For most of history, the bottom of the map was a rumor. This 1663 chart, drawn from the Dutch voyages of Abel Tasman, is the first map published in Europe to show any real coastline of Australia — the west and north traced with confidence, and the entire east coast, still unseen by any European ship, simply left blank. A continent caught in the act of appearing, half-known and half-imagined. The last great landmass to be drawn onto the world.

Maker: Melchisédech Thévenot (after Tasman)
Date: 1663
Medium of the original: Plate
Original held by: Published Paris
Credit: Published Paris
Rights: Public domain, verified
Catalogue number: PA-00328

As chosen: 16 x 12 in, art print, classic frame
Picture	16 x 12 in
Outside size	17.6 x 13.6 in
Depth	0.9 in (22 mm)
Weight	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: shipped weight per size and frame]]
Hanging	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: hanging hardware Prodigi fits to this frame]]
Material	Enhanced matte art paper, 200 gsm; acrylic glazing
Made in	Charlotte, North Carolina, by Prodigi

Before a size goes on sale, the file is measured against it: pixels per inch at that size, how much of the picture a crop would lose, tone and sharpness. A size that fails is not offered, so there is nothing to choose wrong.

How the print check works

Sizes offered
Size	dpi	Grade	How it fits
10 x 8 in	288	Excellent	Trimmed 1%
14 x 11 in	208	Excellent	Trimmed 0.8%
16 x 12 in	182	Good	Trimmed 5.3%

Sizes withheld
Size	Why
12 x 8 in	Wrong shape: a 16% crop
18 x 12 in	Wrong shape: a 16% crop
20 x 16 in	144 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
24 x 16 in	Wrong shape: a 16% crop
24 x 18 in	121 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
30 x 20 in	Wrong shape: a 16% crop
30 x 24 in	96 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
36 x 24 in	Wrong shape: a 16% crop
40 x 30 in	72 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
48 x 36 in	60 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
60 x 40 in	Wrong shape: a 16% crop

Scanned

2026-10-07

Master file

2,916 x 2,310 px, srgb

Tone

Darks 169, lights 214 of 255; 0% clipped light, 0% clipped dark

Colour

0% vivid

Sharpness

6.95

Notes

Narrow tonal range (16 L*): prints soft and even, as the original reads
Neutrals lean warm (yellow): the paper and varnish of the original, kept as scanned

Shipping for this piece to a US address is $24.80, the print room’s own rate, charged per piece. Checkout shows the total before you pay.

Every piece is printed after you order it, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and ships from there. For now we ship to US addresses only.

A piece that arrives damaged, misprinted or in the wrong size is replaced at our cost. The details: shipping and returns and replacements.