Interestingly the map depicts the Australian continent connected to the landmass of New Guinea, an archaism given that Abel Tasman proved the two lands distinct and separate in 1643. Ironically a large river flowing from the deep interior of the continent into the Gulf of Carpentaria is named Abel Tasman R! Also discovered and named by Tasman, Van Dieman’s Land is notably absent and the entire south-eastern mass of the continent is approximated in dotted lines stretching to the extreme South. Tasman’s discoveries in Nieuw Zeeland are, however, shown. As was conventional of the era, present day Western Australia shows the Dutch discoveries by Nuyts, Leeuwin, De Witt and Dirk Hartog and is labelled Nieuw Holland (New Holland).
Isaac Tirion (c1705-69) was a successful publisher and bookseller at Kalverstraat in Amsterdam. He had two wives and his second, Joanna, carried on the business till 1779, ten years after his death. Tirion produced extensive volumes of Dutch town plans as well as a number of atlases with maps, usually based on those of Guilleume De L’Isle and others. Koeman says Tirion probably was more of a bookseller and publisher than a geographer or cartographer.
The first reworked De L’Isle – Tirion maps were actually published by Giambattista (Giovanni Battista) Albrizzi in Atlante Novissimo che contiene tutte le parti del Mondo…published in 1740 and 1750. The title page of Volume One of Albrizzi’s two volume work from 1740 states that all of the maps except the first Mappa Mondo and Regno di Polonia diviso nei suoi Palatinati were printed, not created or engraved by Tirion. One source, we think incorrectly, states that the Albrizzi atlas as “just a republishing of De L’Isle’s Atlas de Geographie published between 1700-1718 and republished in Amsterdam by Covens and Mortier between 1730 and 1774”! We know that Tirion published his own Atlas Nieuwe en Beknopte Hand Altas von…steden van Europe… with the first edition appearing in 1744, this was followed by five more editions printed till 1779 and possibly later. A version of this atlas described as “after 1769” states that Tirion says the maps were “after Bolstra, Cruiguius, de la Caille, de L’Isle, d’Anville, Hattinga and others” hence Koeman’s acknowledgement of Tirion being more of a publisher and bookseller.
A fabulous addition to anyone who collects early maps showing Australia.
- 1739-57 Atlas of the Dutch Provinces: 35-40 maps
- 1740-84 Nieuwe en Beknopte Handatlas Six editions with number of maps varying from 34 to over 100
Reference : Tooley, R.V., The Mapping of Australia & Antarctica, ref 1263, pg157
