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DE L'ISLE, Guillaume (1675-1726)

Regionum Italiæ Mediarum Tabula Geographica...

Paris: Apud Auctorem in RIpa Sequanæ..., 1711 [but 1731]. Engraved with period outline colour. Printed on thick laid paper. In excellent condition, minor soiling at top edge. Sheet size: 20 x 25 3/4 inches.

An 18th century historical map of ancient Rome and the regions around it by the celebrated French cartographer, Guillaume de L'Isle.

Guillaume de L'Isle (1675-1726) was the son of a cartographer and a pupil of Jean Dominique Cassini, who, among other important contributions, aligned the study of astronomy to the study of geography. Under Cassini's direction, observations were made from locations all over the world that enabled longitudinal calculations to be made with much greater accuracy. De l'Isle carried on this exacting work with remarkable dedication and integrity, constantly revising and improving his maps. While precision was his primary goal, his maps are also invariably elegant and attractive.

This map is from an edition of De L'Isle's Atlas de Geographie, which was reissued posthumously from 1730 to 1774. This historical reconstruction of Rome and the adjacent regions in the days of the Republic, with an inset map of Rome showing the seven hills: "Urbs Septicollis". Among much else, the map depicts the disconcertingly straight roads emanating from Rome.

Moreland and Bannister, Antique Maps p. 132; Tooley's Dictionary of Mapmakers, 395

#18729$450.00
 
 
DE WIT, Frederick (1630-1706)

Regnum Neapolis in quo sunt Aprutium Ulterius et Citerius, Comitatus Molisius, Terra Laboris, Capitaniata Principatus Ulterior et Citerior Terra Bariensis et Hidruntina, Basilicata, Calabria Citerior et Ulterior

Amsterdam: Pierre Mortier, c. 1710. Engraving with full, period colour. Sheet size: 25 1/2 x 21 5/8 inches.

A beautiful Dutch map of the Kingdom of Naples

This map is from an edition of Frederick De Wit's maps made by Pierre Mortier about 1710. De Wit had brought to Dutch cartography a decorative flare and an appreciation for the Baroque that most of his contemporaries lacked.

Here in his map of the Kingdom of Naples, putti hold up a banner of the armorial shields of the various provinces and in the cartouche in the lower right display the arms of Naples.

As one expects in a map by De Wit, the engraving is extremely fine (one can see a little eruption over Mount Vesuvius) and the calligraphy is distinct and readable.

The Kingdom of Naples was rarely autonomous. At the time this map was made, it was ruled by Spain, then by Austria (a result of the War of the Spanish Succession). The Spanish re-conquered the kingdom in 1738.

Koeman, Mor 12

#14847$1,500.00
 
 
MOLL, Herman (1654-1732)

A New Map of Italy

London: H. Moll, T. & J. Bowles, P. Overton & J. King, [dated, 1714, but circa 1730]. Copper-engraved map, with original outline colour, in excellent condition. Sheet size: 24 3/4 x 41 inches.

A brilliant copy of Moll's highly decorative map of Italy

This map depicts Italy while it was divided into numerous kingdoms, principalities, duchies, and a republic. Venice, ruled by the Doges, dominates the northeastern regions of Italy, and extends its hegemony down the Dalmatian coast and beyond as far as the Greek Ionian Islands, including Corfu and Ithaca. Central Italy is ruled directly by the Vatican, and Tuscany is the preserve of the Medici family. Southern Italy, namely the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, is ruled by the Spaniards. The Genoese not only rule Liguria, but also the island of Corsica. The House of Savoy, based in Turin controlled an alpine kingdom in addition to the island of Sardinia. Other domains included the duchies of Lombardy (ruled from Milan), Parma and Modena. The most decorative part of the map concerns the magnificent views found in the lower left. People the continent over were transfixed by the violent volcanos that dominated the landscape of southern Italy. The middle view depicts Mount Vesuvius, which looming above the Bay of Naples, is most famous for its great eruption which destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii in 79 A.D. Its eruption in 1631 was a reminder that the great volcano was by no means dormant. The view below features the much larger Mount Etna on Sicily, depicting its 1669 eruption that terrorized the city of Catania. The remaining view features the mythical Mount Aeolius, which figured in The Odyssey as the divine source of the winds.

The present map was part of Herman Moll's magnificent folio work, a New and Compleat Atlas. Moll was the most important cartographer working in London during his era, a career that spanned over fifty years. His origins have been a source of great scholarly debate; however, the prevailing opinion suggests that he hailed from the Hanseatic port city of Bremen, Germany. Joining a number of his countrymen, he fled the turmoil of the Scanian Wars for London, and in 1678 is first recorded as working there as an engraver for Moses Pitt on the production of the English Atlas. It was not long before Moll found himself as a charter member of London's most interesting social circle, which congregated at Jonathan's Coffee House at Number 20 Exchange Alley, Cornhill. It was at this establishment that speculators met to trade equities (most notoriously South Sea Company shares). Moll's coffeehouse circle included the scientist Robert Hooke, the archaeologist William Stuckley, the authors Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe, and the intellectually-gifted pirates William Dampier, Woodes Rogers and William Hacke. From these friends, Moll gained a great deal of privileged information that was later conveyed in his cartographic works, some appearing in the works of these same figures. Moll was highly astute, both politically and commercially, and he was consistently able to craft maps and atlases that appealed to the particular fancy of wealthy individual patrons, as well as the popular trends of the day. In many cases, his works are amongst the very finest maps of their subjects ever created with toponymy in the English language.

Shirley, Maps in the Atlases of the British Library I, T.Moll-4b, 25; Cf. Reinhartz, The Cartographer and the Literati: Herman Moll and his Intellectual Circle

#17919$2,750.00
 
 
MORDEN, Robert (d.1703) & Christopher BROWNE (fl.1684-1712)

[Savoy & Piedmont] A New Mapp of the Estates of Savoy & Piedmont with the Countries Adjacent

London: Robert Morden & Christopher Browne, c. 1703. Copper-engraved map, with original outline colour, in very good condition overall. Sheet size: 24 3/4 x 20 3/4 inches.

A very fine map of Savoy & Piedmont by two great English cartographers

Robert Morden (d. 1703) was one of a new group of mapmakers who established the art of map publication in London on a permanent basis. As demonstrated in this excellent map of Savoy and Piedmont, Morden conveys the artistic and graphic standards of the late 17th century Dutch masters to English idiom. This is particularly true of the very fine engraving, evident here, that would not be typical of 18th century maps in general.

Morden's early 18th century map of Savoy and Piedmont includes important topographical illustrations of this very mountainous region, but also, innovatively, main roads. The coats of arms of the House of Savoy, Piedmont and Tyrol are displayed around the title cartouche.

#13683$2,000.00
 
 
SENEX, John (1678-1740)

A New Mapp [sic.] of Rome Shewing its Antient and Present Scituation.

London: J. Senex, circa 1721. Copper-engraved map by John Harris, with full modern colour, printed on laid paper, in excellent condition. Sheet size: 20 5/8 x 24 ¾ inches.

A stunning plan of Rome, by the celebrated English mapmaker John Senex.

A contemporary of Herman Moll, John Senex was one of the most successful mapmakers during the golden age of English cartography. He issued a series of atlases with John Maxwell and C. Price, and went on to reissue Ogilby's road atlas. He was appointed Geographer to Queen Anne, and in 1728 was elected to the Royal Society. His beautiful maps are famed for their meticulous detail and ornate cartouches, and they remain some of the best examples of eighteenth century English mapmaking. Like Senex's other town plans, this stunning aerial view of Rome includes separate vignettes of the city's prized Renaissance landmarks. Published with the north to the right, the city is carefully mapped out with the Tiber stretching along the outskirts. The map includes an alphabetical table of the city's noted landmarks, including churches, palaces, and ruins. There are inset views in each corner showing the Colosseum, St. Peter's cathedral, Trajan's Column and the Pyramid of Gaius Cestius.

Tooley, Maps & Map-Makers, 55

#14794$1,500.00
 
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