This is a rare opportunity to acquire an original antique Globe Gore of India and parts of the Middle East& Persia by Vincenzo Coronelli published in his 1696 edition of Isolario dell' Atlante Veneto.
The copper-plates for these gores were originally engraved by Coronelli for the construction of the large 42in (110cm) terrestrial globe.
Coronelli published 2 different globe gore atlases, the 1693 edition of Libero dei Globi and the 1696 edition of Isolario dell' Atlante Veneto. The difference being the inclusion of Latin text to the latter publication.

Background: In the early 1680’s Vincenzo Coronelli constructed two vast 15ft diameter terrestrial & celestial globes for Louis XIV of France. These were meticulously hand drawn & engraved. Such was the admiration of these Globes that in 1688 Coronelli began the engraving & publication of Globe Gores for the construction of two 110cm (42in) terrestrial & celestial globes.
Coronellis claim to have produced the best globes of any age was exemplified by the high demand and purchase of the globes by various institutions & cities within Europe. Yet many scholars still did not have the opportunity to visit Paris, London, Rome or Venice to view them and so Coronelli devised his famous atlas Libero dei Globi the first atlas of globe gores ever produced. The Libro formed part of a great series of atlases by Coronelli, the Atlante Veneto, in which Coronelli was able to combine the two cartographic art forms in which he excelled, maps & globes.
The engraving of the gores was of the highest standard with neat contrasting lettering and five large cartouches of a singular grace and elegance. One cartouche situated below Australia carries a portrait of the author and Pope Alexander VI.
Some of the more interesting features contained within the Gores are the recording of recent French explorations in North America, such as La Salles journey to the mouth of the Mississippi in 1681-87 & the French possessions within North America. Elsewhere the Caspian Sea is drawn closer to its modern shape, the Nile in Africa is shown without its fictitious source and the Blue Nile is shown correctly from a large lake in Ethiopia. The tracks of Le Maire crossing of the Pacific in 1616 are marked, as is the voyage of Chaumont to Siam in 1685-6. There are an unusual number of legends, all explanatory and informative along with many vignettes of ships and fishing scenes throughout the globe.

Coronelli was one of the finest engravers & cartographers of any era, producing some of the most stunning work ever seen. These Globe Gores are no exception. Coronelli was a master craftsman with an eye for detail. You can feel the uncompromising accuracy & passion in his work when you study his maps & globes.
These globe gores are scarce, with only a few sales records from the last 25 years. Similarly there is very little choice currently on the market. This scarcity ensures ongoing value and future appreciation.

Libero dei Globi & Isolario dell' Atlante Veneto- discrepancies: Over the years there has been confusion as to why there are differences of cartographic information to some gores published in Libero dei Globi & Isolario dell' Atlante Veneto. The answer I believe is simple.
Each of the original 1688 copper-plates measured approximately 25 1/2in (650mm) in length from polar calotte to equator. The total length of the paper for Libero dei Globi & Isolario dell' Atlante Veneto was 19 1/2in (495mm). So rather than go through the expensive exercise of re-engraving the copper-plates to a reduced size Coronelli masked about 6 1/2 - 7in in (165 - 175mm) of each copper-plate so it would fit onto the atlas page. 
It is not known why, either by fate or design, but in different editions of Libero dei Globi & Isolario dell' Atlante Veneto the plates were masked at the top of the plate and others the plate was masked at the bottom. This meant that either cartographic data was lost from the equatorial regions or from the Polar regions. The masking also meant that a plate-mark is only evident on three sides of the the gores, a unique way of establishing originality. I tend to believe that the change in masking was deliberate for obvious reasons.
To illustrate the point examine the two gores below. Both are from the same copper-plate The one on the right is masked at the pole with no plate-mark at the top and the other masked at equator again with no plate-mark at the bottom. You therefore have the complete original 1688 globe gore in two. 

         
    click images to enlarge

This has led to much confusion in the past, as we have very little background information on Coronelli's printing methods in regards to the gores.
(Ref: Shirley 538; Tooley; Dr. Helen Wallis The Map Collector Dec 1980; Armao, Ermanno. Vincenzo Coronelli Cenni sull'uomo e la sua Vita Catalogo... Bibliopolis, Florence pp.130-134)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - white
Age of map color: - Early 
Colors used: -  Green, yellow, pink, red
General color appearance: - Fresh
Paper size: - 19 1/2in x 14in (495mm x 355mm)
Plate size: - 11 1/2in x 11in (295mm x 280mm) 
Margins: - min. 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

If you wish to discuss this or any other item
please email or call - good luck, Simon.
Classical Images
61 (0) 409 551910 Tel
simon@classicalimages.com

42007