The Wardington Copy of Colom's Delightful Atlas of the Low Countries.
A fantastic early-17th-century atlas of the Netherlands and its regions, published in Amsterdam by Jacob Aertsz Colom.
The atlas opens with two general maps of the XVII Provinces before delving into regional maps. At the rear are three plates covering the historical rulers of the Low Countries, such as the Dukes of Brabant, the Forestiers of Flanders, and the Counts of Holland.
Colom's atlas was often published with and without text. There are two known settings of the text, one published in 1635 and one published circa 1660, as identified by its referral to two new churches in Amsterdam. Copies of the maps in atlases were also issued without text until 1696 (like the present volume), according to van der Kroegt.
Jacob Aertsz Colom
Colom was a Dordrecht-born publisher who became a member of the Amsterdam bookseller's guild in 1622. Colom's shift to map publishing rocked the boat in Amsterdam, and his moving to Blaeu's street in 1627 and publishing a pilot guide in 1632 put him on unfriendly terms with the latter.
In addition to his output of a few small atlases, he was also known as a globemaker. Colom produced at least two editions of his atlas of the Netherlands, and his plates were used in several other atlases after his 1673 death.
Provenance
- Mark Dineley, his bookplate on front pastedown.
- Lord Wardington, his bookplate on rear pastedown. With partial heraldic arms of the Middlesbrough Estate and the motto "Pax et Spes." Below are initials reading "WB."
- His sale, Sotheby's London, The Wardington Library: Atlases, Part II, Lot 437, (3,960 GBP).
Mark Dineley
Dineley is known for collaborating with the Hungarian engineer Pál de Király in inventing a submachine gun that he tried to offer the Home Office in 1938, but was rejected as it was determined that there was no need at the time for an additional supply of submachine guns at the time. This decision would come to be heavily regretted a year later.
Collation
[Title]; 2; Engr. no. 1-50.