Ancient Athens Academy and Plato’s Garden Map by Ambroise Tardieu, 1825
€ 330
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1825
Technique
Engraving on paper
Sheet size
24.7 × 19.6 cm (9.7 × 7.7 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14299-12
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Wear consistent with age and use. Good antique condition with general age toning, scattered foxing and occasional small stains and marks. Old mounting or tape residue is visible along the upper margin. Minor wear and discoloration along the sheet edges.
About this sheet
Original antique engraved plan of Plato’s Academy and its surroundings in ancient Athens, engraved by Ambroise Tardieu for the atlas accompanying Jean-Jacques Barthélemy’s celebrated Voyage du jeune Anacharsis en Grèce.
Titled “Plan de l’Académie et de ses Environs,” the map provides a fascinating reconstruction of one of the most important intellectual sites of the ancient world. The Academy of Athens was famously associated with the philosopher Plato, who founded his philosophical school there in the 4th century BC.
The large Jardin de l’Académie occupies the center-left of the map and is represented with an intricate network of paths and planted areas. Nearby the map specifically identifies the “Maison et Jardin de Platon” – the House and Garden of Plato.
Other features include the exterior Kerameikos or Ceramicus, ancient tombs, the Cephissus River, Colonus, roads leading towards Athens and numerous monuments and sacred sites. The lower right shows the approach to the ancient city of Athens and the Dipylon Gate.
A particularly interesting map for collectors of classical Greece, philosophy and the history of Athens, with a strong connection to Plato and the origins of the Western philosophical tradition.
Creator / Engraver: Ambroise Tardieu
Title: Plan de l’Académie et de ses Environs
Publication: Paris
Plate: Pl. 11
Subject: Plato’s Academy, Athens, Ancient Greece
Condition:
Good antique condition with general age toning, scattered foxing and occasional small stains and marks. Old mounting or tape residue is visible along the upper margin. Minor wear and discoloration along the sheet edges. The engraved image remains clear and detailed. Please study the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.
Original antique map. Not a modern reproduction.
Sold unframed. Any framed or interior images shown are for presentation and inspiration only.
