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Period: 17th Century
Southern Greece: A Large 17th C. Hand-colored Map by Sanson and Jaillot
Located in Alamo, CA
This large original hand-colored copperplate engraved map of southern Greece and the Pelopponese Peninsula entitled "La Moree Et Les Isles De Zante, Cefalonie, Ste. Marie, Cerigo & C...
Category

French Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

17th Century Sterling Silver Reliquary
Located in Madrid, ES
A refined and devotional 17th-century sterling silver reliquary featuring a delicate reverse glass painting of the Virgin Mary. This exqui...
Category

Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver

17th C Stone statue of Saint Erasmus or Saint Elmo
Located in Leuven , BE
Saint Erasmus or Saint Elmo (Antioch, ca. 240 – Formia, 303) was an Italian bishop and patron saint of the sailors. His attribute was the capstan, a winch on which the anchor chains were rolled up. He died as a martyr for his faith, and his bones were transferred to Gaeta in the 9th century, where they are kept in the cathedral to this day. The electric phenomenon of Saint Elmus fire is named after Saint Erasmus and the 16th C humanist Desiderius Erasmus. Little is known with certainty about Saint Erasmus' life. However, many legends may have been passed on orally until the - no older writings are known with certainty. His birthplace was in present-day Syria. However, the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian forced him to flee to Mount Lebanon...
Category

Belgian Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Stone

Flanders, Holland Norfolk: Hand-Colored 17th Century Sea Chart by Collins
Located in Alamo, CA
This hand-colored chart of the seas about Flanders, Holland, Frisia, and Norfolk is from "Great Britain's Coasting Pilot. Being a New and Exact Survey of the Sea-Coast of England" by...
Category

English Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Greece, "Graeciae Antiquae"" A 17th Century Hand-colored Map by Sanson
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 17th century hand colored copperplate engraved map of Greece entitled "Graeciae Antiquae Tabula Hanc Geographicam" by Nicolas d'Abbeville Sanson, engraved and pub...
Category

French Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Prussia, Poland, N. Germany, Etc: A Hand-colored 17th Century Map by Janssonius
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an attractive hand-colored copperplate engraved 17th century map of Prussia entitled "Prussia Accurate Descripta a Gasparo Henneberg Erlichensi", published in Amsterdam by Joannes Janssonius in 1664. This very detailed map from the golden age of Dutch cartography includes present-day Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and portions of Germany. This highly detailed map is embellished by three ornate pink, red, mint green and gold...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Italian Baroque Walnut Box
Located in Essex, MA
Hinged top, decorated overall with incised carving, lock plate and side handles.
Category

Italian Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Walnut

Antique County Map, Northamptonshire, English, Framed Cartography, Richard Blome
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique county map of Northamptonshire. An English, framed atlas engraving by Richard Blome, dating to the 17th century and later. Fascinating cartography, oriented 90 d...
Category

British Charles II Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Glass, Wood, Paper

"Africa Vetus": a 17th Century Hand-Colored Map by Sanson
Located in Alamo, CA
This original hand-colored copperplate engraved map of Africa entitled "Africa Vetus, Nicolai Sanson Christianiss Galliar Regis Geographi" was originally created by Nicholas Sanson d...
Category

French Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Saint Jerome in the Wilderness, Cast bronze relief, 16th/17th century
Located in Gorssel, GE
Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Cast bronze relief Europe (presumably Spain), ca. 1600/17th century Dimensions: 11.5 × 7 cm This small rectangular gilt bronze relief, possibly intend...
Category

Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Bronze

17th Century Hand Colored Map of the Liege Region in Belgium by Visscher
Located in Alamo, CA
An original 17th century map entitled "Leodiensis Episcopatus in omnes Subjacentes Provincias distincté divisusVisscher, Leodiensis Episcopatus" by Nicolaes Visscher II, published in Amsterdam in 1688. The map is centered on Liege, Belgium, includes the area between Antwerp, Turnhout, Roermond, Cologne, Trier and Dinant. This attractive map is presented in a cream-colored mat measuring 30" wide x 27.5" high. There is a central fold, as issued. There is minimal spotting in the upper margin and a tiny spot in the right lower margin, which are under the mat. The map is otherwise in excellent condition. The Visscher family were one of the great cartographic families of the 17th century. Begun by Claes Jansz Visscher...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Antique 1640 Sterling Silver Communion Chalice and Paten Set
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Charles I English sterling silver communion chalice and paten set; an addition to our diverse religious s...
Category

English Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Sterling Silver

Northern Scotland: A 17th Century Hand-colored Map by Mercator
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a framed hand-colored 17th century map of Northern Scotland by Gerard Mercator entitled "Scotiae pars Septentrionalis", published in Amsterdam in 1636. It is a highly detailed map of the northern part of Scotland, with the northwest Highlands and the cities Inverness and Aberdeen, as well as the Orkney Islands and the Hebrides. There is a decorative title cartouche in the upper left corner. The map is presented in an antiqued brown wood...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

1633 map, entitled "La douche de Berry, " Original Hand Colored Ric.0005
Located in Norton, MA
1633 map, entitled "La douche de Berry," Hand Colored Ric.0005 Description: 1633 map, entitled "La douche de Berry," Dimension: Paper: 23.3" W x 20.3" H (59 cm W x 51.7 cm H) ; ...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

1657 Janssonius Map of Vermandois and Cappelle, Ric. A-004
Located in Norton, MA
1657 Janssonius map of Vermandois and Cappelle Ric.a004 Description: Antique map of France titled 'Descriptio Veromanduorum - Gouvernement de la Cappelle'. Two detailed maps o...
Category

Unknown Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

1646 Jansson Map Entitled "Procinvia Connactiae, " Ric.a006
Located in Norton, MA
1646 Jansson map entitled "Procinvia connactiae," Ric.a006 Description: The PROVINCE of CONNAVGT 490 x 380From vol 4 of Jansson's Atlas Novus 1646, published in Amsterdam with...
Category

Unknown Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

1635 Willem Blaeu Map of Northern France"Comitatvs Bellovacvm" Ric.a08
Located in Norton, MA
1635 Willem Blaeu map of northern France, entitled. "Comitatvs Bellovacvm Vernacule Beavvais," Colored Ric.a008 “COMITATVS BELLOVACVM…” Amsterdam: W...
Category

Unknown Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

1790 Thomas Stackhouse Map, Entitled "Russia in Europe, " , Ric.a004
Located in Norton, MA
1790 Thomas Stackhouse map, entitled "Russia in Europe" Ric.a004 Stackhouse, Thomas Russia in Europe [map] London: T. Stackhouse, 1783. Map. Matted hand-colored copper engraving. Image size: 14.5 x 15.25 inches. Mat size: 22.75 x 23.75 inches. A beautiful example of this map of Eastern Europe...
Category

Unknown Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

1633 Map, Entitled "La Douche De Berry, " Ric.0005
Located in Norton, MA
1633 map, entitled "La douche de Berry," Hand Colored Ric.0005 Description: 1633 map, entitled "La douche de Berry," Dimension: Paper: 23.3" W x 20.3" H (59 cm W x 51.7 c...
Category

Unknown Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

1627 Map Entitled "Loudunois, " Signed on the Back, Ric.a013
Located in Norton, MA
1627 map entitled "Loudunois," Signed on the Back Ric.a013 cartography close up double-page hand-colored elevated view no person print hand-tinted hilly close-up early 17th-...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Rare 17th Century Baroque Cabinet, South Germany Probably Augsburg, Wunderkammer
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A small architectural table cabinet, veneered in walnut and mulberry, the centre doors enclosing an arrangement of nine various sized drawers with bone knobs, behind a central door a...
Category

German Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

Southeastern Ireland: A 17th Century Hand Colored Map by Mercator and Hondius
Located in Alamo, CA
A 17th century copperplate hand-colored map entitled "The Second Table of Ireland, Udrone" by Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius, published in Amsterdam in 1635 in 'Cosmographicall ...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

17th Century Hand-Colored Map of Southeastern England by Mercator and Hondius
Located in Alamo, CA
A 17th century copperplate hand-colored map entitled "The Sixt Table of England" by Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius, published in Amsterdam in 1635 in 'Cosmographicall Descriptio...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Devotional plaque, Saint Benedict of Nursia. Bronze. Spanish School, 17th c
Located in Madrid, ES
Devotional plaque, Saint Benedict of Nursia. Bronze. Spanish School, 17th century. Rectangular bronze devotional plaque with a ring at the top, a molded frame, and a relief figurati...
Category

Spanish Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Bronze

Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Dalmatian Coast: A 17th Century Dutch Map
By Theodorus Danckerts
Located in Alamo, CA
This hand colored 17th century Dutch map entitled "Novissima et Accuratissima totius Italiae Corsicae et Sardiniae Descriptio" by Theodore Danckerts depicts the Italian Peninsula in ...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

The Holy Land at the Time of Jesus: A 17th Century Dutch Map by Visscher
Located in Alamo, CA
This detailed Dutch map entitled "Het Beloofe de Landt Canaan door wandelt van onsen Salichmaecker Iesu Christo, nessens syne Apostelen" by Nicolaes Visscher was published in Amsterd...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Enamel plaque Madonna with Child Materdei, Jean Laudin, France, 17th c.
Located in Gorssel, GE
Enamel Plaque “Mater Dei” Laudin, Limoges, France, 17th century Painted enamel on copper, gilded details A rectangular enamel plaque depicting the Virgin and Child with radiant halo...
Category

French Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Enamel, Copper

Flemish Embossed Wood Plaque of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This is a heavy large carved wood plaque depicting an embossed scene of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is standing victorious and elevated over a U shaped cluster of clouds wit...
Category

Belgian Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

Austrian Set of Six Vellum Bound Books, Circa 1699
Located in Atlanta, GA
A handsome collection of 6 Austrian vellum bound books from the late 17th century. This antique set of six books from Austria, which retain their original vellum bindings, have Latin...
Category

Austrian Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

17th Century French Carved Bleached Ebony Plaque "The Conversion of Saint Paul"
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate a wall with this intricately antique panel. Crafted of ebony wood in France circa 1680, the plaque depicts the dramatic biblical scene of "The Conversion of Saint Paul on th...
Category

French Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Ebony

Italian Renaissance Painted Lifesize Figure of Religious Scholar
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Renaissance painted pine life size figure of religious scholar holding book (17/18th Cent) Replacement finger
Category

Italian Renaissance Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Pine

17th CENTURY LEATHER CANDLE CASE
Located in Firenze, FI
Particular little wooden candle holder case covered in fire-branded leather, with bronze hinges. The cassina features floral and gemometric decorations that create boxes within which...
Category

Italian Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather, Wood

Large Carved Oak Statue of a Bishop, France, 17th Century
Located in Dallas, TX
At over five feet tall, this beautiful and large carved oak statue is a life-sized interpretation of a French bishop from the 1600s. The religious leader is wearing a mitre adorned with Vitruvian waves. There is also a vertical swath of waves in the middle of the mitre that separates two spandrel-shaped panels embellished with foliate scrolls and a cabochon. Our bishop is clad in a vestment with large scrollwork and a rectangular clasp across the chest over...
Category

French Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood, Oak

Antique Hand-Carved Painted Wooden Mounted Architectural or Nautical Fragment
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique hand-carved and polychrome painted architectural or nautical fragment shows no sign of where is may have originated from, but is quite early dating between approximately...
Category

Unknown Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Oak

large apothecary s ivory mortar - 17th century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Large apothecary's ivory mortar Indo-Portuguese 17th century 16,7 x 10,4 cm Cites certificate number 2022/BE01446/CE
Category

Indian Renaissance Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Ivory

Couple of torchero angels. Carved and polychrome wood. Spanish school, 17th c.
Located in Madrid, ES
Couple of torchero angels. Carved and polychrome wood. Spanish school, 17th century. They have faults. Pair of human-shaped carvings made of polychrome wood that show two angels ra...
Category

Spanish Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

Antique Miniature Portrait on Bone with Fitted Case 14-Karat Yellow Gold Brooch
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Dating from the late 17th century and done in the Federalist style, this finely detailed and well executed hand painted miniature portrait on bone of a period nobleman can be worn as...
Category

American Federal Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Gold

17th Century Lantern Alarm Clock by Johannes Quelch, Oxford
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
An English 17th century lantern clock made of brass and iron, circa 1665-1670. The clock consists of going and striking trains, as well as a...
Category

British Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

Devotional Pendant, Saint James the Great, Bronze, Spain, 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Devotional medal, Santiago Apóstol. Ormolu, 17th century. Openwork devotional medal with the image of Santiago Apóstol in the center, on a pedestal and holding a staff and a book, surrounded by a crown of leaves knotted with two loops above and below. Copies similar to the present one are found in the Museum of Pilgrimages in Santiago de Compostela...
Category

Spanish Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Bronze

Wonderful 17th Century Oak Statue of Saint Florian, Patron Saint of Firefighters
Located in Dallas, TX
St. Florian (250 A.D. – 304 A.D.), was the patron saint of firefighters, brewers, chimney sweeps, and the town of Linz Austria. He served in the Roman army and part of his duties included organizing fire fighting brigades. He was secretly a Christian and became famous for miraculously saving a town from being destroyed by fire; after he prayed and threw a single bucket of water on the blaze, it was extinguished. This beautifully carved oak statue from the 1600s, clearly depicts St. Florian with a bucket in hand and a miniature house...
Category

French Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Oak

Frame with Vellum Painting, 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Carved and gilded frame with painting on vellum, "Virgin of the Rosary with Santo Domingo de Guzmán and Santa Catalina of Siena", 17th century. Registration in the back zone (Mr. Jos...
Category

European Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather, Wood, Paint

17th Century Nicolas Visscher Map of Southeastern Europe
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
A beautiful, highly detailed map of southeastern Europe by Nicolas Visscher. Includes regions of Northern Italy (showing the cities Bologna, Padua, and Venice), Bohemia, Austria (sho...
Category

Dutch Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Canterbury Cathedral: First Edition, The Antiquities Of Canterbury By Somner
Located in Kent, Dover
An extremely rare first edition: William Somner, The antiquities of Canterbury. Or a survey of that ancient citie, with the suburbs, and cathedrall. Containing principally matters of...
Category

English Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather, Paper

Road Map, John Ogilby, No 54, London, Yarmouth, Britannia
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
The Road from London to Yarmouth com. Norfolk. By John Ogilby, His Majesties Cosmographer. Containing 122 miles, 5 furlongs. No 54. From Standard in Co...
Category

English Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Elegant 17th-Century Spanish Brooch in Gilt Metal
Located in Madrid, ES
This elegant Spanish brooch from the 17th century is crafted in gilt metal, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship and refined style of the era. Its int...
Category

Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Brass

17th Century Pair of Carved and Gilded Wooden Mensulae with Birds
Located in Marbella, ES
17th century pair of carved and gilded wooden mensulae with birds.
Category

Spanish Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

17th Century Tripod Apothecary Skillet Dated 1698 from The Ward Rvmens Family
Located in Brussels, Brussels
17th century tripod apothecary skillet dated 1698 by Ward Rymens. The skillet is in superb condition and has had a restoration on one of the feet. bronze with a very beautiful patina.
Category

British Georgian Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Bronze

17th Century Spanish Talavera Pharmacy Jar in Blue Glazed Ceramic
Located in Marbella, ES
17th century Spanish Talavera pharmacy jar in blue Glazed ceramic.
Category

Spanish Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Ceramic

"Virgin with Child Jesus". Spain, End of the 17th-Early 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Spanish Baroque sculpture is one of the most authentic and personal examples of our art, because its conception and its form of expression arose from the people and from the deepest ...
Category

Spanish Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

Reliquary Pendant, Silver, Enamel, 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
One of its fronts presents a textile background under a transparent glass, space that was surely designed to contain relics. The other side has a brightly colored enamel with the Vir...
Category

European Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Silver, Enamel, Other

Original Oil on Panel of St. Anthony of Padua , by Unidentified Artist
Located in Miami, FL
Original oil on panel of Saint offering the Child, by an unidentified artist. --This painting represents St. Anthony of Padua. The scene is one that is often chosen to represent ...
Category

Spanish Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Map Road Strip Britannia Sheet 2 John Ogilby London Aberistwith Islip Bramyard
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
From John Ogilby's, 'Britannia, an Illustration of the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales'. First published in 1675 it remains the greatest advance ...
Category

English Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

Reredos Fragment, Gilded Wood, circa Second Half of the 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Altarpiece. Wood carved and gilded. Baroque, towards the second half of the 17th century. The Solomonic column was an element already known in the Renaissance (and before) that was popularized in art, in large part, thanks to the Baldachin of St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1624-1633), where he presented branches. In Spain, this type can already be seen in the Silver Tabernacle of the Cathedral of Seville (Juan de Alfaro, 15931596), used in altarpieces from the 1620s; nevertheless, the apogee of the Solomonic column will come from the hand of José Benito de Churriguera, whose altarpieces have an extraordinary importance since the second half of the 17th century and already at the beginning of the 18th century (note similarities and differences between the present altarpiece and that of the Convent of San Esteban...
Category

European Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Wood

Console in Polychrome Carved Wood-17th Century-Spain
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Elegant carved and gilded wood from the 17th century - Spain Very beautiful patina and in very good condition Can serve and served in the past as a base for a wooden sculpture.
Category

Spanish Renaissance Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Giltwood

Enamel plaque depicting St. Peter receiving the key of Christ, Germany, 17th c.
Located in Gorssel, GE
Rectangular enamel plaque depicting St. Peter receiving the key of Christ, with The dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome in the background. Germany, 17th century. Dimensions: 13 ...
Category

Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Copper, Enamel

17th Century Leather Case for a Chalice
Located in Round Top, TX
A very rare and beautiful Italian 17th century case, box, to store a chalice. Beautifully crafted with embossed leather. A fantastic accent piece, whether displayed as a single piece...
Category

Italian Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather

Arcon Chest Coffer Leather Armorial Spanish Baroque Gilded Brass Studwork Domed
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
Rare, early 17th century, Spanish, leather, ‘Arcon’ or domed travelling coffer with a gilded armorial & ornamented with brass studwork. Surviving utalitarian pieces such as travel...
Category

Spanish Baroque Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Leather

Cross of Caravaca 17th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Cross of caravaca XVII century. Very beautiful cross of caravaca made in bronze. 17th Century. Measurements: 15x6 cm. Good condition.
Category

Italian Gothic Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Bronze

17th Century Emaille de Limoges Plaquette, Depicting Maria Magdalena
Located in Esbeek, NL
Emaille de Limoges Plaquette, frame bronze with emaille. Depicting Maria Magdalena, 17th century or earlier.
Category

French Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

Road Map Britannia No 32 the Road from London to Barnstable John Ogilby Framed
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
A road map from Britannia, by John Ogilby Esq., Cosmographer and Geographick Printer to Charles II. Containing 293 miles. No 32. From Standard in Cornhill London to Andover thence to Amesbury, to Shruton, to Warminster, to Maiden-Bradley, to Bruton, to Weston, to Ascot and to Bridgewater Hand coloured, some foxing and creasing, commensurate with age. Floated in a cream mount with a gilded linear border within a burr walnut, ebonised and gilded frame. Provenance : purchased as pair from a collector with no 15 London to St Davids. Framed as a pair. Measures: Black Linear Border around Map Length 44cm., 17 1/8" Height 36cm., 14". Full Sheet Length 51cm., 20" Height 39cm., 15 1/4" Frame Length 62cm., 24 1/2 " Height 52cm., 20 1/2" Literature: In a remarkable life John Ogilby pursued, several careers, each ending in misfortune, and yet he always emerged undeterred, to carry on. His modern reputation is based on his final career, started in his sixty-sixth year, as a publisher of maps and geographical accounts. Ogilby was born outside Dundee, in 1600, the son of a Scottish gentleman. While he was still a child, the family moved to London. When the elder Ogilby was imprisoned for debt, the young John invested his savings in a lottery, won a minor prize, and settled his father's debts. Unfortunately, not enough money was left to secure John a good apprenticeship; instead, he was apprenticed to a dance master. Ogilby was soon dancing in masques at court but, one day, while executing a particularly ambitious leap, he landed badly. The accident left him with a permanent limp, and ended his dancing career. However, he had come to the attention of Thomas Wentworth, later Earl of Strafford, Charles I's most senior minister. Ever one to exploit his contacts, Ogilby became a dance instructor in Strafford's household. When Strafford was sent to Ireland, Ogilby accompanied him as Deputy-Master of the Kings Revels, and then Master of Revels. In Dublin, he built the New Theatre, in St. Werburgh Street, which prospered at first, but the Irish Rebellion, in 1641, cost Ogilby his fortune, which he estimated at £2,000, and almost his life. After brief service as a soldier, he returned to England, survived shipwreck on the way, and arrived back penniless. On his return, Ogilby turned his attention to the Latin classics, as a translator and publisher. His first faltering attempt, in 1649, was a translation of the works of Virgil, but after his marriage to a wealthy widow the same year, his publishing activities received a considerable boost. One means by which Ogilby financed these volumes was by subscription, securing advance payments from his patrons, in return for including their name and coats-of-arms on the plates of illustrations. Another approach was to secure a patron, preferably in the court circle. Ogilby's first patron was Strafford, who found out too late that all leading ministers are dispensable when Charles I assented to his execution in 1641. As he re-established himself, Ogilby sought a new patron, the King himself. In 1661, Ogilby was approached to write poetry for Charles II's coronation procession; he later published 'The Relation of His Majesties Entertainment Passing Through the City of London', and a much enlarged edition the following year, which included a Fine set of plates depicting the procession. Royal favour was bestowed in 1674 when John Ogilby received the title of 'His Majesty's Cosmographer and Geographick Printer' with a salary of £13.6s.8d per annum. In 1665, Ogilby left London to avoid the Plague then ravaging the capital. The following year, in the Great Fire of London, Ogilby claimed that he lost his entire stock of books valued at some £3,000, as well as his shop and house, leaving him worth just £5. As he sought to restore his fortunes, Ogilby was already looking in new directions. The initial opportunity he seized on was the reconstruction of London's burnt-out centre. He secured appointment as a 'sworn viewer', whose duty was to establish the property boundaries as they existed before the Fire. Ogilby was assisted in the project by his step-grandson, William Morgan...
Category

English Charles II Antique 17th Century Collectibles and Curiosities

Materials

Paper

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