The Atlas by Pedro Texeira
17th century, 1634.
Austrian National Library (Cod. Min. 46).
Unanimously considered to be the most important cartographic project of the 17th century.
An extraordinary replica of Pedro Texeira’s Atlas of the Coasts of Spain and Portugal. The original was the fruit of almost ten years of an important expedition led by the great Portuguese cosmographer and cartographer Pedro Texeira (Lisbon ca. 1595 – Madrid 1662).
Commissioned by king Philip IV of Spain, it went unnoticed for over 300 years among the illuminated codices of the Austrian emperors in the Austrian National Library in Vienna. It was thought to have been completely lost. Only rediscovered at the beginning of the 21st century in that library, Siloé makes it available to every good bibliophile in a perfect facsimile.
It comprises almost 200 large-format pages on laid paper, all of which are illustrated. It is a veritable parade of beautiful maps of considerable chromatic richness adorned with delicate gold and silver.
Page size 446 x 348 mm. Its enormous importance is attested to, for example, by the fact that 90% of the localities that appear in it were not to have any other document reproducing their image until well into the 20th century.
Handmade leather binding and bookplate. Accompanied by a valuable study book which also includes the anastatic edition of the textual account of the expedition’s entire journey in a separate small codex, also from the Viennese library.
Limited edition of 898 numbered copies with notarial certificate.
National Prize 2005. Best books published in 2004. Ministry of Culture. Modality: facsimile books.
Fray Luis de León Award 2005 for the best publishing work in special editions and facsimiles.
Images of The Atlas by Pedro Texeira
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