1741 - " Regionis quae est circa Londinum, specialis representatio geographica ex autographo majori Londinensi desumta, curantibus HOMANIANIS "

A fine example of Homann Heir's iconic 1741 map of London and its environs. Based heavily upon an earlier map of the region by Thomas Bowles, this map covers the London area from Berkshire (including Windsor Castle) in the west to Shamel in the east, extending north as far as Bedford. Specifically focuses on Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Essex and Kent. Offers extraordinary detail through showing roads, villages, London Streets, estates and in many cases, individual homes. The lower portion of the sheet is dominated by a dramatic birds-eye of London and Westminster from Southwark across the Thames. View reveals a dense population showing numerous boats, barges and sailing vessels.

Condition: Original antique Map is in overall excellent condition with the usual central fold which exhibits some minor wear.

Good to close margins and blank on verso.

Overall size 58cm x 52cm.

Cartographer:

Johann Baptist Homann (1664 - 1724) was the most prominent and prolific map publisher of the 18th Century. Homann was born in Oberkammlach, a small town near Kammlach, Bavaria, Germany. As a young man, Homann studied in a Jesuit school and nursed ambitions of becomming a Dominican priest before converting to Protestantism in 1687. Following his conversion, Homann moved to Nuremberg and found employment as a notary. Around 1693, Homann briefly relocated to Vienna, where he lived and studied printing and copper plate engraving until 1695.

Afterwards, he returned to Nuremberg where in 1702, he founded the commercial publishing firm that would bear his name. In the next five years Homann produced hundreds of maps and developed a distinctive style  characterised by heavy detailed engraving, elaborate allegorical carouche work and vivid hand colour. The Homann firm, due to the lower cost of printing in Germany, was able to undercut the dominant French and Dutch publishing houses while matching the diversity and quality of their output. By 1715, Homann's rising star caught the attention of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles the VI, who appointed him Imperial Cartographer. In the same year, he was also appointed a member of the Royal Academy of sciences in Berlin. Homann's prestigious title came with a number of important advantages including access to the most up to date Cartographic information as well as the "Privilege". The Privilege was a type of early copyright offered to a few individuals by the Holy Roman Emperor, Though not as sophisticated as moder copyright legislation, the Provilege did offer a kind of limited protection for several years. Most all J.N.Homann maps printed between 1715 and 1730 beat the inscription "Cum Priviligio" or some variation. 

Following Homann's death in 1724, the management of the firm passed to his son, Johann Christoph Homann (1703 - 1730), J.C.Homann, perhaps realising that he would not long survive his father, stipulated in his will that the company would be inherited by his two lead managers, Johann Georg Ebersberger and Johann Michael Franz and that is would publish only under the name HOMANN HEIRS. This designation, in various forms (Homannsche Heirs, Heritiers de Homann, Lat Homannianos Herod, Homannschen Erben, etc) appears on maps from about 1731 onwards. The firm continued to publish maps in ever diminishing quantities until the deal of its last owner, Christoph Franz Fembo in 1848.