Tenebrae VI, 2026

 

Título: Tenebrae VI

Autor: Antonio José Álvarez Gordillo

Año: 2026

Técnica / Soporte: Impresión digital de alta calidad (ploteado) sobre lienzo, a partir de la fusión de imagen digital de cartografía histórica (The World. To His Most Gracious Majesty George the IV., 1830) y fotografía tratada y transformada digitalmente.

Dimensiones: 100 x 73 cm

Edición: Edición limitada de 50 ejemplares, firmados y numerados por el autor.

Precio: 300 €

Author Gardner, James

Date 1830

Short Title The World. To His Most Gracious Majesty George the IV. This delineation of the present state of Geographical Knowledge is with permission most humbly dedicated by His Majesty's Most Obedient & very Devoted Servant, James Gardner, 1825. . . . Additions to 1830

Publisher J. Gardner

Publisher Location London

Type Wall Map

Obj Height cm 137

Obj Width cm 264

Scale 1 11,000,000

Note See our 4755.000 for the 1825 first edition.

Reference British Museum World, p 550.

World Area Western Hemisphere

World Area Eastern Hemisphere

World Area World

Full Title The World. To His Most Gracious Majesty George the IV. This delineation of the present state of Geographical Knowledge is with permission most humbly dedicated by His Majesty's Most Obedient & very Devoted Servant, James Gardner, 1825. . . . Additions to 1830

List No 18010.000

Publication Author Gardner, James

Pub Date 1830

Pub Title The World. To His Most Gracious Majesty George the IV. This delineation of the present state of Geographical Knowledge is with permission most humbly dedicated by His Majesty's Most Obedient & very Devoted Servant, James Gardner, 1825. . . . Additions to 1830

Pub Reference British Museum World, p 550.

Pub Note Monumental early 19th-century British wall map spanning over eight feet in width. Captures the vanguard of Arctic, African, and overland American exploration. James Gardner, the official agent for the sale of Ordnance Survey maps, published this monumental double-hemisphere wall map of the world in London. Originally issued in 1825, the present example represents an updated edition bearing "Additions to 1830." Dedicated by permission to King George IV, it was intended as a definitive summary of global geographical knowledge at a time when the focus of British exploration was shifting from maritime discovery to the interiors of the continents and the polar regions. Measuring over eight feet in width, the map is among the largest single printed cartographic works of its era, with each hemisphere spanning an impressive 48 inches in diameter. James Gardner served with the Corps of Royal Military Surveyors and Draughtsmen before becoming the sole commercial agent for the Ordnance Survey in 1823, a position he held until his retirement in 1840. He was also a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society in 1830, placing him at the vanguard of British cartographic science. To execute a map of this extraordinary scale, Gardner engaged specialist engravers: John Water Froggett for the plan work and text, and James Palmer for the topography. The map was originally issued on eight massive sheets, designed to be dissected and mounted on linen or displayed on a wall. Its high initial cost and immense size mean that surviving examples are exceptionally rare today, particularly in well-preserved condition. The map reflects the latest updates from the great maritime and overland expeditions of the era. In North America, the coastline of the Arctic highlights the recent discoveries of Captains William Edward Parry and John Franklin, alongside earlier delineations by William Scoresby and Douglas Clavering in Greenland. The vast American West incorporates details from the expeditions of Lewis and Clark and Stephen H. Long, yet retains notable regions labeled as "Unexplored" west of the Rocky Mountains. The newly independent nations of Latin America are broadly recognized, including the "United Provinces of South America." In the Pacific, the tracks of James Cook and George Vancouver are synthesized with more recent encounters, though regions such as the Caroline Islands are explicitly noted as having their "number and position imperfectly known." Africa is depicted prior to the resolution of the Niger River's course, with Lake Chad ("Lake Tsad") depicted following the expeditions of Dixon Denham and Hugh Clapperton. Australia is prominently labeled as such, reflecting the growing adoption of the name following Matthew Flinders's circumnavigation, though "New Holland" is still retained for the western half of the continent. The present map represents an intermediate, updated state not widely recorded in standard references. While the first edition was published on September 1, 1825, and a subsequent edition with "Additions to 1835" is noted in biographical literature, this example specifically bears the engraved notation "Additions to 1830" below the primary imprint. A comparison between the 1830 and the 1825 state illustrate significant changes and improvements, including: Arctic/Northwest Passage: Significant updates, most notably along the northern Alaskan-Canadian Coastline, with signficantly more coastline explored and charted. Western Alaska: North of Bristol Bay, the coastline of Alaska is significantly improved. Northeastern Russian/Arctic Coastline: the unexplored regions noted in 1825 anre not explored and charted. US-Canada Border: The border is completely revised and is moved south to the Missouri River. The map is very rare. The 1830 state is unrecorded. We locate 3 examples of the 1825 map (Rumsey, British Library, Bibliotheque National de France) and 1 copy of the 1835 (BNF).(Ruderman, 2026)