Subject: Persia - Iran
Period: 1676 (circa)
Publication: A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World
Color: Hand Color
Size:
20.2 x 15.6 inches
51.3 x 39.6 cm
A stunning carte-a-figures map of the Persian empire. The vignettes of Isfahan, Hormuz, Tabris, and Tehran flank the title cartouche. The side panels illustrate the social hierarchy of Persian society with superb illustrations of a nobleman, a citizen, a countryman, and a Turk with their respective female partners. The map is filled with scores of place names, details of the Persian Gulf, and charming pictorial detail of topography and cities. The Caspian Sea is given a horizontal oval shape with a note that "it is said to aboud with great plentye of fishes." The English text on the verso has a description of the region, people and history as seen through eyes of a Jacobian English historian. Engraved by Abraham Goos. The imprint of Bassett and Chiswell appears above the distance scale.
References: Shirley (BL Atlases) T.SPE-2f.
Condition: A
A clean and bright example with a sharp impression on watermarked paper. There are a couple of printer's creases adjacent to centerfold and a few tiny holes only visible when held to light. There are professional repairs to some chips and short tears confined to blank margins.