Bidspirit auction | N. DE FER. Terre Sainte

N. DE FER. Terre Sainte Ancienne, Moderne, et Historique. Original outline color; expertly conserved and re-mounted on new cloth; some loss but relatively minor for a wall map, overall excellent. 38 1/4 x 46 inches. Finely framed. Nebenzahl, pp. 140-141. Paris, 1701 / 1705. A MAGNIFICENT WALL MAP OF THE HOLY LAND. KNOWN IN JUST ONE OTHER EXAMPLE ”De Fer's map is known in but one complete copy, in black and white, at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. Its rarity heightens interest in that it is one of the most visually intricate compilations in the history of Holy Land maps” (Nebenzahl). This splendid work contains both ancient and modern maps of the Holy Land and likewise two views of Jerusalem. It also has numerous, large scenes of both Old and New Testament episodes. Our copy differs from the one in the Bibliotheque Nationale pictured in Nebenzahl in the following respects: Ours has a large title banner above the map not on the BN copy but lacks the text panels left and right found on the BN copy. Thus, the emergence of the present copy reveals that neither it nor the BN copy are per se ”complete” copies. Also, our copy has a 1705 date as well as a 1701 date.