A very attractive engraved frontispiece highlighting ‘L’Accademia Cosmografica degli Argonauti’ founded in Venice in 1684 by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli (1650-1718). It is found as part of the comprehensive 13-part ‘Atlante Veneto’ published between 1690 and 1701. It illustrates extensively the instruments of the cartographic and cosmological world at the time. In the centre is an image of the globe with a ship placed on top indicating the focus on maritime studies.

Coronelli was an active cartographer, cosmographer, globe maker, author, inventor, engineer, and teacher. Born in Ravenna in 1650, at the age of 15 he entered the Franciscan Order in which he would become Gran Generale in 1699. As he became more interested in cartography he developed an extensive correspondence network around Europe. In 1681 he famously went to Paris to produce two, four-metre diameter globes for Louis XIV which still survive to this day. In 1685 he was made Cosmographer to the Venetian Republic and began teaching geography founding the ‘Academia Cosmographica degli Argonauti’ in 1684, the world’s first geographical society. His style of engraving is very distinctive and decorative. Armao (1944); Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004).