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Rare American Wall Map of the Holy Land and Egypt -- Not in Laor

Rare American edition of this iconic map of the Promised Land, extending from the Red Sea, Mecca and the Nile River on the right side of the map to Damascus and Sidon on the left side, centered on Jerusalem.

The map shows the Holy Land, the Sinai and the Nile Delta, projected from the East as is often the case but with the Egyptian coast "stretched" to eliminate its western turn. The image is adorned with depictions of villages, towns and fortresses in "bird's-eye perspective" and hundreds of tiny vignettes depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Of further interest are an inset view of the Temple of Solomon, a large inset plan of Jerusalem (its format hearkening back to Visscher's 17th-century plan) and an even larger bird's-eye view of the city, as well as 14 larger vignettes depicting central moments of the Old Testament narrative.

Haines map is the final version of one of the most image rich maps of the Holy Land. The basic model for the map was conceived in Amsterdam nearly 200 years earlier. The map presents a bird's eye view style perspective, providing an image of the Holy Land as known to the Ancients, from Damascus and Southern Lebanon to Cairo and the Red Sea.

The map provides a remarkable composite of Old and New Testament stories, with pictorial vignettes coupled with references from the Bible.

In the upper center appears a prominent depiction of Jerusalem, derived from Claes Jansz Visscher's famous map of the city, Die Heylige en Wytvermaerde Stadt Ierusalem (circa 1640), with 35 key sites numbered to its left. At the right corner, "A Prospect of Jerusalem" is shown, along with a view of "The Temple of Solomon."

The first America edition of the map was engraved and published in 1823 in Philadelphia by Thomas W. Duffield, a lawyer from Frankford, Pennsylvania. This second edition, was engraved by D. Haines, who worked as an engraver for J.H. Young and S. Augustus Mitchell of Philadelphia.

History of The Map Image

The original prototype for this map seems to have been van Doetechum's 1641 Niewe Caertees das Lants von Beloften ende (Nebenzahl, Holy Land, pp. 120-124, English versions of which were issued by Overton (ca. 1717), Sayer (ca. 1752), Cluer Dicey (ca. 1765), G. Thompson (1795) and others throughout the 18th century. The first American edition was published by Thomas Duffield's map in Philadelphia in 1823 and by re-issued by D. Haines in 1828.

Rarity

We are aware of only two institutional examples (Buffalo & Erie Country Public Library and the Harold Osher Collection) and only two sales records (High Ridge Books, 1992 and Heritage MM, 1996). Furthermore, we note only 1 example of the 1823 Duffield edition (Boston Public Library).

We previously offered the map for sale in 2016.

Provenance:  Leonard & Juliet Rothman Collection (Purchased from Heritage MM, 1996).