Coloured map of South America, oriented to the west, from Jan Huygen van Linschoten’s “Itinerario…” published by Cornelis Claesz in 1596. The map, which was based on the cartographic work of Petrus Plancius and engraved by Arnold Floris van Langren, is one of the most striking and sought after early maps of the region. The area covered ranges from an unrealistically large Tierra del Fuego in south, the entire South American continent, the West Indies and parts of Central America and Florida to the north. The map identifies extensive coastal details of the region taken from Spanish and Portuguese sources but little of the interior, which is decorated with indigenous natives and animals including a very imaginative large cat with the face of a monkey, as it was largely unexplored at the time. Two large cartouches decorate the engraving, one in Latin (top left) with the title, description and engraver’s name and the second in Dutch (bottom right) containing the description. Blank verso. Other than a repair to the top margin, the map is in excellent condition. 39 cm x 55 cm