VISSCHER, N.J. - Asiae Nova Descriptio.

Final State of Pieter Van Den Keere's Rare Map of Asia--The first map of Asia to include decorative panels.
The map has an interesting south positioning of the Caspian Sea. There is no Oral Sea. In the region of today's Persia, there is "SARCH ou CUSISTAN," named after the town of Susis. The river Oxys is shown, and the region of present-day Uzbekistan is labeled OCRAGE. The town of Bukara is named "Bucure".

Published by H.J.Visscher and engraved by Abraham Goos, embellished with upper and lower friezes incorporating 10 town views and six portraits. Each side border shows four vignettes with a native figure in each of them.

The map is a re-issue of the Pieter van den Keere map of 1614.
Van Den Keere created a set of 4 maps of the continents which feature decorative figures of indigenous peoples at the sides and city views along the top and bottom. A unique variation employed by Van Den Keere, which was not incorporated by Blaeu, is the use of portraits of the most important Asians Kings the top and bottom borders.

Cartographically, the map draws upon the work of Jodocus Hondius's map of Asia, which in turn was based upon a wall map by Petrus Plancius. The present example is the final edition of the map