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Atlases from a Private Swiss Collection
ALLARD, Carel (1648-1709) and Abraham ALLARD (1676-1725)
Atlas Minor sive totius terrarum orbis geographica delineatio; complectens novissimas tabulas. Amsterdam: Abraham Carel, [?1705].
Details
ALLARD, Carel (1648-1709) and Abraham ALLARD (1676-1725)
Atlas Minor sive totius terrarum orbis geographica delineatio; complectens novissimas tabulas. Amsterdam: Abraham Carel, [?1705].
Extremely rare composite atlas, all finely coloured throughout by a contemporary hand and heightened with gold. Born into an Amsterdam family of map sellers, Carel Allard obtained a 15 years’ copyright privilege from the States of Holland and West Friesland in October 1683. With the expiration of this privilege in 1698, Carel applied for renewal using the maps from his Atlas Minor as a sample of his cartographic work. However, the bookseller’s guild assessment was that his maps ‘were made and published long ago, under privilege, by other print- and mapsellers.’ It was also noted that Allard had been charged – both in Amsterdam and most probably at the Frankfurt bookfair – with circulating ‘lewd and scurrilous drawings and prints.’ Therefore, there was a delay while Carel’s case was decided, and it was only in 1699 that his old privilege was renewed, but without extra protection that he had solicited.
This copy was most probably made around 1705 or 1706, as it contains the imprint of Carel’s son’s, Abraham, on letterpress overslips on the titles. By this time Carel’s business was facing a severe downturn, and on 8 March 1706, Carel transferred all his stock to his sons Abraham and Hugo as he fought bankruptcy. In 1708, there were two sales of Allard’s stock of no fewer than 10,000 sheets as well as his copper plates.
Nonetheless, the present work is extremely rare, with only 2 copies traced at auction since the Second World War: Van Gendt 20 Sept1977, lot 17 (engraved title & 53 hand-coloured maps, bound in half cloth) 7,800 Guilders; and Parke Bernet 20 Mar 1951, lot 12 (‘brilliantly colored’ engraved title-page and 199 maps, contemporary vellum gilt; t; price not given) (RBH / ABSA).
Apart from those maps with Allard’s imprint, many others are the product of Visscher, Janssonius, De Wit, Blaeu, Danckerts, Mortier, Schenck, and others. Included among the maps relating to America are: Recentissima Novi Orbis sive Americae Septentrionalis et Meridionalis (in this map the peninsula of California figures as an island); L'Amerique Septentrionale California also appears here as a peninsula; America Borealis by Nicholao Visscher; Terra Nova et Nova Scotia ... by Nicolao Visscher; Neobelgii by Carlos Allard (in the lower part is a vista of the Port of New York with the date 24 August 1673); Virginiae partis Australis et Floridae by Gerardus Valk and Peter Schenk. This is based on a map by Mercator of 1606; Insula San Juan de Puerto Rico by Nicolao Visscher; Brasiliae by Ioanne Blaeu; and Tabula Magellanica by William Blaeu. Koeman I, All 1.
2 volumes, folio (535 x 340mm). Letterpress titles printed in red and black with Abraham Carel’s name added to imprint with printed overslip covering Carel’s name, ‘Tomus I’ printed overslip pasted to title of vol. I, 2 additional engraved titles, one with imprint of Carel Allard, the other with imprint of Abraham Allard, 207 double page engraved plates comprising 3 engraved tables of coats-of-arms, 3 celestial charts, 192 maps and 9 folding maps printed on 2 sheets joined, all finely coloured by a contemporary hand and heightened with gold (I: map of Portugal trimmed at western edge with loss of text in border, map ‘Status et Ducatus Mediolanensis et Parmensis’ and following table of coat-of-arms with very small neatly repaired tears at bottom-right hand corner due to creasing with some loss of image; II: table of coat-of-arms with neat repair at centrefold with minor loss, folding map ‘Slesvicensis Ducatus incolis das Hertzogtum Schleswieg’ with neat repair at centrefold just into image and trimmed at extreme eastern edge just touching image, final map ‘Magellanica’ lightly creased, occasional neat repairs). Contemporary gilt-panelled vellum, central gilt device on cover showing Atlas bearing an armillary sphere within foliate frame (some restoration to spines, re-laced, lightly cleaned).
Atlas Minor sive totius terrarum orbis geographica delineatio; complectens novissimas tabulas. Amsterdam: Abraham Carel, [?1705].
Extremely rare composite atlas, all finely coloured throughout by a contemporary hand and heightened with gold. Born into an Amsterdam family of map sellers, Carel Allard obtained a 15 years’ copyright privilege from the States of Holland and West Friesland in October 1683. With the expiration of this privilege in 1698, Carel applied for renewal using the maps from his Atlas Minor as a sample of his cartographic work. However, the bookseller’s guild assessment was that his maps ‘were made and published long ago, under privilege, by other print- and mapsellers.’ It was also noted that Allard had been charged – both in Amsterdam and most probably at the Frankfurt bookfair – with circulating ‘lewd and scurrilous drawings and prints.’ Therefore, there was a delay while Carel’s case was decided, and it was only in 1699 that his old privilege was renewed, but without extra protection that he had solicited.
This copy was most probably made around 1705 or 1706, as it contains the imprint of Carel’s son’s, Abraham, on letterpress overslips on the titles. By this time Carel’s business was facing a severe downturn, and on 8 March 1706, Carel transferred all his stock to his sons Abraham and Hugo as he fought bankruptcy. In 1708, there were two sales of Allard’s stock of no fewer than 10,000 sheets as well as his copper plates.
Nonetheless, the present work is extremely rare, with only 2 copies traced at auction since the Second World War: Van Gendt 20 Sept1977, lot 17 (engraved title & 53 hand-coloured maps, bound in half cloth) 7,800 Guilders; and Parke Bernet 20 Mar 1951, lot 12 (‘brilliantly colored’ engraved title-page and 199 maps, contemporary vellum gilt; t; price not given) (RBH / ABSA).
Apart from those maps with Allard’s imprint, many others are the product of Visscher, Janssonius, De Wit, Blaeu, Danckerts, Mortier, Schenck, and others. Included among the maps relating to America are: Recentissima Novi Orbis sive Americae Septentrionalis et Meridionalis (in this map the peninsula of California figures as an island); L'Amerique Septentrionale California also appears here as a peninsula; America Borealis by Nicholao Visscher; Terra Nova et Nova Scotia ... by Nicolao Visscher; Neobelgii by Carlos Allard (in the lower part is a vista of the Port of New York with the date 24 August 1673); Virginiae partis Australis et Floridae by Gerardus Valk and Peter Schenk. This is based on a map by Mercator of 1606; Insula San Juan de Puerto Rico by Nicolao Visscher; Brasiliae by Ioanne Blaeu; and Tabula Magellanica by William Blaeu. Koeman I, All 1.
2 volumes, folio (535 x 340mm). Letterpress titles printed in red and black with Abraham Carel’s name added to imprint with printed overslip covering Carel’s name, ‘Tomus I’ printed overslip pasted to title of vol. I, 2 additional engraved titles, one with imprint of Carel Allard, the other with imprint of Abraham Allard, 207 double page engraved plates comprising 3 engraved tables of coats-of-arms, 3 celestial charts, 192 maps and 9 folding maps printed on 2 sheets joined, all finely coloured by a contemporary hand and heightened with gold (I: map of Portugal trimmed at western edge with loss of text in border, map ‘Status et Ducatus Mediolanensis et Parmensis’ and following table of coat-of-arms with very small neatly repaired tears at bottom-right hand corner due to creasing with some loss of image; II: table of coat-of-arms with neat repair at centrefold with minor loss, folding map ‘Slesvicensis Ducatus incolis das Hertzogtum Schleswieg’ with neat repair at centrefold just into image and trimmed at extreme eastern edge just touching image, final map ‘Magellanica’ lightly creased, occasional neat repairs). Contemporary gilt-panelled vellum, central gilt device on cover showing Atlas bearing an armillary sphere within foliate frame (some restoration to spines, re-laced, lightly cleaned).
Brought to you by
Eugenio Donadoni
Senior Specialist, Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts