There are over four million maps in various forms at the BRITISH LIBRARY. Magnificent maps highlight the British Library’s unique collection of large-scale maps, many of which have never been exhibited before demonstrate why maps are about far more than geography.
The exibition include large-scale, impressive maps from the 1400s to the present day, including the largest atlas in the world, THE KLENCKE ATLAS of 1660. It suggests the settings in which they might originally have been seen–from the palace to the schoolroom and the home .
THE KLENCKE ATLAS was given to King Charles II at the time of the STUART RESTORATION in 1660. Such magnificent maps and atlases were symbols of status and wealth. They were important items in private and royal residences.
Prior to 1800, these maps would have hung beside paintings and sculpture on the walls of palaces and grand private homes. No expense was spared with vast tapestries, large wooden globes, and painting in gold leaf commissions.
This massive collection has been kept in layers and layers of shelves in the British Library. These maps are magnfiicent to the eye, and I encourage all my readers to visit this EXHIBITION which is open until September.
THIS IS MAGNIFICENT AND MUST NOT BE MISSED. Very beautiful.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
