Africae Accurata Tabula

This map captures the European view of Africa in the late 1600s.
The map is filled with numerous fictitious towns, rivers, and mountains and continues to reflect the Ptolemaic view of Africa. A title cartouche in upper right is surrounded by two Africans, one holding a scorpion and the other a cornucopia. An elaborate dedication in lower left to the Dutchman, Gerard Schaep, is surrounded by Neptune and mermaids. Various African animals fill the blank spaces within Africa. Numerous small ships are in the oceans.
The Visscher publishing firm comprised a prolific Dutch family of mapmakers, engravers, and publishers. The founder of the firm was Claes Jansz. Visscher (1587-1652) who established himself in Amsterdam likely working for van den Keere and Hondius. He issued several of his maps under the Latinized form of his name, Piscator. From about 1620, he designed a number of individual maps but his first atlas consisted mostly of maps printed from plates purchased from van den Keere. His son, Nicolaas Jansz. Visscher I (1618-1672) and grandson, Nicolaas Visscher II (1649-1702) issued a considerable number of atlases with new maps, including this map. Among these were the Atlas Contractus and the Atlas Minor (actually in folio size). Many of their maps also appeared in atlases produced by Janssonius. The widow of Nicolaas Visscher II carried on the business until it finally passed to Pieter Schenk around 1717.
Various dates have been attributed to this map from as early as 1658 to 1690. What makes the process of dating Visscher's maps so difficult is that the map is contained within composite atlases, often undated and often with manuscript title and contents pages.

Reference: Betz Map # 87.2. Betz, Richard L., with Penelope W. Betz. The Mapping of Africa: A Cartobibliography of Printed Maps of the African Continent to 1700. 't Goy-Houten, The Netherlands: HES & De Graaf Publishers, 2007. Tooley, p. 119-120 . Norwich, map # 5