170. Mercator, Gerard: Scotiae Regnum

Amsterdam, 1613.
Coloured, copper-engraved map of northern Scotland by Gerard Mercator, based – together with its southern counterpart – on the cartographer’s 1564 wall map. The sheet depicts northern Scotland from Redcastle to the Orkney Islands, including the Hebrides, and forms part of one of the most important representations of Scotland of the period, which – apart from minor modifications – defined Scottish cartography for decades. In 1604, the copperplates were purchased by Jodocus Hondius and Cornelis Claesz and subsequently republished as part of the Atlas sive Cosmographicae. The two-sheet format allowed for a significant increase in the level of topographical and toponymic detail. The composition employs the characteristic techniques of early modern cartography: coastlines are rendered with bold lines, topography with delicate hatching, while the seas are filled with decorative wave patterns. The map field is adorned with an elegant cartouche and calligraphic inscriptions.
Dimensions: 355 × 455 (475 × 585) mm. With marginal staining, larger at the lower edge and somewhat smaller at the upper edge, mostly covered by the passe-partout. Framed.
van der Krogt I.: 5800:1.1.
 
Starting price: 80 000 Ft