John Webber

A Group of Four 18th Century Engravings from Captain Cook's 3rd Voyage Journal

1784

This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "A New & Correct Chart of All The Known World Laid down according to Mercator's Projection" by Emanuel Bowen. It was published in 1744 in London in John Harris's "Navigantium atque Itinerantium Bibliotheca" or "A Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels". This highly detailed and colorful map depicts the world. as it was known in the mid 18th century. A majority of the northern and central portions of Canada and America are left blank due to the purity of knowledge at the time this map was published. The map is embellished with four Compass Roses in the lower left, lower center, lower right and center, along with many rhumb lines. There a is a decorative title cartouche in the upper left. This colorful, attractive, historical and interesting 1744 map presents the entire world on Mercator's projection as it was understood in the middle part of the 18th century, before the landmark explorations of Captain’s Cook, Vancouver, Wilkes and others. It is an example of a nautical chart, a type of map that was designed specifically for use by mariners. The map is centered on the equator and includes both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The continents of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia are depicted, as well as various islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The map is laid out according to the Mercator projection, a type of cylindrical map projection that was developed in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. This projection has the advantage of preserving angles and shapes, making it useful for navigation. The map presents a paucity of inland detail, particularly for the Americas, but major cities, geographical landmarks, and regions are included. Ocean currents and Tradewinds are identified, as well as the magnetic declination lines or magnetic variance, which refers to the difference between true north and compass north. The continents are color coded, enhancing the beauty of this map. The three compass roses indicate the directions of the cardinal points. The depiction of the western coast of America, the Pacific and Australia are interesting. There was very little exploration of Australia between the navigations of William Damper in 1699 and Tobias Furneaux in 1773. Most of the maps detail relies on the 17th century Dutch expeditions to Australia's western coast, by Abel Tasman and William Janszoon. Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) and New Guinea appear connected to the Australian continent. New Zealand appears as a single landmass. North of New Zealand there is a landmass labelled 'Ter d' St. Esprit' which probably represents the New Hebrides Islands. This map precedes the accurate exploration of the South Pacific and east coast of Australia by Captain James Cook later in the 18th century. The map includes ‘Drakes' Port,' the site where Sir Francis Drake supposedly landed in 1579 during his 1579 circumnavigation of the globe. Here he claimed territory for England, restocked, and repaired his vessels. Drake named the region New Albion. The exact location of Drake's Port is a cartographic mystery. Drake's Harbor is believed to be in the region of San Francisco Bay, Bodega Bay, San Pablo Bay...

This early 18th century hand-colored copperplate map of North and South America entitled "Totius Americae Septentrionalis Et Meridionalis Novissima Repraesentatio" was created by Johann Baptist Homann and published in Nuremberg, Germany, between 1710 and 1731. The map details cities, forts, mountains, forests and lakes, as well as districts. There is a decorative cartouche in the lower left which depicts a volcano, scenes representing the people in their native costumes, as well as animals and plants of the Americas. A village is seen in the background on the left. A second smaller decorative cartouche in the upper right includes text and a series of allegorical figures. A large portion if the north central and western portions of North America is left without detail, because the region was largely unexplored at the time this map was created. The map also shows "Terra Esonis Incognita", representing a mythical continuous land bridge from North America to Asia, a northwest passage. The map preceded the French and...

This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "An Accurate Chart of The Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea's; with the Archipelago & Part of the Black Sea. Exhibiting all th...

This is an original 18th century hand-colored map entitled "An Exact Chart of all the Countries through which Capt. Behring Travelled from Tobolski, Capital of Siberia to the Country...

Landscape is an engraving on ivory-colored paper realized by Charles Amand Durand (1831-1905) after an etching by Rembrandt. This wonderful piece of art belongs to a late edition of ...

"Coastal Ti Tree" Drypoint Etching in Ink on Paper No. 30/100 Detailed etching attributed to Ernest Edwin Abbot (British, 1888-1973). Several trees grow along the coast at the edge of the water at Ti Tree, Australia. In the far distance, a mountain range can be seen on the opposite shore. Titled and numbered "Coastal Ti Tree 30-100" in the left corner. Signed "G. Cope" in the right corner. Presented in a new black mat with foamcore backing. Mat size: 11"H x 14"W Paper size: 5.5"H x 10.25"W According to The Centre for Australian Art: Prints + Printmaking, Abbot often produced work under the pseudonym "G. Cope" Ernest Edwin Abbott was born in 1889 and grew up in Bideford United Kingdom, With his younger siblings Violet, Reginald, Olive and his parents Charles and Sarah Abbott, His Farther worked as a upholsterer. Abbott decided in 1911 to migrate to Western Australia on the ship Tainui, Settled in Western Australia he then married his wife Florence Radcliffe Olde in 1913 whom also came to Australia in 1912 from Bideford. They had two sons, Reginald Douglas Abbott and Kenneth John Abbott. They moved to South Australia where he taught art at Stott’s for four years. Later in 1920 the family moved to the suburb of Kew in Melbourne Victoria, where he took a studio in Oxford Chambers at 475 Bourke Street. He also built a studio later at his home in Black Rock. In about 1920 or 1930 he took up dry-point etching, and gave up his city studio to concentrate on printmaking at his home. Abbott made his own engraving tools...

Two Figures on the Shore - Minimalist Landscape Drypoint Etching in Ink on Paper Minimalist landscape with two figures walking along the shore by Doris Ann Warner (American, 1925-201...

Palm Springs Courtyard with Fountain - Drypoint Etching on Paper Stately drypoint etching of the courtyard of a Palm Springs house by Leland "Lee" Fuller (American, 1899-1962). The focus of this piece is the courtyard of a house with a fountain. Behind the garden and fountain, there is a section of the house with an arched doorway and tile roof. This was likely a house that Fuller designed. From the Robert Azensky Fine Art Mary Pickford...