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This mid-17th century map of Southeast Asia is from Isaac Commelin’s book describing the voyages of the Dutch East India Company ‘Begin ende voortgangh…’. There is an inset map of the island of Botton (Buton Island, southeast of Celebes (Sulawesi)).

This mid-17th century map of Southeast Asia has a maritime focus, with shoals and reefs, and the coastal areas marked in great detail, while the interiors remain mostly blank. The Great Wall of China can be seen at the top of the map.

A brightly-coloured hand-drawn map of the South China Sea. The compass is at the centre of a rhumbline network, a web of lines to aid navigation. Bathymetry (sea depth), islands, anchor points, shoals and reefs are also marked.

Early navigation map of the South China Sea. The web of lines is a rhumbline network, while the numbers indicate sea depth (bathymetry), both used to aid navigation. A route around the Gulf of Thailand is marked with text and the dates 1643 and 1644.

A brightly-coloured hand-drawn map of the Gulf of Siam, made for a ship’s captain. The elaborate compass roses are the centre of a rhumbline network, a web of lines to aid navigation. Bathymetry (sea depth), islands, shoals and reefs are also marked.

This 18th century map was designed to aid navigation through the Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Shoals, reefs and islands are marked, and the numbers printed on the strait record sea depth (bathymetry).

Hand-drawn portolan (nautical) chart, featuring a rhumbline network (the web of interconnected lines), bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and reefs, and names of coastal settlements, all to aid navigation. With a colourful compass rose.

Hand-drawn portolan (nautical) chart, featuring a rhumbline network (the web of interconnected lines), bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and reefs, names of coastal settlements, and an elevation (side view) of a mountain at the north tip of Borneo.

This map was intended for navigation purposes, with bathymetry (sea depth), reefs, shoals and anchor points marked. One island is labelled ‘like a sugar loaf’, another ‘like a turtel [turtle]’. Oedong Sallang is the island of Phuket, Thailand.

Map marking the routes through maritime Southeast Asia of two delegations: a French delegation from Brest, France to Siam in 1685; and a Siamese delegation from Siam to Brest in 1686. A note next to Aceh records a sea battle against Portugal in 1616.

This map features eight expedition routes across the South China Sea from 1752 to 1763. The web of lines is a rhumbline network, and bathymetry (sea depth) is marked. The place names are in French, but with an English title and notes.

Spread over two sheets, this map of India also features the west coast of mainland Southeast Asia. There is also an inset map of the bay of Ashem (Banda Aceh, Sumatra), featuring bathymetry (sea depth), islands, shoals and reefs, and anchor points.