Tuesday, 15 December 2009

17th Century Map of China Tibet and Mongolia

17th century map of China and Mongolia

Scythia et Tartaria Asiatica - Phillip Cluverius from Cluver's Introductionis en Universum Geographicus circa 1697.

See full details here - Antique map of China and Tibet

An antique map of Great Wall of China, Tartary, and the region from the Caspian East to China, including Tibet, Mongolia and Asian Russia.

Philipp Clüver (1580 - 1622)


Born in Danzig (Gdańsk), in Royal Prussia, a province of the Kingdom of Poland. After spending some time at the Polish court of Sigismund III Vasa, he began the study of law at the University of Leiden (Dutch Republic), but soon he turned his attention to history and geography, which were then taught there by Joseph Scaliger. Clüver received science education from his father, who was Münzmeister at Danzig (coin master), but when Clüver went into different studies, his father stopped supporting his studies.

He then travelled from Leiden across Hungary to Bohemia, where he did military service for a few years. While in Bohemia, he translated into Latin a defence by Baron Popel Lobkowitz, who was imprisoned. Upon his return to Leiden, he faced sanctions by the imperial (Habsburg) authorities for this, which however he could avoid with the help of his Leiden friends. Clüver also travelled in England, Scotland, and France. He did all travel on foot, he finally returning to Leiden, where (after 1616) he received a regular pension from the university.

Clüver was an antiquary, who was given a special appointment at Leiden as geographer and put in charge of the university's library, but his life's project, it developed, was a general study of the geography of Antiquity, based not only on classical literary sources, but — and this was his contribution — supplemented by wide travels and local inspections. He became virtually the founder of historical geography. Clüver's first work, in 1611, concerning the lower reaches of the Rhine and its tribal inhabitants in Roman times, touched a source of national pride among the Seventeen Provinces, for the Dutch were enjoying an eight years' truce in their Eighty Years' War of liberation. Clüver's Germaniae antiquae libri tres (Leiden, 1616) depends on Tacitus and other Latin authors. A volume on the antiquities of Sicily, with notes on Sardinia and Corsica , published at Leiden by Louis Elsevier in 1619, is a useful source, with many reference from writers of Antiquity and maps that are often detached and sold to map collectors.

His Introductio in universam geographiam, totally 6 parts, (published from 1624) became a standard geographical textbook. Clüver was also a prolific a writer on mathematical and theological subjects. He is remembered by collectors and historians of cartography for his edition of Ptolemy's Geographia (based on Mercator's edition of 1578) and for miniature atlases that were reprinted for most of the 17th century. Many of his maps were etched for him by Petrus Bertius.

Other work by Philipp Cluver here

Saturday, 28 November 2009

W.W. Read - Surrey County Cricket Club

Original Vanity Fair Spy Print

Original Spy Cricket Print

Walter William Read, 1888 by LIB.
Born Reigate 1856. Played for Surrey XI at 17. Became Assistant Secretary at the Oval. An all-round sportsman. 'Something in the City'.

'W.W' - Vanity Fair Spy Cricket Print dated 1888 by Libero Prosperi.

To see a full collection Vanity Fair Cricketers  including W. G. Grace click here

Monday, 23 November 2009

Eighteenth century map of Sussex by Emanuel Bowen

[caption id="attachment_98" align="alignnone" width="497" caption="Original Antique Map of Sussex by Emanuel Bowen"][/caption]

From the Large English Atlas by Emanuel Bowen circa 1760. Very decorative and denotes valuable agricultural commercial and political details relating to Sussex.   Beautiful copy of this fascinating map.

See here for full details: 18th century map of the county Sussex by Emanuel Bowen

Condition: Good imprint, later hand colouring, tacked with tape in all corners to a backing board.

Biography:

Emanuel Bowen fl. 1714 -1767

An 18th century map and print seller, who worked in London from about 1714, producing some of the best and attractive maps of the century. A recurring feature of Bowen's work, evident even on the early road maps, was his habit of filling every corner and space of the map with jottings and footnotes, both historical and topographical.

One of his earliest engraved works Britannia Depicta, published in 1720 contained over two hundred road maps together with a miniature county map of each of the counties of England and Wales. It was an unusual feature of the atlas that the maps were engraved on both sides of each page, and this resulted in a handier sized book.

He also issued with John Owen a book of road maps based, as was usual at the time, on Ogilby but again incorporating his own style of historical and heraldic detail.

Inspite of his royal appointments and apparent prosperity he died in poverty and his son, who carried on the business was no more fortunate and died in a Clerkenwell workhouse in 1790.
Other Works by Emanuel Bowen

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Original Golf Cartoons from Punch

Three original golf cartoons from Punch magazine published between 1910 and 1938.

[caption id="attachment_88" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Womens Golf Print from Punch"]Ladies Golf Print from Punch[/caption]

My Lady's Putt by Frank Reynolds dated 1929

View the complete set of Punch golf cartoons here

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Antique Map of Syria

This decorative  eighteenth century map depicts Syria after the death of Alexander the Great was engraved by the little known J. Blundell

[caption id="attachment_83" align="alignnone" width="497" caption="18th century map of Syria"]Eighteenth century map of Syria[/caption]

See other antique maps of the Middle East here

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Antique Maps Website

Antique Maps Online have recently launched a re-designed website featuring over 350 antiquarian maps and antique sea charts.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="456" caption="Thomas Moule Antique Map"][/caption]

This extensive website features antique maps from all over the world, suitable for the serious collector of perhaps personal gifts for men.

Here are a few categories which may be of interest:

Antique County Maps of England and Wales

Old and Historical Maps of the Middle East

Antique Maps of Europe as a Continent

Old and Historical Maps of China and South East Asia

John Speed Antique Maps

Monday, 19 October 2009

Vanity Fair Print - Polo Player

[caption id="attachment_74" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Polo Player - Maj. M. Rimington"]Polo Player - Maj. M. Rimington[/caption]

This original Vanity fair polo print dated 1898 can be viewed and purchased here

Men of the Day 728. Major Michael Rimington.
'He is descended from Edward Longshanks, he is two-and-a-half inches more than six feet, and he was born at Penrith forty years ago. Unusall for a soldier he went to Oxford and took a degree: after rowing in the Keble Eight, playing in its Cricket Eleven an in its football team, jumping hurdles and hunting, and generally behaving athletically. But he did not begin polo till he got to Sandhurst; after which he joined ithe Iniskilling Dragoons in South Africa ..... He is one of our bets polo players and Honorary Secretary of the All-Ireland Polo Club.'

(A full biography is supplied with this print).