Very rare map of Iberia from the time of the War of the Spanish Succession

Description

This decorative map by Abraham Allard covers the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. It was issued during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), which was a major European conflict with global impact.

The war was triggered by the death of the childless Charles II of Spain, in 1700, which left the question of who would inherit the vast Spanish Empire. There were competing claims between the Bourbon dynasty of France and the Habsburg dynasty of Austria, as both sought to prevent a rival power from gaining dominance over Spain’s territories. When, shortly before his death, Charles II named Philip of Anjou, grandson of France’s Louis XIV, as his heir, other European powers – most notably England, the Dutch Republic, and Austria – feared the union of France and Spain under a single monarch would upset the balance of power.

The ensuing conflict spread across Europe and also affected colonies in North America (as Queen Anne's War) and the Caribbean, involving complex alliances and shifting fronts. It ended with the treaties of Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714), which confirmed Philip as king of Spain (Philip V), on the condition that the French and Spanish crowns remain separate. The settlements reshaped Europe’s political map: Britain gained key territories and maritime advantages, Austria acquired parts of the Spanish Netherlands and Italy, and France’s expansion was checked, marking a redefinition of power relations in early 18^th-century Europe.

The map is exceptionally rich in detail. It includes the following notable features:

• Relief is depicted pictorially.
• Coastlines are highlighted using parallel hatching.
• Rivers, towns, cities, and roads are shown in much detail and named where applicable.
• Administrative subdivisions are differentiated by colour.

To the left of the title cartouche, which is at lower right, there is a legend that defines about 20 symbols and abbreviations used throughout the map, including such that would have been of particular military relevance, such as for fortified settlements, castles, and equestrian orders.

Beneath the title cartouche and legend, there is a text panel, listing:

• on the left, Spanish territorial possessions by continent
• at the centre, Spanish ethnic groups
• on the right, Portuguese territorial possessions by continent.

The map features a graticule and is aligned to the El Hierro (Ferro) prime meridian. The latitude scales carry annotations indicating corresponding climatic zones according to an apparently contemporary classification, along with the resulting duration of daylight during the summer solstice.

At lower left, there is a compass rose.

Three distance scales have been provided at bottom left.

Toponyms are partly in Spanish and partly in Latin; the title cartouche and the legend are in Dutch and Latin; and the text panel is in Dutch.

A very scarce, attractive, and historically important map of Spain and Portugal.

Rarity

Maps by Abraham Allard are exceptionally rare, including the example offered here for sale. While we did identify four institutional holdings of it, we were not able to trace any sales by dealers and auction houses over the last 40 years.

Condition

Very good.

Printed on watermarked paper, folding. Beautiful early colouring throughout, including to cartouche and embellishments. Light staining and spotting, mostly contained to blank margins, with a few spots at upper left of title cartouche. Lightly creased corners. Professional repairs to bottom centrefold split (reaching 5 cm / 2 in into image) and tear contained to lower left blank margin. On verso, old manuscript annotation in ink “Spanje en portugal 7”.

Item #: 02670

US $1,200.00

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