"Porto Rico", Allard, Carel

This fine engraving is from Allard's rare book of city illustrations that was designed for the armchair traveler. The book's foreword noted that since everyone is not able to learn about the world firsthand, the plates provide an "artful, accurate, and faithful" view of the world's cities, and with these images, anyone can "walk, ride, and sail through them, even while sitting in the solitude of one’s own room." The view is based on Montanus' depiction of 1671 and shows the fortifications of San Juan with ships and boats in the foreground. It is surrounded by an engraved picture-frame style border with a garland-draped cartouche.

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Condition: A

Trimmed and mounted onto a sheet of 18th century paper for inclusion in a composite atlas, as was common during this period.