Exquisitely decorated double hemisphere world map, surrounded by engravings including allegorical representations of the continents as well as native inhabitants and wildlife. This is Visscher's first world map to be included in Dutch Bibles and the prototype for the surrounding decorations that were copied by several other cartographers. Two celestial spheres are displayed in the Eastern Hemisphere. In the lower part of the Western Hemisphere is text describing the discovery of America and recent voyages of discovery. Two diagrams depicting the Ptolemaic and Copernican theories of the solar system are tucked between the hemispheres. The northwest coast of North America is exaggerated and shows California correctly as a peninsula. Parts of Australia and Van Diemen's Land are shown but the north coast of Australia is not depicted.

References: Shirley #401.

Condition: A

Very sharp impression with good margins, which is unusual for Bible maps. Expert repair of a tear in the solar system diagram at bottom, now nearly invisible.