- Date: ca. 1827
- Medium: Furniture
- Condition: Good
-
Inches: 19.5" x 29"
- Centimeters: 50.00 x 74.36
- Product ID: 000101
Brass-inlaid rosewood-veneered wall-mounted cabinet with 12 maps on rollers. Handcrafted in France (Atelier Giroux?). Each pull out section holds two Brué maps on cartographic linen. Two exterior brass plaques flank each pull reading in order from top-left: Mappe Monde | Europe, Asie | Afrique, Amerique | America Sep, France | Bretagne, Italie | Espagne, Alemagne | Russie. The piece features a scrolling crest with gilt brass floral mounts over four rams head and two circular pulls, which reveal the interior maps. Maps retract via tasseled pulls bottom right and left.
All maps are present with typical lavish titles engraved thus;
MAPPE-MONDE EN DEUX HEMISPHEREs
CARTE GENERALE D’EUROPE
CARTE de L’AFRIQUE
CARTE de L’ASIE
CARTE de L’AMERIQUE SEPTENTRIONALE
CARTE GENERALE de L’AMERIQUE MERIDIONALE (insets of Galapagos islands and four others)
ROYAUME DE FRANCE DIVISEE EN 86 DEPARTMENS (each fully colored)
CARTES GENERALE DES ISLE BRITANNIQUES (inset of Shetland Islands)
CARTES GENERALE DE L’ESPAGNE et du PORTUGAL
CARTES GENERALE DE L’ITALIE
CARTES GENERALE DE LA RUSSIE D’EUROPE du ROYAUME DE POLOGNE
CARTES GENERALE DE L’EMPIRE D’ATRICHE (with Prussia and Germany)
A similar cabinet of slightly smaller dimensions, produced by Susse Frères, was part of the collections of the Duchy of Parma and was featured in the exhibition, Curiosità di una Reggia. Victoire della Guardaroba in Palazzo Pitti, which was held in Florence in 1979 (exhibition catalogue, n ° 24, pp. 164-165).
Condition; The cabinet is in very good condition, two rams-head pulls replaced with circular brass pulls. Maps laid to contemporary linen on spring-loaded rollers retracting into cabinet. Some wear, with slight loss and browning to maps at lower edges, and loss/wear to green sedge borders. The bottom two rollers function with loss to tension at extremity.
Background on Cartographer
Brué worked as a cartographer and publisher during a key period in the history of mapmaking. By the 19th century, previously accepted geographical myths such as Dampier's had been dispelled, allowing cartographers like Brué and his contemporaries such as Aaron Arrowsmith to depict a more truthful and detailed rendering of the world. Brué went on to become one of the most outstanding European mapmakers of his time, garnering the esteemed title of Geographer de Roi. His work is characterized by accuracy and, at moments, genius. All of Brué's maps are characterized by elegance and restraint.
Market: Rare; three known sales in the usual sources. A later example offered in the trade in 2019 for $12,000. Sotheby’s Natural History, Travel, Atlases and Maps sale - 18 November, 2004, Lot 231 earned $20,738.