Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - August - 2005 Issue
Ancient Maps From Martyan Lan
This 1579 map displayed Holland and Belgium as a lion.
Item 29 is an exciting map compilation for American Civil War collectors. It is a bound group of five birds-eye views of the South from 1861. Artist J. Bachmann describes the maps as "drawn from nature," a phrase whose meaning is unclear as the views look to be taken from heights requiring an airplane. Possibly Bachmann sketched these maps from a balloon, as nothing else in that era could have achieved such a view. These images, which are something of a cross between traditional maps and high altitude images, were unprecedented in their time. The five maps cover the various Deep South states, the border states of Kentucky and Tennessee, and go as far north as Maryland and Delaware. One of these maps is displayed on the cover of this catalogue (see image on page 1). $30,000.
Item 5 is an Ortelius map of the world from the 1570s. It is certainly not bad for the knowledge of the time. However, the mapmaker has chosen to fill in areas that were not yet explored. The northwestern part of North America is far more extensive than it turned out to be and South America was still shaped like a potato. Another addition was a vast southern continent, spanning the globe and extending as far north as the southern tips of Australia, South America, and almost to the Indonesian archipelago. It would not be until late in the 18th century that theories of this vast continent would finally be laid to rest. $8,500.
Item 16 is the first and only edition of a Venetian map of the northeastern portion of North America. It is a struggle to recognize this area from a map that was based on a letter from explorer Verrazano. The northern portion, perhaps today's Newfoundland, is called the "Island of the Demons." Like most of the names on this map, that one didn't stick. $10,500.
Item 1 is a most spectacular map. It is a 1579 map of Holland and Belgium in which those lands have been transformed into the shape of a lion (see the image on this page). Martayan Lan believes this may reflect certain conflicting emotions by the mapmaker. This area of Europe was under Spanish domination at the time, and he may well have been attempting to display strength to the local population, and the will to overthrow the interlopers. However, such a call would have been dangerous, which may explain his caution that the land was displayed in this lionized form simply because it was a convenient visual aid, and that the map would be found truthful by all parties. $20,000.
Martayan Lan may be found online at www.martayanlan.com or reached by phone at 800-423-3741.
