WENCESLAUS HOLLAR (1607-1677)
PRINTS FROM THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF THE LATE CHRISTOPHER MENDEZ
WENCESLAUS HOLLAR (1607-1677)

Map of London after the Great Fire

Details
WENCESLAUS HOLLAR (1607-1677)
Map of London after the Great Fire
etching
1666
on laid paper, watermark Arms of Amsterdam (Laurentius 177, dated 1665)
a fine, early impression of this rare print, first state (of two)
published by John Overton, London
with narrow margins
folded, with an unsigned letter written in Dutch in brown ink verso, addressed 'Monsieur' and dated Bristol, 14 May 1669
Plate 273 x 351 mm.
Sheet 280 x 358 mm.
来源
Christopher Mendez (1943-2025), London; then by descent to present owners.
Literature
Pennington 1004; New Hollstein 1916

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Stefano Franceschi
Stefano Franceschi Specialist

拍品专文

'A MAP or GROUNDPLOT of the Citty of London and the Suburbes thereof, that is to say, all that is within the jurisdiction of the Lord Mayor or propertie calld't Londo by which is exactly demonstrated the present condition thereof since the last sad accident of fire. The blanke space signifeing the burnt part & where the houses are exprest those places yet standing'.

On 2 September 1666, a fire in a baker's kitchen in Pudding Lane quickly became a conflagration, burning for four days and destroying swathes of the city of London, including the old Saint Paul's Cathedral. Hollar himself would certainly have witnessed the fire firsthand. In its aftermath, his skills were in immediate demand to document the extent of the damage. This aerial view was published by John Overton later that year, with the central portion north of the Thames, ranging from Fetter Lane in the west and Tower Hill in the east, left largely blank 'signifeing the burnt part'. In the present first state, offered here in a fine impression, Overton's shop, The White Horse, is listed at Little Britain, next door to Little St Bartholomew's Gate, where he had been forced to relocate following the fire. In 1668, Overton moved back to Without Newgate, near the Fountain Tavern against St Sepulchre's Church, which is the address found on the the second, final state of the print.

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