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Circulus Saxoniae Inferioris in omnes suos Status et Principatus… (Lower Saxony, Germany)
In stock
This map of Lower Saxony, appeared in Homann’s Atlas Scholasticus. The title page of the atlas is labeled “Atlas Minor XXVI. Selectarum Tabularum Geographicum Homanni Secundum Methodum Huberni aliorumque recentorium geographorum dispositus et recognitus” – which translates as a selection of 26 geographic maps by Homann, arranged and revised according to the method of Hübner and other recent geographers. This scarce atlas, referred to as a Kleiner (meaning small/minor) atlas, included 26 selected maps by Homann, guided by Johann Hubner. This atlas also included a copper engraved, hand-colored title page as frontispiece from the Atlas Novus Terrarum Orbis Imperia by M. Rössler. Based on research, this atlas was most likely compiled between 1720 – 1737.
This finely engraved map illustrates the political and territorial divisions of Lower Saxony, one of the Imperial Circles (Reichskreise) of the Holy Roman Empire. The map is laid out with a high level of precision, showing principalities, duchies, bishoprics, and free cities, each carefully outlined and often color-washed to distinguish boundaries. Important cities such as Hamburg, Hanover, and Brunswick are clearly marked, along with rivers, roads, and fortified towns that emphasize the region’s strategic and economic importance. Homann enriched the work with an elaborate baroque cartouche, often decorated with heraldic symbols, personifications of justice and governance, or emblems of commerce and military power, underscoring both the prestige and complexity of the circle. Like many of his maps, it combines practical geographic detail with decorative artistry, serving not only as a reference tool for statesmen, merchants, and scholars but also as a visual statement of order within the fragmented political landscape of the Holy Roman Empire.
Johann Baptist Homann (1663-1724) was a mapmaker who founded the famous Homann publishing company. He lived his entire life in Bavaria, particularly in Nuremberg. Initially, Johann trained to become a priest before converting to Protestantism and working as a notary. In 1702, Johann founded a publishing house that specialized in engravings. The firm flourished, becoming the leading map publisher in Germany and an important entity in the European map market. In 1715, Johann was named Imperial Geographer to the Holy Roman Empire by Charles VI and made a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Most importantly for his business, his reputation and contacts gained him imperial printing privileges which protected his publications and recommended him to customers. That privilege was noted on his maps as “Cum Priviligio.” Johann is best known for this Grosser Atlas ueber die ganze Welt, or the Grand Atlas of the World, published in 1716. After Johann died in 1724, the map plates and management of the company passed to his son, Johann Christoph (1703-1730). In Johann Christoph’s will, he stipulated that the company would be inherited by his two head managers – and that it would publish only under the name “Homann Heirs.” The firm continued in business until 1848.
Condition: Very Good - bright colors
Medium: Copper Engraving
Map Maker: Johann Baptist Homann
Coloring: Original Hand Color
Year: ca. 1720
In stock
