Brescia Episcopatus Mediolanum Ducatus

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Original antique copper engraving, uncolored, from the Mercator Atlas, published in Amsterdam, 1632. Depicting Milan & Lombardy, this map is a fine example of 1630s European cartography. Image: 180 by 245mm (7 by 9 inches). An attractive and historically significant 17th-century map for the discerning collector. Gerard Mercator (1512–1594) was a Flemish cartographer and mathematician, celebrated as one of the most influential figures in the history of mapmaking. Born in Rupelmonde, he developed the Mercator projection in 1569—a cylindrical map projection that became the standard for nautical navigation and remains widely used today. His monumental 'Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi' (1595), completed posthumously by his son Rumold, introduced the word 'Atlas' to cartography. Mercator's regional maps of Italy were refined and re-engraved for multiple editions of his atlas throughout the 17th century, offering collectors both scholarly precision and decorative elegance. His maps are held at the Royal Library of Belgium, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and major university collections worldwide. The map shows the area from Metiola (Mezzola) in the north to Castelvetro in the south, from Vespola in the west to the lake Garda in the east. This is the first so-called Cloppenburgh editions which was a competive edition with new engraved maps in a larger format. Most of the maps were engraved by Pieter van den Keere. The Cloppenburgh edition was continued for a couple of years but seems to have been suppressed after 1636.... This is another Cloppenburgh edition, now with Latin text. The maps from the Appendix have been incorporated. The title-page is followed by a dedication to Prince Frederik Hendrik, dated 1632 and signed by Johannes Cloppenburgh. (Koeman Atlantes Neerlandici). A fine example from Mercator Atlas / Cosmographicae Meditationes, Amsterdam, sought after by collectors of antique maps of Italy, antique maps of Milan, and antique copper engraving, uncoloreds for sale. In good condition consistent with age. Light age-toning to the sheet, as expected for a 17th-century engraving. Centerfold as published.

Mercator, Gerard – Milan & Lombardy · Copper Engraving, Uncolored · Mercator Atlas / Cosmographicae Meditationes, Amsterdam · 1632