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Important Maps at an Important Time - By Bruce McKinney Lot 67: More gems than Zsa Zsa has fingers By Bruce McKinney Frank Benevento did not buy his first important map ten years ago with the idea of becoming a canary in the coal mine in 2010 but circumstances make his sale of 71 important [primarily world] maps in London on May 6th a gut check for the map world. His material goes under the hammer at Sotheby's 34-35 New Bond Street, the right place in an uncertain time, to see if important maps are coming through the recession and recovery intact. Many experts in the field expect it. Mr. Benevento, of Palm Beach Florida, is recovering from serious illness and sells reluctantly. Cathy Slowther, who has managed the sale for Sotheby's from negotiation with Mr. Benevento this past year to the calling of the first lot by Roger Griffiths at 2:30 pm in London on May 6th, is cautiously optimistic. "The material is important, the market less certain. I expect both dealers and serious collectors to be contending." The collection was on display in New York during ABAA week and is currently on exhibition in London. By virtue of its scale and condition lot 67, Joannes Blaeu's Atlas major, eleven bound volumes of maps printed between 1662 and 1681 is attracting wide interest. It contains 589 maps, plans, views and plates; many double-page and all in original color. The set was purchased at the Wardington Sale in 2005 and the "bespoke cabinet by Columbo Mobili of Milan," commissioned shortly thereafter. In this piece important maps and history are combined in a remarkable presentation setting. The estimate is BP 180,000 to 220,000, the set arguably a complete compilation of early maps and images for the collector who, in buying this, wishes to achieve completeness with a single bid. Mr. Benevento spent $300,000 to buy the atlases. Lot 8, Paolo Forlani's 1570 world map presents another kind of opportunity. Maps provide graphic evidence of the advance of human knowledge of the continents and oceans. As such, the first appearance of continents, islands and names on maps provide collectors with documentation of unfolding discovery. This extremely early map expresses "Terra Incognito" in the southern hemisphere as rivaling the northern continents in scale. It is estimated BP 100,000 to 150,000. Mr. Benevento spent $253,250 to acquire it.
Important Maps at an Important Time - By Bruce McKinney Lot 66: Nova totius Terrarum Lot 7 is another important Forlani map. It is "the extremely rare first state of the first separately printed map of North America, and the only map of North America published by the Lafreri school." It is dated 1565. The new world comes into view. French, Spanish and English claims are pressed by explorers representing monarchs and monarchies straining to understand the vast wilderness that, report by report, emerges as larger than the countries and kingdoms making the claims. The British and Italians sail down the coast, the Spanish concentrate on Florida, the Caribbean and South America, the Portuguese on lands west of the Cape Verde Islands. The audacity of tiny countries claiming territories that grow larger with each exploration, as the search for the passage to Asia turns to recognition that these islands are continents, is the story and hubris expressed in this map. It is an exceptional moment, the map an important survival, the imagination of man dwarfed by reality. This map captures that moment. It's estimated BP100,000 to 150,000. Mr. Benevento spent $215,000 to acquire it. Lot 18 is Vincenzo Maria Coronelli's Navi, o vascelli, galee, galeazze, galeoni, e galeotte, bucintoro..., "one of the great volumes of ship portraiture and design, celebrating the long-standing naval heritage of the Venetian Republic by one of its great cartographers." This volume was printed in Venice in 1697 toward the end of the great Venetian era. Control of the passage between Europe and Asia once made Venice arguably the most important city-state in the world. This book captures the feeling with stunning images. Some books go on to shelves and are thereafter rarely opened. This book invites continuing interest. The estimate is BP 25,000 to 30,000. Mr. Benevento acquired it in Paris at the Auction Rinaud-Giquello for $85,800. Lot 66 seems destined to find a new home. It is Philip Eckebrecht's world map that was created in the 17th century. Titled Nova totius Terrarum, it is an exceptional example of the hemispheres drawn in bifurcated form, a strong impression of a dramatic map. Mr. Beneveto paid $63,000 for it. In selecting these examples to highlight it suggests that some maps and books are more favored than others. It is true that the estimates vary from a few thousand pounds to a third of a million dollars and that for a variety of reasons some examples have become both exceedingly rare and coveted. In between the natural variation of age, size, color and importance is reflected. The fact is the collection is deep in important maps and exceptional examples. This sale that will, in less than one and half hours, dispose of a collection that has given Mr. Benevento for seven years excuses to travel, reasons to read, catalogues to dissect, calls to make, negotiations to initiate, and packages to tear open. It is the premature conclusion to a collection that only two years ago looked like it would be his faithful intellectual companion for a decade more.
Important Maps at an Important Time - By Bruce McKinney Lot 7: North America, 1565 Mr. Benevento goes into the sale with the proverbial stiff upper lip. "I'm selling too soon but it's necessary. Life intervenes." Mr. Benevento bought from the best sources and was a ferocious negotiator. He sought the best material and in selecting a firm to handle the sale chose a great house. Canaries have uncertain lives, their beating hearts evidence it is safe in mines. Mr. Benevento's maps and atlases have lives as well. They have moved into libraries and collections, into and through dealer's hands, solemnly entered auction rooms to be dispersed, all these things in some cases for almost four hundred years. That they return to auction is no surprise. That has always been a certainty. That they return so soon is as disappointing for Benevento as it is interesting to the field because untimely returns are trips through shoal filled waters. And as Mr. Benevento's maps portray there have always been brave sailors, attracted by the destination, willing to risk for the sake of a great outcome. Here's betting the buccaneering spirit lives and that the brave and determined will be on the phones, online and in the rooms in London on the 6th.

Important Maps at an Important Time

- By Bruce McKinney

Lot 67: More gems than Zsa Zsa has fingers

By Bruce McKinney

Frank Benevento did not buy his first important map ten years ago with the idea of becoming a canary in the coal mine in 2010 but circumstances make his sale of 71 important [primarily world] maps in London on May 6th a gut check for the map world. His material goes under the hammer at Sotheby's 34-35 New Bond Street, the right place in an uncertain time, to see if important maps are coming through the recession and recovery intact. Many experts in the field expect it.

Mr. Benevento, of Palm Beach Florida, is recovering from serious illness and sells reluctantly.

Cathy Slowther, who has managed the sale for Sotheby's from negotiation with Mr. Benevento this past year to the calling of the first lot by Roger Griffiths at 2:30 pm in London on May 6th, is cautiously optimistic. "The material is important, the market less certain. I expect both dealers and serious collectors to be contending." The collection was on display in New York during ABAA week and is currently on exhibition in London.

By virtue of its scale and condition lot 67, Joannes Blaeu's Atlas major, eleven bound volumes of maps printed between 1662 and 1681 is attracting wide interest. It contains 589 maps, plans, views and plates; many double-page and all in original color. The set was purchased at the Wardington Sale in 2005 and the "bespoke cabinet by Columbo Mobili of Milan," commissioned shortly thereafter. In this piece important maps and history are combined in a remarkable presentation setting. The estimate is BP 180,000 to 220,000, the set arguably a complete compilation of early maps and images for the collector who, in buying this, wishes to achieve completeness with a single bid. Mr. Benevento spent $300,000 to buy the atlases.

Lot 8, Paolo Forlani's 1570 world map presents another kind of opportunity. Maps provide graphic evidence of the advance of human knowledge of the continents and oceans. As such, the first appearance of continents, islands and names on maps provide collectors with documentation of unfolding discovery. This extremely early map expresses "Terra Incognito" in the southern hemisphere as rivaling the northern continents in scale. It is estimated BP 100,000 to 150,000. Mr. Benevento spent $253,250 to acquire it.

Important Maps at an Important Time

- By Bruce McKinney

Lot 66: Nova totius Terrarum

Lot 7 is another important Forlani map. It is "the extremely rare first state of the first separately printed map of North America, and the only map of North America published by the Lafreri school." It is dated 1565. The new world comes into view. French, Spanish and English claims are pressed by explorers representing monarchs and monarchies straining to understand the vast wilderness that, report by report, emerges as larger than the countries and kingdoms making the claims.

The British and Italians sail down the coast, the Spanish concentrate on Florida, the Caribbean and South America, the Portuguese on lands west of the Cape Verde Islands. The audacity of tiny countries claiming territories that grow larger with each exploration, as the search for the passage to Asia turns to recognition that these islands are continents, is the story and hubris expressed in this map. It is an exceptional moment, the map an important survival, the imagination of man dwarfed by reality.

This map captures that moment. It's estimated BP100,000 to 150,000. Mr. Benevento spent $215,000 to acquire it.

Lot 18 is Vincenzo Maria Coronelli's Navi, o vascelli, galee, galeazze, galeoni, e galeotte, bucintoro..., "one of the great volumes of ship portraiture and design, celebrating the long-standing naval heritage of the Venetian Republic by one of its great cartographers." This volume was printed in Venice in 1697 toward the end of the great Venetian era. Control of the passage between Europe and Asia once made Venice arguably the most important city-state in the world. This book captures the feeling with stunning images. Some books go on to shelves and are thereafter rarely opened. This book invites continuing interest. The estimate is BP 25,000 to 30,000. Mr. Benevento acquired it in Paris at the Auction Rinaud-Giquello for $85,800.

Lot 66 seems destined to find a new home. It is Philip Eckebrecht's world map that was created in the 17th century. Titled Nova totius Terrarum, it is an exceptional example of the hemispheres drawn in bifurcated form, a strong impression of a dramatic map. Mr. Beneveto paid $63,000 for it.

In selecting these examples to highlight it suggests that some maps and books are more favored than others. It is true that the estimates vary from a few thousand pounds to a third of a million dollars and that for a variety of reasons some examples have become both exceedingly rare and coveted. In between the natural variation of age, size, color and importance is reflected. The fact is the collection is deep in important maps and exceptional examples.

This sale that will, in less than one and half hours, dispose of a collection that has given Mr. Benevento for seven years excuses to travel, reasons to read, catalogues to dissect, calls to make, negotiations to initiate, and packages to tear open. It is the premature conclusion to a collection that only two years ago looked like it would be his faithful intellectual companion for a decade more.

Important Maps at an Important Time

- By Bruce McKinney

Lot 7: North America, 1565

Mr. Benevento goes into the sale with the proverbial stiff upper lip. "I'm selling too soon but it's necessary. Life intervenes." Mr. Benevento bought from the best sources and was a ferocious negotiator. He sought the best material and in selecting a firm to handle the sale chose a great house.

Canaries have uncertain lives, their beating hearts evidence it is safe in mines. Mr. Benevento's maps and atlases have lives as well. They have moved into libraries and collections, into and through dealer's hands, solemnly entered auction rooms to be dispersed, all these things in some cases for almost four hundred years. That they return to auction is no surprise. That has always been a certainty. That they return so soon is as disappointing for Benevento as it is interesting to the field because untimely returns are trips through shoal filled waters.

And as Mr. Benevento's maps portray there have always been brave sailors, attracted by the destination, willing to risk for the sake of a great outcome. Here's betting the buccaneering spirit lives and that the brave and determined will be on the phones, online and in the rooms in London on the 6th.