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Description

Fine pair of maps of the Holy Land, showing the region in modern times (mid-18th Century) and as known at the time of the 12 Tribes.

The maps are based upon Philippe de La Rue's maps of the region and provide an extensive set of annotations. The map provides and excellent side by side comparison of the place names and places where there were settlements, towns, mountains, rivers, etc., allowing for easy comparison of the region duirng the two periods.

The map is quite rare, with no examples recorded by AMPR in dealer catalogues or auction records going back more than 20 years.

Nicolas de Fer Biography

Nicholas de Fer (1646-1720) was the son of a map seller, Antoine de Fer, and grew to be one of the most well-known mapmakers in France in the seventeenth century. He was apprenticed at twelve years old to Louis Spirinx, an engraver. When his father died in 1673, Nicholas helped his mother run the business until 1687, when he became the sole proprietor.

His earliest known work is a map of the Canal of Languedoc in 1669, while some of his earliest engravings are in the revised edition of Methode pour Apprendre Facilement la Geographie (1685). In 1697, he published his first world atlas. Perhaps his most famous map is his wall map of America, published in 1698, with its celebrated beaver scene (engraved by Hendrick van Loon, designed by Nicolas Guerard). After his death in 1720, the business passed to his sons-in-law, Guillaume Danet and Jacques-Francois Benard.