Atlas Universal Diogo Homem – MOLEIRO EDITOR 2002

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Atlas Universal Diogo Homem – MOLEIRO EDITOR 2002

1wcarter
Editado: Ene 9, 2021, 8:34 pm

Atlas Universal Diogo Homem – MOLEIRO EDITOR 2002

A PICTORIAL REVIEW


Faksimile Verlag of Lucerne and Moleiro Editor of Barcelona compete to be the most prestigious facsimile publishers in the world. They both produce magnificent books that are as exact as possible in every detail to the original medieval and renaissance manuscripts that they reproduce. The bindings are usually high quality leather or other exotic materials and they are housed in equally superb Solander boxes or slipcases. A separate commentary volume is also published. Anyone who owns one or more of these expensive books will cherish them as the ultimate book(s) in their collection.

FACSIMILE VOLUME
The charts by Diogo Homem – the most productive Portuguese cartographer – are the most emblematic and priceless example of the navigation charts produced in Portugal in the 16th century. Diogo Homem’s beautiful atlas, dated circa 1565, will always be deemed to be one of the most brilliant examples of this cartography. They are now kept in the Ludmila Kildushevskaya (National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg). This Moleiro edition reproduces every one of Homem’s maps in full-colour.

The book is bound in full mid-brown leather blind stamped on the cover with the title and a wind rose. It contains 19 two page charts printed on heavy mock-vellum paper. The endpapers are mottled and stained reproductions of those in the original. The edition is limited to 987 copies and mine is number 678.

SOLANDER CASE
The mid-brown full leather Solander case resembles the facsimile volume with the same blind stamping on the front, but unlike the facsimile volume, there is blind stamped titling and patterning on the spine. It measures 49.8x33.5cm.

COMMENTARY VOLUME
The 336 page commentary volume is published in both English and Portuguese. It includes a preface by Jorge Sampaio (former President of the Portuguese Republic), an essay on “The Portuguese cartography in the era of discoveries” by Alfredo Pinheiro Marques (University of Coimbra, Director of the "Centro do Estudos do Mar- CEMAR") and a detailed description of every map in the facsimile. The book measures 33.6x23.8cm., is bound in dark green cloth and wrapped in a dust=jacket printed with Homem’s map of Europe. It has a red ribbon page marker.

Solander case










Facsimile volume






































































Commentary volume






















An index of the other illustrated reviews in the this series can be viewed here.

2ubiquitousuk
Ene 10, 2021, 1:23 pm

>1 wcarter: thank you for sharing this, it looks absolutely spectacular (that colour reproduction!!)

3MobyRichard
Editado: Ene 10, 2021, 1:42 pm

>1 wcarter:
>2 ubiquitousuk:

I was going to say. The colors really pop. Usually hand-coloring looks somewhat rough. Does the commentary say anything about who the colorists were?

4cbellia
Ene 10, 2021, 2:55 pm

Thank you for sharing these images. Several years ago Moleiro had an exhibit in New York City which I attended. His works are very well made, and a pleasure to see. They are also very expensive. I wodered then and I stll wonder today how a real medieval manuscript compares to a Moleiro facsimile. You can purchase one or several miniatures for the same price as a Moleiro facsimile. any opinions?

5wcarter
Ene 10, 2021, 4:00 pm

>3 MobyRichard:
There is no mention of the colourists in the index of the commentary volume, and after 500 years I doubt that anything can be known. They were probably relatively low level workers who merely followed the lines on the map.
>4 cbellia:
Moleiro also produce facsimiles of miniature prayer books. These sell for about €3000, while the originals would sell for a hundred or more times that price.

6MobyRichard
Editado: Ene 10, 2021, 6:35 pm

>5 wcarter:

Yeah, no surprise there I guess. Sad to think how many great artists are completely forgotten. Some of the best art I've ever seen are old wood engravings executed by "Anonymous" (no, not the activist group). Even the art itself is only known to a few collectors or rarely exhibited in museums compared to paintings or sculptures.