ADRICHEM, Christiaan van (ADRICHOM) - Lot 173

ADRICHEM, Christiaan van (ADRICHOM) Theatrum Terrae Sanctae et Biblicarum Historiarum cum tabulis geographicis aere expressis. Coloniae Agrippinae (Cologne), apud Iodocum Henricum Kramer (Josse-Henri Kramer), 1682. In-folio (38.5 x 25 cm); 1 f.bl., frontispiece, [8], 286, [26] (Catalogus Auctorum, index) pp., [1], 41 ff., 1 f.bl., 11 maps and a plan, Text in Latin on 2 columns. Contemporary cold-stamped ivory vellum, laces (partly broken), spine ribbed with handwritten title (binding soiled, light wetness, F. G3 bound before f. G2, qqq errors in pagination). Good edition of Christiaan van Adrichom's Theatrum Terrae Sanctae et Biblicarum Historiarum, dedicated to the study of the geography of the Holy Land. It is illustrated with a large map of Jerusalem (75 x 52 cm) and 11 double-page engraved maps, including a large general map. Reprint of the 1628 edition, with the exception of a few slight differences, notably in the composition of the title. The work consists of three main parts: a description of the Holy Land, a detailed description of Jerusalem, and in-depth discussions of the region's history. It is lavishly illustrated with 12 double-page engraved maps, including a spectacular fold-out general map (2 leaves enclosed) of the Holy Land divided according to the territories of the twelve tribes of Israel, 9 maps of the tribal territories, an Exodus plate and a large plan of Jerusalem. This superb plan offers a detailed representation of the interior and exterior of the city of Jerusalem as it was at the time of Christ; it features scenes and numerous buildings, all identified. First published in 1584, this remarkable plan has been added to every edition of the Theatrum. Measuring 75 x 52 cm, it remains a significant piece of Holy Land cartography (Laor, Maps of the Holy Land, 934). Originally published in Cologne in 1590, five years after its author's death, the Theatrum Terrae Sanctae was reprinted in 1593, 1600, 1613, 1628, 1682 and 1722 (corrected edition of 1682). The first atlas devoted to the Holy Land, it is Adrichom's most important and famous work. Numerous wood-engraved lettering and culs-de-lampe. Handwritten ownership marks on title and flyleaf. Christiaan Kruik van Adrichem (or Adrichom) was a Catholic priest and theological writer born in Delft in 1533. Ordained in 1566, he was confessor to the nuns of Saint Barbara's Convent in Delft until the Reformation. After being expelled, he settled in Cologne, where he devoted himself to studying the geography of the Holy Land. He published several works, including Vita Jesu Christi (Antwerp, 1578) and his Theatrum Terræ Sanctæ et Biblicarum Historiarum (Cologne, 1590), in which he gives a geographical description of Palestine and Jerusalem at the time of Christ, with a chronology from Adam to the death of the apostle John in the year 109. He died in Cologne in 1585. [Holy Land].