established workshops to produce new maps. The map titled “Magni Mogolis Imperium” which is the subject of discussion here is one such, produced by an eminent Dutch mapmaker. It is one of the earliest known maps of India.
Magni Mogolis Imperium is a revolutionary map, which embraces the entire Mughal Empire, extending from Afghanistan and Kashmir in the north, down South to the middle of the Deccan, and from the mouth of the Indus, in the west, to Burma in the East. While far from scientific and featuring inaccuracies, it is nevertheless one of the earliest maps of North India to evince a planimetric accuracy. The Indus River is shown to enter the Arabian Sea in the correct location, in what is now Sindh. On the other hand the path of Ganges River is incorrectly shown, with Yamuna represented with a degree of accuracy. The map clearly indicates the broad reach of the Mughal Empire.
309