Rare Book Monthly

Articles - May - 2017 Issue

May 9: Maps and Atlases Take Center Stage at Sotheby's London

Highlights from Sotheby's May 9 sale of Travel, Atlases, Maps & Natural History

This month I’ve written three previews of international sales, one of which is Sotheby’s sale of Travel, Atlases, Maps & Natural History on May 9, 2017 in London. One hundred twenty-eight lots are on offer, and maps and atlases threaten to steal the show—Sotheby’s describes the sale as offering “some of the greatest Dutch atlases ever produced.” Nine of the ten highest estimated items are cartographic, and they are indeed extraordinary.

 

Dutch maps and atlases cannot be discussed without the name Blaeu immediarely coming to mind. Three of the auctions top ten items are from Johannes Blaeu, including collaboration with his father on one. Archipelagus Orientalis Sive Asiaticus is a large wall map (158.7cm x 117.4cm) from 1659 by Johannes depicting Southeast Asia and Australia, with inset maps of Borin and the Solomon Islands. This is an extremely rare map in the presented state, which includes an imprint of Blaeu in three languages. Sotheby’s notes that the copy being auctioned is possibly one of two known surviving copies, and that no other records of sale were found during research. The area shown on the map is also an excellent example of Dutch sea power in Asia during the 17th century, containing all discoveries in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. This impressive wall map carries an estimate of £200,000 to £250,000 as lot 93. The following lot, no. 94, is also a 1659 Blaeu wall map of Asia, but one of the main continent (est. £60,000 – 80,000). And following Archipelagus Orientalis Sive Asiaticus in high estimation is a work by Johannes and his father Willem. Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Sive Atlas Novus in Quo Tabulae et Descriptiones Omnium Regionum is a five-volume set of atlases printed beteen 1640 and 1654 with 392 maps total, most of which are double-page. Volume V, containing Scotland and Ireland, is the first separate atlas of Scotland ever produced. The name Blaeu is renowned for the maps associated, and these atlases are superb examples. The five-volume set is estimated £100,000 to £150,000 as lot 24.

 

Continuing in the theme of “some of the greatest Dutch atlases ever produced,” lot 25 is a work begun by the Flemmish map maestro Gerard Mercator, and completed by Flemish and Dutch cartographer and engraver Jodocus Hondius (the elder). Hondius is well known for helping to redeem the reputation of Mercator, and the item in question, l'Atlas ou Méditations Cosmographiques de la Fabrique du Monde et Figure Diceluy, certainly played a role. Work was started by Mercator in 1595, and in 1604 Hondius bought his plates. Two years later, the first Amsterdam edition of the Mercator atlas was published. The edition being offered at Sotheby’s is the second French text edition (1613), and the first French edition to be published after Hondius’ death the preceding year. The work of Mercator is exceeding desirable today as he is universally regarded as a titan of cartography—we have him to thank for the usage of “atlas,” and his 1595 work was the first collection of maps to carry the name. An estimate of £60,000 to £80,000

 

There are many other maps worth discussing, and collectors with the income to bid on top items will undoubtedly already be aware of Sotheby’s offering. A rare hand-colored copy of John Speed’s The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain and Prospect, as well as two maps of China are among some of these maps of note.

Also related to China is lot 128, being John Thomson’s Illustrations of China And Its People. A Series of Two Hundred Photographs, with Letterpress Descriptions of the Places and People Represented. Thomson was the first known photographer to document the people and land of China for publication in the west. This first edition from 1873-1874 contains 96 plates (some with multiple photos) and is one of the most detailed and thorough photographic documentations of 19th century China. Of his work and goal, Thomson writes in the introduction:

My design in the accompanying work is to present a series of pictures of China and its people, such as shall convey an accurate impression of the country I traversed as well as the arts, usages, and manners which prevail in different provinces of the Empire. With this intention I made the camera the constant companion of my wanderings, and to it I am indebted for the faithful representation of the scenes I visited and the types of races I came into contact.

Thomsom’s work is estimated £20,000 to £30,000.

 

Shifting gears for a last time, lot 20 is Thomas Uwins’ A Collection of 240 Drawings of Costume Designs for Rudolph Ackermann’s Repository of Arts Magazine. Bound in three volumes, these are not prints, but the original drawings in pencil with watercolor. For collectors of fashion history, these drawings are unique and influenced western fashion during the early 19th century. Uwins’ work for Ackermann is also estimated £20,000 to £30,000.

 

The sale’s catalog can be viewed on Sotheby’s website here.

 

Sotheby’s sale of Travel, Atlases, Maps & Natural History takes place May 9, 2017 in London at 2 pm British summer time. Exhibition times are the following:

  • Fri, 05 May 17 | 09:00 AM - 04:30 PM BST
  • Sat, 06 May 17 | 12:00 PM - 05:00 PM BST
  • Sun, 07 May 17 | 12:00 PM - 05:00 PM BST
  • Mon, 08 May 17 | 09:00 AM - 04:30 PM BST

 

Bidding is available through the normal means: live in person, absentee, telephone, and online. Logging in with an existing account or registering with Sotheby’s is required.

 

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.

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