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Description

Fantastic original antique map of the European part of Russia, from the Ural mountains westwards to central Europe. This highly decorative map was first published in London by Emanuel Bowen in the mid-18th century for his A Complete System of Geography.

The map is highly detailed, showing rivers, towns, cities, lakes, and more. Nova Zembla appears in the far north, all of the major roads of the country lead to Moscow, and a compass rose appears in the lower left. Bowen incorporated Russian primary mapping for the interior of the continent and based the more westerly parts of the map on an earlier English map of the region.

This map shows a demarcation line between Russia and Sweden in the middle of Finland as it was after the end of the Russo-Swedish War, in which Sweden ceded back a small amount of territory that it had won in the much earlier Great Northern War.

Emanuel Bowen Biography

Emanuel Bowen (1694?-1767) was a British engraver and print seller. He was most well-known for his atlases and county maps. Although he died in poverty, he was widely acknowledged for his expertise and was appointed as mapmaker to both George II of England and Louis XV of France. His business was carried on by his son, Thomas Bowen. He also trained many apprentices, two of whom became prominent mapmakers, Thomas Kitchin and Thomas Jeffreys.