Mare del Nord
Engraving from the Atlante Veneto
Vincenzo Maria Coronelli ~Cosmographer to the Venetian Republic
Venice
Circa 1691
V.M.Coronelli (1650-1718) was a Franciscan priest who became a renowned mathematician and cartographer. In 1685 he was appointed the official Cosmographer to the Venetian Republic and within a short time had founded the world’s first geographical society, L’Accademia Cosmogrifica degli Argonauti. Coronelli is best known today for the magnificent globes which he constructed for such clients as the Louis XIV, the Duke of Parma and the only complete pair in North America, now at the Library of Congress.
This map first appeared in his atlas the Atlante Veneto in 1691. An annotation at the top of the map attributes the discovery of America to Antonio Zena – a Venetian nobleman – who claimed to have traveled to North America around 1390. This claim achieved some degree of acceptance during Coronelli’s era but is considered spurious by modern historians. More importantly, this map provided an extremely detailed depiction of the coast of eastern North America and the northeastern coast of South America with numerous rivers, bays and settlements identified. The ornate, decorative cartouche is characteristic of Coronelli’s style and contributes to the overall decorative appeal of this historically significant map by the master Italian cartographer.
This map is in excellent condition and is framed to conservation standards in a fine old gilt frame.
Price: $3,650.
