Cabinet of Discoveries

MAT002
Van Diemen’s Land

285 x 227mm (11 x 9 in) Engraving, fine impression with original hand colour. Mint condition (in acid free mount) $275.00

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AT001
Cape Pillar near the entrance of the River Derwent, Van Diemens Land

By Joseph Lycett from Views in Australia or New South Wales and Van Diemens Land Delineated, in Fifty Views with Descriptive Letter Press, London, 1825

Lycett (c1775-1828) is one of the earliest artists to depict Australian subjects. He was convicted of forgery in 1811 and sentenced to 14 years transportation to New South Wales.

He arrived in Sydney in 1814 where he soon re-offended. However his artistic ability was a skill in demand in the young colony: he was assigned to work as an artist and had Governor Lachlan MacQuarie as patron. His most famous work, from which this print comes, was produced in England, shortly after his return in 1822.

230 x 320mm (9x12½ in) Engraving with original hand colour; excellent condition, in acid free mount. $900.00 SOLD

The descriptions provided include all the information known to us.

The dates we provide are the dates at which we believe the print was produced. So if it is 1650, that means we believe the paper was made and the printing took place about 350 years ago.

We do not sell modern reproductions. Where we believe an item is a later reissue (that is to say a later re-use of an older plate), we say so. The dates on some items are only approximate where we have not been able to establish the exact year. Where we are unsure within 5-10 years or more we use c as an abbreviation for circa = around. So c1850 means ‘around the middle of the 19th Century’

Original period colour means we believe the map or print was hand coloured within a few years of being printed. In most cases this means it was hand coloured in the publishing house prior to being issued.

Hand coloured means we believe the hand colouring was applied some time after the print or map was issued. In most cases this will have been done recently, often by print dealers.

Annotation in an old hand means someone has written something in ink in the margin or elsewhere on the map. The faded ink and the style of handwriting indicates that this was done a long time — often centuries — ago. Such annotations by previous owners of maps add to their interest.

Measurements are height x width, in millimetres and inches.

We are meticulous about the condition of our prints and maps. Because of the age of the maps and prints we sell, most of them show some signs of the passing years and the use that has been made of them. Such items are rarely in perfect condition. We try to list all blemishes and use the following terms severely for the overall condition.

Mint means “Looking as if it was produced yesterday”

Excellent means “Clean and crisp with no tears or discolouration or folds other than the centrefold for atlas maps. Colour, if present, is vibrant. There may however be a few very minor imperfections, as described.”

Very good means “Appearance very attractive, but with some signs of handling, such as a few unobtrusive spots, folds or minor surface dirt. Outer edges may show signs of wear. The centrefold on maps may be party separated. Colour while still attractive may be a little faded or less skilfully applied.”

Good means “Showing somewhat more signs of use and possibly fading. May have been skilfully repaired or have other blemishes but still very attractive overall.”

Ordinary means “ Showing its age and the rough handling it has suffered . ” We do not normally offer maps and prints in this condition, unless their scarcity or beauty makes them still attractive to collectors. We describe the faults in detail.

See also Printmaking Terms

Here is an explanation of some of the terms used on this website with which you may not be familiar:

ARTIST – The person who made the original drawing. The abbreviation del or delin (for the Latin delineavit) means that the original drawing was made by the artist whose name precedes it.

The Latin word fecit (sometimes abbreviated to ‘ec. or f and meaning ‘made it’ ) after a name identifies the person who did the drawing and may imply that this artist also did the engraving.

CARTOGRAPHER – A mapmaker. Famous mapmakers include Mercator, Ortelius, Blaeu, Delisle, Coronelli, Arrowsmith, Carey and so on.

CARTOUCHE – The often highly decorative title panel on a map. May also contain scale, dedications, etc.

CELESTIAL – Showing stars and constellations.

CHART – A map of the sea, often showing land only as the coastline. A ‘map’ of the night sky is called a celestial chart.

COMPASS ROSE – Frequently a beautiful object in itself. Shows compass points.

CONDITION – The condition of a map of print depends on such factors as whether it is clean, whether the colour is bright or faded, whether there is any damage or repairs, etc.

ENGRAVER – A specialist craftsman who transfers the artist’s drawing onto the metal (or other base) plate for printing. His or her name sometimes appears at the bottom of the print followed by the Latin words sculpsit (or ‘sculp’ or ‘sc’ ).

GLOBE – A sphere that serves as a model of the earth or the heavens. Often made in pairs, one celestial and one terrestrial. Usually made of wood or another substance on which printed map sections are fixed.

GLOBE GORES – Printed lens-shaped sections of map designed to cover a globe.

IMPRESSION – The result of the printing process. A good impression is clear, even and clean. A worn printing plate will give a less good impression and the print will be less valuable.

INSET – A smaller map, plan, vignette or table set into the main map.

PLANISPHERE – A world map with the sphere spread out as a rectangle; as contrasted with a world map shown as two hemispheres.

PLATE – The wood, copper, steel or lithographic base on which the image is engraved or drawn. “Signed (or dated) in the plate” means that the signature or date was engraved in the plate.

PLATE MARK – The indentation left around the edge of the map or print from the pressure of the metal plate on the paper as the image was printed. (See ‘How Prints are Made’ ).

RE-ISSUE – A print from an old plate, taken some years after its first use, sometimes by another publisher in his or her own name. The plate may have been re-engraved.

REPRODUCTION – A copy, usually modern and usually made by a different process from that used to make the original. With practice you will see that reproductions have a very different and less attractive texture and appearance from genuinely antique prints and maps. Most reproductions are very cheap and have no resale value. There do exist high quality reproductions of some antique prints; but we do not stock them.

RHUMB-LINES – Compass lines on charts used to plan the course of ships.

STATE – The first state of a print is the one originally issued. Subsequent states (second, third etc) are prints made from plates where the original image has been altered by the artist. Rembrandt is perhaps the most notable example of an artist whose prints were issued in several states.

VIGNETTE – A small inset view or picture. Perhaps the best known are those on maps by Tallis in the 19th century.

WATERMARK – A trade-mark and/or date incorporated into the paper when it was made. The watermark is normally visible when the paper is held up to the light. Not all early paper was made with a watermark.
 

All prices are in US dollars. If you want to convert them to other currencies, use the universal currency calculator

Our prices include registered postage, packing insurance and all applicable Australian taxes.
 
Buyers with Australian bank accounts can also pay us by cheque or bank transfer.

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If not happy with your purchase you may return it within 7 days of receipt for a full refund of your purchase price (that is not including the cost of return postage), provided the items are in their original wrapping and in the same condition as received.

Beyond that, if at any time a mutually agreed expert (eg, from a museum, university or public library) says that the items are not as we have described them, again your purchase price will be refunded in exchange for return of the goods in the same condition as we supplied them.

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All our prints and maps are shipped in appropriate protective packing, by registered post, and are insured. All these costs are included in the purchase price.
 
Large maps and prints are usually rolled in a strong, wide diameter cardboard tube. If you would like them packed flat, please tell us at the time of purchase. There may be an additional charge.
 
As we ship from Australia, please allow up to ten days transit time.

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MAS004 Nouvelle Carte des Mers Comprises entre le Détroit de Banca et P(oul)o Timon, avec la partie Orientale de Détroit de Malac.

By de la Haye (signed in the plate) and from the “Neptune Orientale” by Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas-Denis d’Aprés de Maneveillette. There were a succession of editions of this collection of sea charts from 1745 to 1781. The Straits of Malacca, with Singapore (“Saincapour” ), the Riau Islands, most of Banca and parts of the coasts of Sumatra and Malaya. Inset of the anchorage of Poulo Timon. The geography closely resembles that of Bellin’s more common 1755 map of the same region.

487 x 660 mm(19¼ x 26 in) Early hand-colour. Mint condition. Fine impression on thick paper. $2750.00

Detail below:

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MME002
Tabula Asiae VI From the “Geographia” of Sebastian Munster, is based on the work of Claudius Ptolemy (c150 AD).

This book was first published in 1540 but this map is more likely from an edition from later in the 1500s. The Arabian Peninsula and straits of Hormuz. There is a pert mermaid in the sea and a cartouche with a list of the peoples of “Arabia Felix”. On verso, a descriptive text with the location of the towns of “Arabia Felix” and “Carmania “ (modern Kerman in Iran), surrounded by an elaborate woodblock frame with shields and figures holding geographical instruments.

254 x 343 mm (10 x 13½ in) Good condition. Some signs of wear on the block and discoloration along the centrefold. Glorious period colour. The Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean are verdigris (blue-green “copper flowers’ ) and the Red Sea is red. Many small islands are gold. This much sought map is very rarely found in 450 year old colour. $1850.00

MAS008 Les Isles de la Sonde, entre lesquelles sont Sumatra, Java, Borneo, etc, Les Isles Molucques, Celebes, Gilolo etc

By Nicolas Sanson d’Abbeville. Dusauzet edition 1734-38

Two maps together covering the East Indies to West New Guinea, including part of Malayan peninsula, with insets of Banda, Bachian and the Spice Islands Each map

190 x 247 mm (7 ½ x 9 ¾ in) Bright original colour. Very good condition. $700.00

MAS007 Zweiter Theil der Karte von Asien, welcher China, einen Thiel der Tartarei, Indien yenseits des Ganges, die Inseln Sumatra, Iava, Borneo, Moluken, Philippinen, und Iapon enthaelt.

By Franz Anton Schraembl. Dated 1786 in the plate. From his large and spectacular “Allgemeiner deutscher Atlas aller Länder”, Vienna 1786-94

He acknowledges a debt to d’Anville but provides fuller geographical information Two vast sheet maps covering all of East Asia from the mouth of the Ganges to West New Guinea and from Tartary and Korea to Timor.

Each map 478 x 675 mm (18 ¾ x 26 ½ in) Original outline colour. Excellent condition except for signs of handling in lower right hand corner of outer margin and an unobtrusive fold along left hand border of one map. $1200.00

MAS003 Insulae Baly

Four maps from separate plates on one sheet showing: 1. The anchorage at Amboina (with ships), 2. the Island of Bali, 3. Banda Island , and 4. Java and adjoining islands. With Latin descriptions of the islands on the reverse. By Metellus

1601 219 x 344 mm (8½ x 131/2 in) Uncoloured. Condition good. The folds apparent in the photo (on the map of Amboina) are not conspicuous. Mulberry paper repair to centerfold, and to outer edge of the bottom right hand corner of the map of Banda. An extremely rare map. SOLD

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