CHILE ARGENTINA PATAGONIA 1785 ZATTA UNUSUAL ANTIQUE ORIGINALCOPPER ENGRAVED MAP

Chili La Terra Magellanica coll'Isola del Fuoco. Venezia 1785 Presso Antonio Zatta Con Privilegio dell Eccmo Senato.

Description: Striking and highly decorative unusual copper engraved Italian map of Chili, a bit of Argentina and Patagonia, extending to the Straits of Magellan, with a large inset map of the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn. The map is filled with excellent topographic details on cities, towns, rivers, lakes, reliefs, islands as well as political divisions. The map is adorned with a decorative title cartouche.

Date: 1785 (dated)

Dimension: Paper size approx.: cm 38,1 x 53,9

Condition: Very strong and dark impression on strong paper. Paper with chains and wiremarks. Map old original colored. Wide margins. Corners partially missing. Small foxing and browning. Map washed. Conditions are as you can see in the images.

Mapmaker: Antonio Zatta (1775-1797) was the most prominent Italian map publisher of the late 18th and early 19th century. His firm, based in Venice, produced maps that mark an important transition from 18th to 19th century cartographic styles. He updates and redefines the traditional title cartouche by replacing the mythic elements common to the 17th and 18th century with more representative images. He maps also strive to keep many 18th century details, such as figural depictions on the map itself, while striving for the accuracy that a 19th century clientele demanded. His most important work is the four volume "Atlante novissimo" published from 1775 to 1789.