SENEX, John (bap. 1678-1740) [and Charles PRICE (fl.1697-c.1733)]

Lot 156
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 12 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 870918
Lot 156 | SENEX, John (bap. 1678-1740) [and Charles PRICE (fl.1697-c.1733)]
Estimate value
£ 12 000 – 16 000
SENEX, John (bap. 1678-1740) [and Charles PRICE (fl.1697-c.1733)]

[Untitled atlas. London: Mary Senex, c.1748].

Rare atlas with the world map in first state showing California as an island. Price and Senex entered a publishing partnership in 1707, Price being the cartographer and Senex the engraver. They completed a series of maps printed on two joined sheets, intending not only to issue them separately, but also to form an atlas of 20 maps. However, the partners soon ran out of money, and dissolved their partnership, with Price retaining a suite of maps and joining George Willdey in another atlas venture. Senex too retained a share of the plates, and working with John Maxwell, started to engrave new ones to challenge Price and Willdey. Thus in 1711, the two rivals published separate atlases within a few months of each other. Senex was successful, and kept reissuing his atlas with different numbers of maps. At some point Maxwell left the partnership with Senex, the latter erasing Maxwell's name from the plates, although traces of Maxwell's name can be found on maps in the present copy. After his death in 1740, Senex's widow, Mary, kept the publishing business going, and her catalogue of 1748 can be found in the present atlas on the rear pastedown.



An attractive feature of Senex’s maps are their informative annotations. For instance, on the western edge of the map of North America there is a description of Salt Lake City: ‘A lake of salt water 30 Leagues wide and 300 about according to the report of the Savages who also say that the mouth of it is a great distance from the South Coast and is buy 2 leagues broad. That there is above 100 Tonns about it, and that they sail on it with large Boats.’ Shirley BL T.SEN-1f.



Tall, narrow folio (686 x 287mm). 34 folding engraved maps, of which 21 on 2 sheets joined and 13 full-page, letterpress index pasted on front pastedown, letterpress broadsheet catalogue of maps pasted on rear pastedown dateable to 1748, maps dated between 1708 and 1725, all but the first map – Whiston's Solar system – in contemporary hand colour (8 maps with creasefolds repaired or strengthened, a number of other maps with light creasing at edges with a couple of tiny marginal tears, occasional faint browning and dust-soiling). Contemporary sheep panelled in blind with ornamental rolls and cornerpiece tools (rebacked preserving original spine, recornered and edges repaired, extremities lightly rubbed); preserved in modern slip case.





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