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This woodblock map focusing on present-day Italy and Corsica was cut as early as 1522 for the third Strassburg edition of Ptolemy's Geography edited by Laurent Fries. That issue of the atlas contained three new maps, and one was famous for having the name "America" on it for the first time in an atlas. The cartographic woodblock was used again in 1535 by Michael and Gaspar Trechsel in Lyon and contained text by Michael Villanovanus or Servetus. The Latin text on the back is surrounded by a decorative woodblock border which is attributed to Hans Holbein who was then working in Basle. The same woodblock borders were used in the 1541 edition of the same maps published in Vienna. This cartographic depiction of the region, appearing in three known editions of Ptolemy's Geography in the sixteenth century, would have been the most frequently seen map of this region in the western world at that time. $1,100
"Theatrum Veronese: 1549." From Sebastian Munster's edition of Geographia. Basel: Henric Petri, 1575. Woodcut. Decorative wood blocks on verso attributed to Hans Holbein. Very good condition.
From a series of maps based upon the work of Claudius Ptolemy, frequently paired with the "modern" versions of the same regions. In the Second Century A.D. Ptolemy was the librarian at Alexandria, the greatest center of learning in the Classical world. He wrote two major works, the Almagest, an account of the heavens, and the Geographia, the first atlas of the world. The latter consisted of Ptolemy's compilation of all known geographic information, including instructions for how to make maps. Rediscovered in the Middle Ages, the Geographia had a huge impact on the awaking western European mind. His structure for making maps, with longitude and latitude, and his usual northern orientation for the maps, became the standard from then right up to the present.
This map from Sebastian Munster's edition of the Geographia, is amongst the most attractive of the issues, especially with the decorative woodcut designs on the versos, attributed to Hans Holbein. $225
"Pisaurum Vulgo Pezaro." From Braun & Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Terrarum. Cologne, 1588. Volume III. Original hand color. 14 1/4 x 19 1/4. 11 x 15 1/2. Uncolored engraving. Latin text on verso.
A handsome bird's eye view of Pesaro in Italy, from Braun and Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Terrarum, one of the most important works from the early days of modern cartography and topographical illustration. This view shows the walled Italian seacoast town of Pezaro from an overlooking hill to the north. In the foreground stand two Italian ladies in elaborate local dress. Braun, the editor, and Hogenberg, the engraver, worked for over twenty years to produce their "towns of the world," the first systematic depiction of views of cities throughout the world. This work, issued in six volumes from 1572 to 1617, was a monumental piece of Renaissance learning and was designed to complement Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas. These two atlases, both firsts of their type, were in response to a new interest in the nature of the world by the Western European population. This nascent interest was spurred both by the existence of a growing middle class and the relatively new general availability of printed books. This fine print is an excellent example of the content of one of the greatest of these volumes. $450
Nicolas Sanson. "Calabre." 16 1/4 x 22 1/4. 1648. Engraving. Original outline color. Paper time toned. Narrow margin at top. Else, very good condition.
An interesting map of Calabria by 'the father of French cartography,' Nicolas Sanson. Modern cartography is usually thought of beginning with a period dominated by the Dutch school, with such notables as Ortelius, Mercator, Blaeu, and Hondius. This age was followed by a period of dominance by the French school of cartography, the beginning date of which is usually given as 1650, when Nicolas Sanson began publishing his important maps. The importance of Sanson is reflected by the fact that it is with his maps that the center of cartographic publishing and influence shifted from the Low Countries to France. Whereas the Dutch cartographers are known for their fabulous decorations and coloring, the French cartographers, led by Sanson, are known for their pioneering the scientific method of cartography. This map is an attractive and very interesting map. $350
Go to listing of maps by Nicolas Sanson
Georg Matthäus and Albrecht Carl Seutter. "Ducatus Mediolanensis . . ." From Atlas Minor. Augsburg: G.M. Seutter, 1744. 10 1/4 x 7 3/4. Engraving by T.C. Lotter. Original color, with uncolored cartouches as issued. Very good condition.
One from a beautiful group of maps from Georg Matthäus Seutter's Atlas Minor. Seutter entered the cartographic world in 1697 as an apprentice to Johann Baptist Homann, but he soon set up his own flourishing map business in Augsburg. He was so successful that he was appointed as the Geographer to the Imperial Court. His son, Albrecht Carl, joined his father and eventually inherited the business. The maps from this atlas were drawn by the two Seutters and were engraving by Tobias C. Lotter, who later took over the business from Albrecht. These maps, typically of German output, are highly detailed and engraved with a bold hand. Equally strong is the original hand color in the body of the map. The cartouches were left uncolored in order to emphasize the elaborately detailed illustrations for which German maps are especially prized. One of the most decorative and interesting maps of the mid-eighteenth century. $175
Maps by John Cary. London: J. Cary, 1799. 17 7/8 x 20. Engravings. Original hand color. Light creasing at center. Very good condition.
These maps were drawn, engraved and published by John Cary (fl 1769-1836) in London for the 1800 edition of his New Universal Atlas. Amidst the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars, British naval power was rising, and mapmaking as an art and science kept pace. Cary used existing maps and new surveys to provide his clients with the most up-to-date information on all parts of the world. Inaccuracies might be evident, but they reflect the state of knowledge in Western Europe when they were made. Attractive, with interesting information, these are excellent maps of Italy from the beginning of the nineteenth century.
A detailed map of northwest Italy by John Cary (ca. 1754-1835), the founder of the famous English cartographic firm. From about mid-way through the eighteenth century, British cartographers were the best in the world, and the maps produced by Cary are good examples of the quality they achieved. When the Napoleonic Wars ended, the victorious powers met to settle the borders of post-war Europe at the Congress of Vienna, and this map shows the Kingdom of Sardinia as established by the treaty signed the year before this map was issued. Rivers, towns, roads, and other information is clearly presented with very crisp engravings, with an almost three-dimensional topographical appearance. The subtle hand coloring adds a decorative touch to this fine early nineteenth century historic document. $140
Go to page with other maps by John Cary, including regions of Italy
John Thomson. "Naples and Sicily." From A New General Atlas. Edinburgh: J. Thomson, 1817. 23 3/4 x 19 5/8. Engraving by J. & G. Menzies, T. Clerk, or Kirkwood & Son. Original hand color. Some minor staining in margins. Otherwise, very good condition.
One of a striking series of maps showing in large scale many of the governments of Europe. These maps are particularly noted for their exacting details and very strong images. Towns are carefully named and much attention is given to geographical detail. The delicate hand coloring highlights the information given, making the map both easier to read and pleasing to look at. Altogether, a fine example of early 19th-century British cartography. $165
Anthony Finley. "Italy." From A New General Atlas. Philadelphia: A. Finley, 1824. 11 1/4 x 8 5/8. Small folio. Engravings by Young & Delleker. Original full hand coloring. Excellent condition.
In the 1820's, Anthony Finley produced a series of fine atlases in the then leading American cartographic center, Philadelphia. Finley's work is a good example of the quality that American publishers were beginning to obtain. Each map is elegantly presented, with crisp and clear engraving and very attractive pastel hand shading. Topographical and political information is copious, including counties, towns, rivers, roads and so on. Finley was very concerned to depict as up-to-date information as was possible, and thus his maps present an accurate picture of the world in the early decades of the nineteenth century. An excellent series of maps from the nascent American cartographic world. $110
John Cary. "A New Map of the Kingdom of Sardinia."London: J. Cary, 1824. 17 7/8 x 20 1/4. Engravings. Original hand color. Light creasing at center. Very good condition.
Another map from the influential John Cary. Following the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire in 1814, the Italian states were reconstituted under the reign of Austria. $200
Maps by the SDUK. London: SDUK, ca. 1840. 15 1/2 x 12 1/4. Engravings. Original hand outline color. Very good condition.
Detailed and precisely drawn maps of Italy by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK). This wonderful English enterprise was devoted to the spreading of up-to-date information and the enhancing of understanding. These maps of Italy are typical of the Society's output. The Ancient Italy maps include Roman miles and markings of both Forums and Temples along with the usual topographical information.
Three fine maps of portions of Italy from the mid-nineteenth century, showing the continent at an interesting period in its history. Each map is filled with myriad topographical details, including rivers, cities, political borders and indications of major mountains and transportation systems.
An attractive map of Italy and major provinces from A. J. Johnson's mid-nineteenth century atlas of the world. Johnson, who published out of New York City, built a very successful business producing popular atlases, geographies and so on. At the time of publication, Italy was still in the midst of their struggle for independence from foreign rule. It was then decided that four states would be created and ruled under presidency of the pope. The states were Upper Italian Kingdom (Piedmont, Lombardy, Venetia, Parma, and Modena), Kingdom of Central Italy (Tuscany with Umbria and the Marches), Rome, and the Kingdom of Naples. $125
Maps by J.H. Colton. New York: J.H. Colton, 1866. Each ca. 13 x 16. Lithographs. Original hand color. Very good condition, unless noted otherwise.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the center of map publishing in America moved from Philadelphia to New York. The Colton publishing firm played a large role in this shift. These maps of Italy are excellent examples of mid nineteenth century American mapmaking. The regions are represented in contrasting pastel colors and the entire image is finished with a decorative border.
Three crisp, detailed maps from J. Migeon's Géographie Universelle. The maps in this atlas were drawn by Desbuisson and Chartier, "Ingénieurs-Géographes,´ and they were reviewed by Vuillemin, a geographer who was a member of the Société de Géographie de Paris. Thus the maps contain very accurate information, precisely presented. Besides their geographic interest, the maps are quite attractive, with lovely original color and with some containing charming vignettes of the region depicted. While the French did not dominate cartographic publishing in the nineteenth century, as they had done in previous eras, the quality of these images shows that they continued to issue very fine maps.
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