Mappamondo o sia Descrizione Generale del Globo Terrestre ed Acquatico

Map of the World taken from Atlante Novissimo, published by Giambattista Albrizzi, circa 1740.

Globe with allegorical representations of the four continents in the corners, surmounted by an armillary sphere.

Striking example of Albrizzi's double hemipshere map of the World, one of the most interesting and decorative world maps to appear in a mid-18th Italian Century Atlas.

An elegant example of the Italian school of commercial cartography, the art work around the map having been done by important Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (ca. 1682-1754), whose influence can be seen in the subsequent work of Zatta and others.

The cartographic content of the map, which is drawn from De l'Isle's Mappe Monde (1700), is secondary to the very beautiful, serene female figures in each corner representing the four continents. G. Batta Piaceta is shown as Inventor (left), and Guliano Giampicoli, as engraver (right). 

The map includes a finley executed armillary sphere, explorer's routes, unknown NW Coast of America, incomplete projections of Australia (still attached to New Guinea) and New Zealand, conjectural Asian Land mass extending toward Alaska and many other cartographic myths and misprojections. 

Copperplate with fine later hand colour, very good condition.