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1619 MERCATOR Map STEIERMARK STYRIA AUSTRIA GRAZ DRAVA
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1619 MERCATOR Map STEIERMARK STYRIA AUSTRIA GRAZ DRAVA
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Stiria 41.5 x 31 cm copperplate engraving, 53 x 43 cm sheet size, modern hand colour, Amsterdam, engraved in Duisberg circa 1589, printed in Amsterdam 1619 We are pleased to offer this scarce original map of the Steiermark or Styria region of Austria by the renowned Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) . Centred on Graz and bisected by the Drava River, the map also includes part of what is now Slovenia . Mercator's eponymous world map projection, which in the felicitous phrase of his recent biographer Nicholas Crane "reconciled the sp and the plane", combined with his unsurpassed dedication and skill as a cartographer and engraver make him without question the most famous mapmaker of all time. Mercator envisioned his Atlas even before his friend Abraham Ortelius published the first edition of his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum in 1570, thus giving Ortelius the honour of issuing the first published atlas in the modern sense of the word. A true cosmographer, Mercator lacked Ortelius' business acumen and was late to publish, with maps somewhat limited in geographic coverage, and his Atlas never acheived commercial success in his lifetime or under the administration of his sons. This example of the map is from the 1619 French edition of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas published by the heirs of Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612) who purchased Mercator's map plates from his heirs. Fortunately the addition of numerous maps by the Hondius family revived the project and as the Mercator-Hondius Atlas it went on to great success, eventually publishing nearly 50 editions in multiple languages. The pivotal role of Mercator's original plates in this posthumous success should not be overlooked, however. For this French language edition of the Atlas the Hondius firm was still presenting this as the principal map of the region more than thirty years after the plate was engraved. Wonderfully decorative with Mercator's distinctive pictorial topography and "forests", the map is rightly considered one of the most desirable maps of the region ever printed. Title cartouche is presented with elegant strapwork - many of the ornate cartouches employed by Mercator and Ortelius were taken from a series of ornament prints published in the 1560s by the brilliant architect, painter, designer and graphic artist Hans Vredeman de Vries. Note bold depiction of mountains: To get a sense of map detail, consider that the distance from Graz to Bruck an der Mur as seen in the photo below measures just 8 cm actual size: Note elegant calligraphy - Mercator was a master calligrapher and authored an influential treatise on the subject that was the first manual of the italic hand to be published outside Italy: Course of the Drava - Slovenian placenames given in German form. Note Mercator's publishing privilege: The extensive text on verso assembled by the Hondius family from a number of sources is a fascinating document in and of itself. We present brief excerpts in translation below: ...The Styrian peasants are coarse and rude to the point of imbecility, and many are infected with scrofula. Those so afflicted sometimes have growths on their throats that hinders their speech... Ortelius reports that he saw a man at Friesach a man who had a tumor on his throat so large that it stretched from his ears and hung down to his breast. They attribute the cause to the water and air of the region... ...The people of the region along the Drava speak the Slavonic language but most others imitate the Germans in speech, manner and dress... Condition - Please note carefully: M ap is in overall very good condition as can be ascertained from photos, strong impression with distinct platemark, good quality laid paper, superb hand colour work, image area essentially pristine, centrefold as issued. Margin exhibits two conjugate creases to upper margin corners, both reinforced with acid free tape on verso to prevent separation. A small area of separation at centrefold ~ 15 mm exhibits old repair if held to l...
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