The Wardington copy

Jaillot, Alexis Hubert / Sanson, Nicolas. Atlas nouveau.

€ 280,000.00

A magnificent example of one of the largest and most beautiful world atlases of the 17th century, obviously produced as a presentation copy: the Wardington copy, in particularly fine hand colour. In many cases, the meticulously impressed hand-coloured maps appear to have their titles in proof state or even in manuscript, indicating that this was one of the earliest copies of this work produced by Mortier, perhaps even "Mortier’s first or proof copy" (Wardington Catalogue). There are often faint lines visible which have been used to justify the letters, suggesting the type was just being set, or the cartouche lettering was being drawn up by a calligrapher.

In 1690, the Amsterdam publisher Pieter Mortier obtained from French publishers the privilege to distribute their maps and atlases in Holland. He began re-engraving maps by the French Royal Geographer Alexis Hubert Jaillot (ca. 1632-1712), the partner and successor of the "Father of French cartography", Nicolas Sanson (1600-67). Beginning in 1669, Jaillot re-engraved and re-published Sanson's maps, issuing them individually and in atlases. As the world atlas passed down from Sanson to Jaillot to Mortier, it became more striking and more renowned, partly because of its augmented size, its more creative embellishments, and its higher quality paper.

The contemporary binding here is by the Double Drawer Handle Bindery, a workshop Mortier commissioned to produce bindings for some of his most important works, including his Great Bible. Jan Storm van Leeuwen suggests that Mortier may have had the "Atlas holding up the world" block tool "made especially for this project"; he records at least two other copies of the work in marbled calf bindings with this design. Given the early state of the engravings, manuscript lettering on some cartouches, lovely hand colouring, and special binding, it is possible that this copy was a prototype or exemplar used by the publisher.