NEW SOUTH WALES
AUSTRALIA,
with reindeer and elephant V incenzo Coronelli (1650-1718) was one of Italy’s most illustrious map and globe makers. His prodigious output represents the most complete geographical knowledge of the world in the late 17th century. A member of the Franciscan order and a Doctor of Theology, he was founder of the first geographical society in the world, the Accademia Cosmografica degli Argonauti in 1684. In 1685, he was appointed Cosmographer to the Venetian Republic. He is generally regarded as Italy’s finest mapmaker with his maps noted for their accuracy and for their grandeur, elegance and lyrical nature, so clearly illustrated here. In 1681, Coronelli was commissioned to construct two substantial globes for the reigning Louis XIV. He moved to Paris and completed in two years these remarkable works that combine art and science. The globes are 4.57 m in diameter and weigh approximately 2032 kg. A door in the side of the globes allowed around 30 people to stand inside. The globes are displayed at the Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand in Paris. In 1688, he produced a printed version of the globes measuring 110 cm in diameter. Whereas the earlier globes were drawn and painted by hand these were based on 12 printed gores and separate polar calottes. As
such, they formed the largest printed globes to date. Because of the expense of producing such globes, only nobility and wealthy clients could afford them. In order to appeal to a wider audience, the gores were re-printed in atlas format and appeared first in the 1696-97 Isolario (the second part of Coronelli’s Atlante Veneo) and later in Coronelli’s Libro dei Globi in both the 1693 and 1701 editions. In one edition, the gore representing Australia includes the map itself and at the bottom, a section of the large elaborate and beautifully drawn cartouche of dedication. This continues into the next gore and includes a self-portrait of the artist surrounded by delightful cherubs. Despite his renown and reputation for precision in recording the most current geographic discoveries of the day, Coronelli somewhat wistfully or whimsically added reindeer and an elephant to his vignettes of northern Australia. Did Coronelli, map-maker and artist supremo, perhaps enjoy a relaxed moment of allowing imagination, rather than reality, to run wild?
Above: Vincenzo Coronelli, three gores from Terrestrial Globe including the map of Australia with reindeer and elephant
Right: Vincenzo Coronelli, Asia Divisa – double page of the eastern hemisphere
GOWRIE GALLERIES AUSTRALIA’S FINEST COLLECTION OF RARE AND IMPORTANT ANTIQUE MAPS
GOWRIE GALLERIES PTY LTD 02 4365 6399 maps@sydney.net www.gowrie-galleries.com.au Definitions Calotte, a skullcap, especially worn by priests; thence the caps at the poles of a globe.
Cartouche, a structure or figure, often in the shape of an oval shield or oblong scroll, used as an architectural or graphic ornament or to bear a design or inscription. Gore, one of usually 12 printed sections of a celestial or terrestrial map which when laid to a sphere, join to form a complete globe.
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Coronelli, Isole Dell’ Indie – South-east Asia
Antiques and
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