Today, the Chairman of the National Library of Australia Council, Mr Ryan Stokes, unveiled one of the rarest maps in the world, the 1663 Archipelagus Orientalis (The Eastern of Asian Archipelago). This new acquisition is the first large-scale map of New Holland, created by Dutch East India Company cartographer, Joan Blaeu.
Click on image for more information on the exhibition
Watch a video from the National Library of Australia on the history of the and it’s preservation. Click here to view.
The fragile map is currently undergoing stabilisation work by expert NLA staff so it can go on display in Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia, the Library’s exhibition which opens 7 November.
Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia showcases maps from the world’s greatest collections – many of which have never been seen in Australia. These are the maps that shaped our world – taking us on a journey from ancient and medieval notions of a Great South Land to Flinders’ 1814 chart of Australia. Centrepiece of the exhibition will be the circa 1450 Fra Mauro, one of the most famous world maps of all time. It has never left its home at the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice. View a selection from the amazing exhibition:
Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia will be shown only at the National Library of Australia, Canberra for a limited season.
Date: 7 November 2013 – 10 March 2014
Time: 10 am – 5 pm daily.
Cost: Free exhibition. Bookings essential.
Inquiries: 02 6262 1111
