Maps with Beautiful Original Outline Color
Nice example of this 18th-century pocket atlas by Brender à Brandis, with fine outline hand color on the maps which are after Gravius, De Lat, Keizer, Guillaume Delisle, and De Leth. Includes 8 world maps, maps of the continents, the European countries, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea area and provincial maps of the Netherlands. At the end are 2 folding distance charts which are also hand-colored.
Published by N. T. Gravius in 1788 in Amsterdam, the Nieuwe Natuur-Geschied- en HandelKundige Zak- en Reis-Atlas represents an ambitious example of a late Enlightenment-era “pocket atlas” designed for the use of travelers and students. Its full title reveals its encyclopedic intent: to provide a concise overview of astronomy, physical geography, natural history, and world commerce. The compact volume includes finely engraved maps and diagrams alongside textual descriptions, combining cartographic utility with educational purpose. This edition reflects the period’s drive to condense global knowledge into portable formats, making it a distinctive artifact of scientific and commercial curiosity on the eve of the modern age.
Several maps relate to America:
- Kaart van de twee platte warelds bollen... Double hemisphere world map. Shows California as an island.
- De Noord Pool...
- De Zuid Pool ...
- De nieuwe en ouden oppervlakke en doorzigtkundige sardryka bollen ... Double hemisphere world map.
Cartographically Themed Engraving as "Bookplate"
Gracing the front pastedown of the present example is a handsome cartographically themed engraving, titled De Reizen ("The Voyages" or "The Travels"), appearing in the place of a bookplate. The image depicts a group of five men collaborating in the study of a large map or chart, which they have spread across a table beneath a classical archway. One figure kneels, opening various bundles, while others examine or discuss the map. The architectural setting opens to a distant landscape, evoking travel and exploration. This visual tableau allegorically represents the Enlightenment-era fascination with exploration, trade, cartography, and the synthesis of global knowledge.
The view is attributed to J. Buys, with the engraving executed by Noach van der Meer, Jun., and published by J. Allart, likely as part of the illustrated edition of C. F. Gellert's Fabelen en vertelsels, in Nederduitsche vaerzen gevolgd (ca. 1780s).
The presence of the map at the center underscores the central role of cartography in 18th-century Netherlands. Dutch mapmakers and publishers were at the forefront of global geographic documentation, and this engraving celebrates the act of mapping as both scientific and collaborative, crossing cultures and continents.
Rarity
While individual maps from this atlas appear in the market with some regularity, examples of the atlas with all the maps present are quite rare, with only 6 such examples in RBH in the last 50 years.