Homann’s decorative map of Africa

A colourful and decorative map of Africa, incorporating updated geographic information derived from the calculations of Johann Matthias Hase. The title cartouche also credits the Arab writer al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi, better known as Leo Africanus, whose influential 16th-century writings remained among the principal European sources on Africa for centuries. The map is distinguished by its elaborate pictorial cartouche at lower left, depicting European merchants trading with local inhabitants near the Cape of Good Hope, with Table Mountain prominently shown in the background. The scene is animated with a rich array of African wildlife, including elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, crocodiles, snakes, and turtles.