|
||
|
|
|
|
Shakespeare's London with Retrospective Pre-Fire Views of the City and Famous Buildings
Fine plan and set of views of Elizabethan London, published by John Bowles in 1723.
The top plan of London shows the city in the 16th century while the remaining views capture London's skyline and famous buildings prior to the Great Fire of 1666.
As noted in the British Library entry for this map:
This is a retrospective map of the city as it appeared during the reign of Elizabeth I and after the destruction caused by the great fire. It was produced in the 1700s under the name of John Bowles, the map seller, with the small scenes across the centre of the map based on works by earlier artists. The view of the west facade of St Paul's Cathedral, which includes the renovations made by Inigo Jones, echoes a 1658 engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar. The view of Cheapside and the Cross is copied from a work by Callot, originally commissioned by the Queen Mother of France and England to commemorate her visit to London. The original depicted her travelling along Cheapside, but she has been omitted from this later copy.
The view of Baynards Castle records the keep as it stood before the fire, when Elizabeth I was entertained by the Earl of Pembroke with dinner and fireworks.
Howgego notes, "'A Plan of LONDON as in Queen Elizabeth's Days', 'Sold by John Bowles over against Stocks Market & at Mercers hall in cheapside' [1723] and a similar map in the 1755 edition of Stow's Survey appear to have been partly based on the 'CIVITAS LONDINUM' and partly on Porter's map (No. 11)."
Rarity
The view is rare on the market, with no examples reported at auction or in dealer catalogs in AMPR or Americana Exchange.
![[ London ] An Exact Survey of the City's of London Westminster ye Borough of Southwark and the Country Near Ten Miles Round Begun In 1741 & Ended in 1745 By John Rocque Land Surveyor & Engrau'd By Richard Parr / A New and Accurate Survey Of the Cities of London and Westminster The Borough of Southwark with The Country about it for nineteen Miles in Length and thirteen in Depth . . .](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/96431.jpg)
