Catalog Archive
Auction 171, Lot 316

"[Mexico City to the Gulf]", Kircher, Athanasius

Subject: Mexico

Period: 1682 (published)

Publication: D'Onder-Aardse Weereld

Color: Hand Color

Size:
3.3 x 5.5 inches
8.4 x 14 cm
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This unusual map is from Kircher's masterpiece, the first serious effort to describe the physical makeup of the earth, proposing theories (sometimes fantastic) in the areas of physics, geography, geology, and chemistry. The map is devoid of political information, except to show Mexico City in the middle of a large lake. Instead it focuses entirely on the subterranean river connecting two lakes with the Gulf of Mexico. Kircher's theories included the notion that the world's oceans were all interconnected. Published in a Dutch edition of Kircher's famous Subterranean World. On a full sheet of Dutch text measuring 9.4 x 14.7".

References:

Condition: A

A crisp impression on a bright sheet with some light damp stains along the edges of the sheet.

Estimate: $140 - $170

Sold for: $100

Closed on 2/6/2019

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