Lot 79
Virginia Marylandia et Carolina In America Septentrionali Britannorum industria excultae…. By Johann Baptist Homann (1664-1725), c. 1715, 19¾ x 23½ inches. Covering from New York City and Long Island south along the Atlantic Cost as far as modern day Georgia, and as far west as Lake Erie. Elaborate title cartouche shows the map's title and Homann's Privilege centered on an enormous scallop shell and features a number of stylized American Indians trading with European merchants. The wealth of the region is expressed by an abundance of fish, game, and other trade products. A large alligator curls around the scallop shell. This map appeared in various Homann atlases from about 1714 to 1730.
Homann drew this map in support of Virginia Lieutenant-Governor Alexander Spotswood's plan to encourage German immigrants to settle the interior of Virginia with German immigrants. This is the first mapping of Germantown Teutsche Statt on the Rappahanock River and Fort Christanna on the Makharing River. Fort Christanna, which was built in 1714 as a defense against the Indians, also served as the the headquarters of the Virginia Indian Company, which traded with the Indians in the interior. The map includes various cartographic inaccuracies, the most notable of these is the inclusion of Apalache Lacus. This fictional lake, the source of the May River, appeared on maps of this region since the mid 16th century Le Moyne-De Bry map and was popularized by Mercator and Hondius in 1606. It would remain on maps well into the mid 18th century.
Estimated Value $750 - 1,000.
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| Realized $750 |
