Obj. ID: 56605
  Comparative & Miscellaneous  Terra Sancta sive Promissionis olim Palestina..., Amsterdam, 1659

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Maps of the Holy Land were very popular starting in the 16th century.  They were printed both separately and in atlases. While only a small percentage of such maps were for the Jewish market, all have them have become included in the general subject of Judaica.

This finely done example is by the Visscher family and comes from one of the atlases they published. The map shows the Holy Land as oriented to the west, divided among the 12 Tribes on both sides of the Jordan.  The shoreline runs from "Sidon" as far as Egypt. The Kishon River connects Haifa Bay to the Lake of Tiberias.  Along the top is a garland supported by cherubim.  At the bottom center is the encampment of the Tribes in the desert, surrounding the Tabernacle, and flanked by Moses and Aaron.  In the bottom right corner appears the emblem of the firm, but the fisherman is replaced by fishing children.

The copperplate map was created by Frederick de Wit (1616-1689), a Dutch engraver, publisher and map seller. He purchased the plates of Bleau and Jansson and used them in his work.