Antique Plan of Lisbon with Environs Inset and Panorama, 1847
€ 940
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1847
Mapmaker / artist
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
Publisher
Charles Knight and Co., 22 Ludgate Street, London
Technique
Steel Engraving
Coloring
Original hand color
Sheet size
35 × 43 cm (13.8 × 16.9 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14487-1-22
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 uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the bottom, left and right edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. All four corners complete.
About this sheet
This is an original antique city plan of Lisbon, steel engraved and published in the atlas of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. The plan shows the city above the Tagus, with Pombal's regular Baixa grid laid out between the Rossio and the Praca do Comercio where the earthquake of 1755 had cleared the ground, and the older quarters climbing the hills on either side. An inset gives the environs of Lisbon and a long panorama of the city from the Quinta das Tourinhas at Val de Bemfica runs across the sheet. The outline and water coloring is original hand color, applied by the publisher before the sheet was bound into the volume.
This is plate number 183 from the third volume of the atlas of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Plans of Cities, Stars and Index to Places, issued in London by Charles Knight in 1847. The Society's city plans were drawn from the best local surveys the editors could obtain and were corrected for each new edition, which is why they are still used as evidence of what a city looked like. The plate is lettered as drawn by W. B. Clarke and engraved and printed by J. Henshall.
This is the rebuilt Lisbon of the enlightenment, drawn clearly enough that the difference between Pombal's planned center and the surviving medieval tangle around it is obvious at a glance. Portuguese plans are among the harder sheets to find in this series and the panorama makes this one especially decorative. Framed simply in dark wood or a plain gilt frame it suits a study, a hallway or a dining room, and it is a natural gift for anyone with a tie to the place.
Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the bottom, left and right edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. All four corners complete.
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.
