1727 – A. de la Mottraye – Charon, Ferryman of the Dead

Title:                      “Charon Rudbechii” ​ Description: Rare and very decorative map of Scandinavia by Samuel Parker, covering all of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland along with parts of modern day Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The map includes three inset maps of the environs of Gothenburg, Fredrikstad and an anthropomorphic map of the Baltic Sea as Charon, the mythological ferryman of the dead, after Olof Rudbeck. The sea is rendered as a cloaked and bearded figure holding an oar, his form composed of the coastal outlines. This allegorical inset serves both as an emblem of the North’s mythic character and as a reflection of Swedish nationalistic science and cosmography during the Age of Greatness. The map is dedicated to John Carteret – ambassador to Sweden from Hanoverian Britain. Comes from Aubry de la Mottraye’s book “Voyages du Sr. A. de la Motraye en Europe, Asie et Afrique. T. 2 / , où l’on trouve une grande variété de recherches géographiques, historiques et politiques… des remarques instructives sur les moeurs… des peuples… des relations fidèlles des événemens considérables arrivées [sic] pendant plus de 26 années… employées dans ses voyages, comme de la révolution en Turquie…”, published by T. Johnson and J. Van Duren in the Hague, 1727. Publisher:           Aubry de la Mottraye (1674 – 1743) Sheet size:          41,2 x 38,1 cm Date:​                    1727 Technique:         copper engraving Condition: Good, original condition. Wide margins. Folds as published. ​ This is an original antique map published circa 1727 and NOT a modern copy or reprint   On your request I will provide a Certificate of Authenticity