Beautifully
detailed and copper-engraved title page for the Atlas Minor, the seminal atlas
of Tobias Conrad Lotter, first published between 1740 and 1744. This specific
page was drawn by Jacob Christoph Weyerman and engraved by Martin Gottfried
Crophilus. 

The page features a
diverse array of cartographical and allegorical illustrations. In the centre
sits a large globe showing the eastern hemisphere. The globe is surrounded by
figures representing each of the continents, with the personification of Europe
sitting on top. The remainder of the scene is filled with figures from Greek
mythology: to the right, Neptune rides several Hippocampi atop a golden shell,
whilst in the bottom-left, Hermes stands adorned with a winged helm and boots.
Various other military, cartographic, and decorative items sprawl across the foreground,
including a double-meridian globe and several brass instruments. A pyramid, a
lighthouse, and a collection of ships can be seen in the background. Several
cherubs dot the scene; flanking the left side of the globe, a cherub can be
seen holding a torch to illuminate western Europe, whilst a cherub on the right
holds a bellows in its direction.

Latin text
on page translated as the following: Atlas Minor. The principal empires,
kingdoms and provinces of the world, especially Germany, with exact delineated
tables, most suitable for the use of military leaders and travellers. Tobias
Conrad Lotter, Chalcographer and Geographer. With the privilege of the S.R.I.
vicariate in part of the Rhine, France and Sweden.

Hand-coloured.
[WLD2658]