- 31
Ptolemaeus, Claudius
Description
8vo (6 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.; 165 x 108 mm). Title within woodcut side borders, woodcut portrait of Ptolemy viewing the heavens, 60 double-page maps engraved by Giacomo Gastaldi, numerous woodcut diagrams in the text, woodcut printer's device on colophon leaf repeated on last page, decorative woodcut initials; title partially detached and tipped on to front endpaper, a few tiny marginal spots, some marginal soiling and marginal spotting on the maps, place names in Poland/Hungary map highlighted in sienna wash. Contemporary limp vellum, manuscript title on spine, remains of ties. Slipcase.
Literature
Adams P-2234; Alden-Landis 548/31; Burden, North America 16, 17; European Americana 548/32; Harrisse, BAV 285; Mortimer, Italian 404; Nordenskiöld Collection 2:214 Phillips, Atlases 369; Sabin 66502; Shirley, Mapping of the World 87, 88 ; Streeter sale 1:17
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
"the very first atlas of the new world" (Nordenskiöld). The first complete edition in Italian and the first edition of Gastaldi's maps (including the first two copperplate maps devoted to North America), and the first octavo edition of Ptolemy. The translation, including Münster's commentaries, was made by Pierro Andrea Mattioli, the famous botanist and translator of Dioscorides. The only earlier Italian version of Ptolemy was the metrical paraphrase of Berlinghieri, Florence, ca. 1482 (Goff B342). Gastaldi's Ptolemaic maps are based on the the Basel woodcuts of Münster's various editions, but his modern maps are independent of these. They mark the revival of engraving in editions of Ptolemy, this being the first full series of engravings made since the incunable editions of Bologna, Rome, and Florence (Berlinghieri).
"This edition of Ptolemy's Geography was the most comprehensive atlas produced between Martin Waldseemüller's Geographiae of 1513 and the Abraham Ortelius Theatrum of 1570. It was the first to contain regional maps of the American continent. Giocomo Gastaldi had the maps beautifully engraved on copper. This was a turning point, from now on the majority of cartographic works used this medium. As it was a harder material than wood it gave the engraver the ability to render more detail. Born in Villafranca, Piedmont, Gastaldi became Cosmographer to the Venetian Republic, then a powerhouse of commerce and trade. He sought the most up to date geographical information available, and became one of the greatest cartographers of the sixteenth century" (Burden).
Most of the thirty-four maps of the modern world are entirely new, including seven relating to the Americas. Among these is Nueva Hispania tabula nova, showing the Mississippi and Florida area. "[Tierra Nueva] is the first map produced of the east coast. It is among the earliest to relate the discoveries of Jacques Cartier's voyages to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and those of Giovanni di Verrazzano. The latter was exploring for a passage to Asia on behalf of Francis I, the King of France. This was the first French voyage in the waters of North America" (Burden).