DUCHETTI, Claudio (active c.1565-c.1579).
Il disegno della Geographica moderna de tutta la parte' dell Africa.Engraved map.
Rome, 1579.
19 1/8" x 24 3/4" sheet; 30 1/2" x 36" framed.

An extremely rare Lafreri-type map of Africa published by Claudio Duchetti, a nephew of Antontio Lafreri who worked in Rome and Venice between 1554 and 1585, taking over part of the Lafreri business after Antonio's death. The cartography comes from the Camocio/Forlani map of 1563, but it eschews the illustrations of sea monsters and galleons, limiting the decoration to a large strap-work title cartouche in the South Atlantic, a compass rose in the Indian Ocean and a small depiction of the palace of Prester John located just north of the Equator.

However the quality of the engraving, by Henricus Hondius of Haarlem, is apparent throughout the map, enhanced by the dark impression of this example. A Second state was published by Pietro de Nobili, probably after the Duchetti's death in 1585. "The first recorded example that is not in a public library; the other example is at the Birminghan City Library (Richard Betz).