Antique Map of Spain and Portugal by Philip Smith, Balearic Islands, 1858
€ 140
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1858
Mapmaker / artist
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge; by Philip Smith; engraved by J. & C. Walker
Publisher
Edward Stanford, London
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Hand colored
Sheet size
35.5 × 44 cm (14.0 × 17.3 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14227-1-12
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
Light handling wear to the bottom left and top right corners; minor nicks along the bottom edge. Light, uneven toning, slightly darker toward the edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. A center fold, as issued.
About this sheet
This is an original antique map of the Iberian Peninsula, a steel engraving colored by hand, titled "SPAIN AND PORTUGAL". It shows the Spanish provinces, among them Galicia, Asturias, Castilla Vieja, Castilla Nueva, Aragón, Cataluña, Valencia, Murcia and Andalucía, together with Portugal, with the Pyrenees and southern France to the north and the Strait of Gibraltar and a strip of Africa at Ceuta to the south. The Balearic Islands are drawn at right with Mallorca, Menorca, Iviza and Formentera. The provincial borders are outlined in color, with a pale blue wash along the coasts.
The title cartouche at lower right reads "By Philip Smith Univ. Coll. London." and "Published under the Superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge", followed by a list of abbreviations including "C. Cape. I. Island. M. Mount. R. River." and "T. Tower. (Ru) Ruins." Five scales follow: "Spanish Leagues 16,4 = 1 Degree", "Castilian Leas. 26,2 = 1 Degree", "Portuguese Leas. 18 = 1 Degree", "French Post Leas. 25 = 1 Degree" and "British Miles 69,0 = 1 Degree". Below the border are the imprint "London, Edward Stanford 6 Charing Cross." and the engraver's line "J. & C. Walker. Sculpt.", with the plate number "12." above the upper right corner.
The plate comes from The Harrow Atlas of Modern Geography, published in London in 1858 by Edward Stanford of 6 Charing Cross and sold at Harrow by Crossley and Clarke, booksellers to Harrow School. Its maps were selected from those of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, founded in London in 1826, which issued its series of maps in parts from 1829 until the Society was wound up in 1848. Edward Stanford later issued the maps under his own imprint, as this sheet shows. On this sheet Andorra is lettered in the Pyrenees, Gibraltar is marked at the Strait, and the islands carry both Spanish and English names, as "MALLORCA (MAJORCA)" and "MENORCA (MINORCA)".
The landscape format and the five comparative scales suit a frame wide enough to show the whole peninsula.
This is an original antique map, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
