The Tasman Map
Dated 1644 and hand drawn on delicate Japanese paper, the Tasman Map bears the arms of the City of Amsterdam. Just below the Tropic of Capricorn we can see the tracks of Abel Tasman's two ships Heemskerck and Zeehaen.
The map combines the results of Tasman's first and second voyages with those of earlier Dutch navigators, giving a surprisingly accurate general outline of Australia.
Get the latest Flash player to view this interactive content.
Carten dese landen Zin ontdeckt bij de compangie ontdeckers behaluen het norder deelt van noua guina ende het West Eynde van Java dit Warck aldus bij mallecanderen geuoecht ut verscheijden schriften als mede ut eijgen beuinding bij abel Jansen Tasman ... [Bonaparte Tasman map], 1644, by Abel Janszoon Tasman, Map, ML 863
> View the map via the Library's catalogue 
In recognition of The Tasman Map's significance, a marble mosaic reproduction features in the Mitchell Wing vestibule of the State Library of New South Wales.
Tasman Map reproduction in the Mitchell Vestibule
Mosaic detail
Mosaic construction by Melocco Brothers 1939-1941
Princess George of Greece presented the original Tasman Map to the Library in 1931. The origins of the map are uncertain. Once thought to have been drawn under Tasman's personal supervision - possibly by his chief pilot, Franz Jabobszoon Visscher - it now seems likely that the map was created c. 1695, derived from an imperfect original map, itself compiled in 1644 from authentic original maps, including those of Tasman's two voyages.
