Orbis map Gin & Tonic Glass

Description Gin & Tonic Glass, hand decorated with sections of a 17c double hemisphere world map. ‘Orbis’ English bone china tableware is based upon Frederick De Wit’s first world map of 1668. ‘Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula’ The map has four large lively allegorical scenes representing the four elements. Fire is shown by war and destruction, air by the heavens, earth by harvesting and husbandry, and water by sailing ships and a spouting whale. Frederick de Wit was born to a Protestant family in 1629/30 in Gouda, a small city in the province of Holland.  By 1648, during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, De Wit had moved from Gouda to Amsterdam. As early as 1654 he had opened a printing office and shop.  His first world map, ‘Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula’  appeared around 1660. De Wit published no fewer than 158 land maps and 43 charts on separate folio sheets. The maps by Frederick de Wit are highly decorative and highly prized both by museums and private collectors.