Page 319 - Eye of the beholder

“Magni Mogolis Imperium”:
An Early Manuscript Map of India
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. In recent times, antique maps have fetched record prices at auctions, and continue to increase in value. While in the past the demand has been mostly for maps of European countries and some 18th- and 19th- century maps of America at the time of colonization, more recently maps of the Indian subcontinent have fast gained in popularity.
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.
The Dutch emerged as a major naval power by the end of the 16th century, and the Dutch East India Company was set up in 1602. Around the year 1633, the Company appointed Willem Janzsoon Blaeu (1571–1638) as its official cartographer. Blaeu
was born in Holland near Alkmaar into a family of fishmongers, but his interests lay elsewhere. After his father’s death, he trained under the renowned Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe between 1594 and 1596 and qualified as an instrument and globe maker. By 1599, Blaeu was back in Amsterdam where he founded his own business of making maps and globes. By the time of his appointment Blaeu’s business was thriving and
he had established himself as a reputed mapmaker. Blaeu’s magnum opus was his publication of the World Atlas Atlas Novus (also known as Atlas Major) in 1635, of which the “Magni Mogolis Imperium” was a part. This was the time when Amsterdam was one of the wealthiest trading cities in Europe, the hub of the Dutch East India Company, and the centre of the banking and diamond trade. The Atlas Novus contained maps of almost all the known regions of the world, including India.
September 2008
Anirban Sadhu
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A picture of the complete “Magni Mogolis Imperium”, 1634–38, mounted on a frame behind UV-proof glass. The map is hand painted with vegetable dyes; 58 x 50 cm.
An Early Manuscript Map
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