A VERY RARE EARLY PRODUCTION BY HERMAN MOLL (c.1654-1732) in superb early wash colour. Robert Hooke’s diary states that Moll was working as an engraver for Moses Pitt in 1678, this puts his arrival in London at the latest to 1678. The date of issue for this map is mistakenly given as c.1700 by Darlington and Howgego in their study of the maps of London. This is determined by the imprint address of Vanleys Court (Wanley’s Court) which Moll occupied from 1688 to 1691. The first printed map of the region around London (15 miles) was engraved by Wenceslaus Hollar for John Ogilby’s planned grand atlas of Britain which never materialised. Only two copies survive, both in a later state by William Morgan dated 1683. In 1686 Robert Morden published one of 20 miles around. Philip Lea published a similar map which is given the date of c.1690 by Darlington and Howgego. That makes this, one of the very earliest printed maps of the ‘country’ around London, now of course very much a part of it!

A fine detailed map showing hundreds of place names in the greater London area, extending from Hertford and Ware in the north to Dorking, Reigate and Chelmsford in the south. It extends eastwards to include Chelmsford and west to take in Guildford and Windsor. This example owes its survival to its inclusion in a book. An example is found in the British Library within a Jaillot ‘Atlas Nouveau’, 1692, and in the Kings Topographical Collection (K.Top.6.67). Provenance: acquired Amsterdam Book Fair February 1999; private English collection. Darlington & Howgego (1964) no. 49; Shirley (2004) T.Jai 1c II no. 17; Tyacke (1978) p.123.