HAMBURG.- It was nothing less but a revolution in the history of nautical cartography – the sea atlas by Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer. The extremely scarce work in first French edition with a Spanish title sheet will be sold in the auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst in Hamburg on 19 and 20 May with an estimate of € 85.000.

Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer's “Spieghel der Zeevaert“ offers a variety of information, such as an innovative illustration of the coastal line in combination with coast profiles. Additionally, his maps are particularly captivating for their accuracy and their rich artful adornment with ornaments, ships and sea monsters.

Besides ships and regattas, Cornelis Haak's rare series of views of Venice from 1762 also show splendid palaces, manors, churches and bridges in the city of lagoons, as well as its masked balls, acrobats and religious processions. The series of vedutas in the style of Canaletto and Marieschi is especially impressive for the two large city maps of Venice published by Pieter van der Aa. The estimate is at € 35.000.

Next to the first print of the first Latin edition of Abraham Ortelius' “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum“, its style and content paved the path for later atlases, Johann Heinrich Zedler's 64 volume encyclopedia will enter the race with an estimate of € 30.000. The monumental lexicon, also called “Der Zedler“ after its publisher, may well hold the claim of being the occident's greatest reference work in print in those days, together with the Spanish “Espasa“.

While the French natural scientist Jean Baptiste Audebert entirely dedicated his main work in two volumes “Oiseaux dorés ou à reflets métalliques“ from 1802 to the splendid illustration of humming birds (estimate: € 15.000), Frederic Moore and Charles Swinhoe committed themselves to the world of exotic butterflies. The extremely rare book in ten volumes, released over a period of 23 years, comprises all Indian butterflies known of in 1913. The work in an excellent coloring will be called up with an estimate of € 25.000.

In the section of old prints the “Genealogiea deorum“ by Giovanni Boccaccio is especially worthwhile mentioning. This compendium of mythological records is the first printed geographic lexicon of its kind with a list of mountains, rivers, springs, forests, lakes and seas mentioned in ancient writings. The splendid copy in an old coloring has been estimated at € 12.000.

This section is contrasted by more modern contemporary documents, such as two autographed letters by Hermann Max Pechstein, each with wash feather drawing. The two writings from June 1927 to his friend and patron, the physician and art collector Dr. Walter Minnich, deliver impressive account of Pechstein's personal circumstances and emotional state. The estimate is at € 5.000 each. Some of the 15 further letters by the expressionist artist may perhaps be obtained for estimates starting at € 2.000.

Along with dedication copies of Pablo Picasso's “The Arts Council of Great Britain 1960“, with signed multicolor original chalk drawing (estimate: € 2.000) and Jacques Prévert's “Fêtes“ with eight etchings in colors by Alexander Calder (estimate: 4.000), the range of offerings is completed by Conrad Gesner's “Vogel-, Thier-, Fisch-, Schlangenbuch (estimate: € 20.000) as well as a rare copy of Dante Alighieri's “De la volgare eloquenzia“ (estimate: € 8.500).

Next to Rare Books, Manuscripts, Autographs and Decorative Prints, the auction also offers Maritime and Northern German Art. While the latter comprises works by Erich Hartmann (“Am Flügel (Das Konzert)“, estimate: 5.000) and Jacob Nöbbe (“Blick über die Flensburger Förde“, estimate: € 3.500), interesting works by, among others, Johannes Holst (“Hamburger Viermastbark 'Pamir'“, estimate: € 6.000) and Adam Marie-Edouard (“Bremer Viermastvollschiff 'H. Bischoff'“, estimate: € 5.000) will be called up in the section of Maritime Art.