Adina Sommer
Antique and Contemporary Art
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Adina Sommer`s Rare Antique Maps and Contemporary Art
Die Meerenge zu Waigats, Detroit de Waigats
| Article ID | EUO2537 |
| Artist | Mallet (1630-1706) |
| Alain Manesson Mallet (1630- 1706 ) was a French cartographer and engineer. He started his career as a soldier in the army of Louis XIV, became a Sergeant-Major in the artillery and an Inspector of Fortifications. He also served under the King of Portugal, before returning to France, and his appointment to the court of Louis XIV. His military engineering and mathematical background led to his position teaching mathematics at court. His major publications were Description de L'Univers (1683) in 5 volumes, and Les Travaux de Mars ou l'Art de la Guerre (1684) in 3 volumes. His Description de L'Universe contains a wide variety of information, including star maps, maps of the ancient and modern world, and a synopsis of the customs, religion and government of the many nations included in his text. It has been suggested that his background as a teacher led to his being concerned with entertaining his readers. This concern manifested itself in the charming harbor scenes and rural landscapes that he included beneath his description of astronomical concepts and diagrams. Mallet himself drew most of the figures that were engraved for this book. | |
| Title | Die Meerenge zu Waigats, Detroit de Waigats |
| Year | ca. 1684 |
| Description | Map shows the strait of Waigats at Svalbard. |
| Norsemen possibly discovered Svalbard as early as the 12th century. The Dutchman Willem Barentsz made the first discovery of the archipelago in 1596, when he sighted its coast while searching for the Northern Sea Route. The name Spitsbergen originated with Barentsz, who described the "pointed mountains" he saw on the west coast of the main island, Spitsbergen although his 1599 map of the Arctic labels the island as Het Nieuwe Land ("The New Land"). Barentsz did not recognize that he had discovered an archipelago, and consequently the name Spitsbergen long remained in use both for the main island and for the archipelago as a whole. | |
| Place of Publication | Frankfurt on Main |
| Dimensions (cm) | 15,5 x 11 |
| Condition | Very good |
| Coloring | original colored |
| Technique | Copper print |
Reproduction:
12.00 €
( A reproduction can be ordered individually on request. )