MEXIQUE OU NOUVELLE ESPAGNE
£250
Attractive and detailed map of Mexico and Central America up to Costa Rica, southwest Florida, and a tip of Cuba. With many place names and topographical details.
The cartouche depicts a conquistador and two natives on the left, and Neptune riding his chariot along the coastline on the right, and ships in the background.
Finely engraved Strong impression
Excellent hand colour
Very good condition
References: Van der Krogt 4, 63:07; Koeman, Aa7 (180).
From: Nouvel Atlas, très exact et fort commode pour toutes sortes de personnes, Contenant Les Principales cartes géographiques. Leiden, P. Van der Aa, n.d. (1713) (Koeman, Aa7).
code : M4793
Cartographer : Pieter Van Der AA
Date : 1713 Leiden
Size : 23*30.5 cms
availability : Available
Price : £250
Pieter Van Der Aa (1659-1733)
Van Der Aa was a prolific publisher, working in Leiden during the first three decades of the eighteenth century. Much of his output consisted of re-issues and re-engravings of map and view plates that he had acquired from earlier mapmakers. Little of his output was original, though that which is has a very distinct style, precisely and elegantly engraved, and is much sought-after today.
Perhaps his most remarkable publication was the elaborate Galerie Agreable Du Monde, issued in 1729, in 66 parts, bound into 27 volumes, which contained about 3,000 plates, apparently limited to 100 sets. Another of his extensive publications was the Cartes Des Itineraires Et Voyages Modernes, a collection of 28 volumes of travel accounts, illustrated with a series of small, but finely engraved maps, often with decorative pictorial title-pieces.
An interesting feature of Van Der Aa's method is that several of his atlases include maps printed within large, separately engraved, elaborately designed mock-frame borders, which were prepared with a blank centre so that individual maps could be over-printed on that area.
Despite the quantity and variety of Van Der Aa's publications they seem to have had only a limited circulation, and so are now scarce.
