Blaeu, Johannes.

Folio (550 x 345mm.), Latin text edition, additional engraved allegorical title, printed title with woodcut devices, 23 double-page engraved maps, fine contemporary colour, embellishments heightened in gold, contemporary vellum gilt, [Koeman 1. Bl 56; Van der Krogt 2:601.11]

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A tall copy of this last volume of the Latin text edition of the Atlas Major of 1662. The group of Brazilian maps (originally published by the Blaeus in Caspar Barlaeus's Rerum per Octennium in Brasilia in 1647) shows the fine vignettes after Frans Post in commemoration of the ceded Dutch colonies in Brasil.

Lots 230-235 comprise a collection of individual volumes by Willem Janzsoon Blaeu and his son Johannes - the most widely known cartographical publishers of the seventeenth century - the golden age of Dutch map-making.

Joannes "aimed at the full description of heaven, earth and water" (Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici) and their multi-volume world atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, or Novus Atlas, was published in various editions and languages from 1635 onwards. By 1663 the work had grown to twelve folio volumes. This edition, now with the imposing title Atlas Major, is generally regarded as the pinnacle of atlas publishing.