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The Russian Empire of Peter the Great.

Covens, Jean & Mortier, Corneille. The Russian Empire. Carte Générale de l'Empire de Russie.

Amsterdam. Covens et Mortier c1741
Copper engraved map on 2 sheets of the Russian Empire from Covens & Mortier's " Nieuwe Atlas, Inhoudennde vier Gedeeltens der Waereld.. " Original full wash colour; verso blank.
The large map on 2 sheets, which can be joined, shows the whole of the Russian Empire of Peter the Great, from Finland in the West to Kamchatka in the East.
Black and white copper engraved vignette to left upper corner with title on banner; black & white [as issued] strap work cartouches to lower left corner with explanation. Dark impression; bright full wash colour; printed on heavy paper, 2 sheets;Soiling to right blank margin of first map; minor paper fault (thinning) to sea, only perceptable when held to light; old red crayon numbers to verso.

Covens & Mortier
as a firm existed between 1721-1778, taking over the business of Pierrre Mortier.
Johannes / Jean Covens and Cornelius Mortier were brothers- in- law following the former's marriage to Mortier's sister Agatha in 1721, when they also formally went in to partnership.

Under the Covens and Mortier imprint, Cornelius and Jean republished the works of the great 17th and early 18th century Dutch and French cartographers De L'Isle, Allard, Jansson, & De Wit. The firm would become one of the most prolific Dutch publishing concerns of the 18th century.
The company would pass down through the Covens family as Mortier had no children, changing the name to Covens & Zoon until Pieter Mortier IV a great grandson of the original founder joined the firm and saw the name restored to Mortier Covens & Zoon. ( See Koeman I p45).




Guillaume de l'Isle (1675-1726)
was the son of a cartographer and pupil of Jean Dominique Cassini, who, among other important contributions, aligned the study of astronomy to the study of geography. Under Cassini's direction, observations were made from locations all over the world that enabled longitudinal calculations to be made with much greater accuracy. De l'Isle carried on this exacting work with remarkable dedication and integrity, constantly revising and improving his maps. While precision was his primary goal, his maps are invariably elegant and attractive. -
Koeman I: C&M 8:90, [C&M 10] 503 by 995mm (19¾ by 39¼ inches)if joined; Left sheet: 503x495mm; Right sheet 503x500mm.   ref: 2550  €1000

Company: Bryan, Mary Louise. Address: Ag. Andrianoy 92 , 21 100 Nafplio, Greece.
Vat No: EL 119092581